Meet Sophie Mutiara Nova

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sophie Mutiara Nova. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sophie below.

Hi Sophie, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?

I think writing comes easier to me than speaking. That’s always been the case since I was a kid. I don’t think I put a proper verbal sentence together until I was seven (preferring to read and write instead). Speaking out loud was really difficult for me (neurodivergence). I was really, really shy. I always much preferred to listen.

I think the most important thing is to practice communicating even when it’s difficult. That part is hard. It’s embarrassing sometimes too. (I’ve apologized to many chairs that I’ve bumped into by accident. I hope the chairs appreciate it).

I would also suggest to find the methods of communication that work best for you. The most helpful advice a mentor gave me was: “you can say hi a hundred different ways. They don’t always have to be spoken”. That part’s always felt true to me.

I like to say I wanted to be the lead singer of a punk rock band when I was a kid. I couldn’t sing, so I wrote instead. I put my Sesame Street plushie monsters on bass and drums (they rocked).

I redirected that punk rock energy into writing. (Shoutout to Elmo). I hope everyone finds their passion for writing or in something that brings them joy, then keeps that energy alive. (Sesame Street backup band members or no). It’s a really precious thing

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I loved monster stories growing up. Whether it was my mom telling me Indonesian mythology stories about Kuntilanak or reading the gory Grimm Brothers’ tales. I always loved poring over the weird book covers in libraries with princesses that shed their skin or those haunted email chains that put a curse on you if you didn’t pass them along. (Sorry if I ever did forward those)

My love for horror was not straightforward: because I loved going into haunted houses up until maybe age eight, then I got super frightened of anything Halloween and didn’t find my courage again until my early twenties. (Which I credit to watching a lot of horror playthroughs of the scary video games I was too afraid to play myself: Little Misfortune, Corpse Party, Little Nightmares).

I always loved Halloween though. I feel a lot of Queer kids did growing up because you had the chance to be anything you imagined. You could finally dress up more as yourself (or try out things until you did feel like yourself). Goodness knows I was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, an emo vampire, a pirate and/or some combination of those.

I write books and make films that have a “rock and roll monsters” flair. Like a Creepypasta but with the style of a 2010s emo music video. Something that the characters of Life is Strange would absolutely doodle or make a tattoo of, you know?

BOOKS: Catch Lili Too, Wake the Dead (Gamin Immortals Series) and Phoning Faust coming out in 2026 (think punk rock monster hunting besties for the Gamin Immortals, then human-demon rockstars for Phoning Faust)

SHORT FILMS: Indah and the Spirits, Detention of the Damned, Blood Disease and more! (punk rock Indonesian diaspora mythology, monsters in high school, and vampire stylization!)

SCREENWRITING: Deity=Delta, Final Girl F-ck-ry, Misdiagnosis + more (badasses with visions, horror gone super campy, and vampires and lupus awareness inspired by my own chronic illness diagnosis)

** UP NEXT: keep an eye out for my book PHONING FAUST! 🙂 Coming soon with NineStar Press. Find me at a haunted house or @thesophiewhit & at my newsletter

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Know what feedback works for you, and what feedback doesn’t. Take it with a grain of salt, and ruminate on it a bit. You know your art you’re making best and what feels true to it. For my own work, I tend to follow this rule. One feedback note is subjective, but if it’s more than one similar message from multiple sources, it’s best to take a closer look! (And always be open to feedback that feels true even on the first note– because making art in community is a truly magical experience and sometimes a note hits your heart before it processes in your brain too). Allow yourself time to process.

2. Write and finish your projects. I think it’s the easiest one to forget funnily enough. But write even if it doesn’t feel perfect. That’s a hurdle I had to fight past for myself, but a finished draft with mistakes is better than no draft at all!

3. Say hi when you can to other artists working alongside you! Community is really cool 🙂 I’m always learning how to reach out more and learn from others and have been really fortunate to work with amazing people. If you’re reading this, you are also one of those cool people. Hello there!

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

Send the email/message/etc. to reach out even if it feels silly. I’ve felt silly often, but it’s okay to feel silly. It’s okay to make mistakes or be “cringy” so long as you’re learning. Don’t let feeling silly stop you from making art you’re proud of. It’s never silly if it matters to you

And as I said previously: say hi to the person you think is making cool work 🙂 You’ll be really surprised who reaches out back to you.

And I’ve been really thankful for the mentors who have taught me everything along the way!

From teachers to librarians to other cool artists in the world. Thank you for taking the time to teach and guide me.

And you too, dear reader, thank you for stopping by 🙂 I send all the best wishes.

I hope you find all the coolest stories out there and make many of your own too!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Arianne Ayu, Jordan Oakley, Julie Fackler, Vanessa Moreno, Hera Anderson, Brooke Harbaugh, Lety Vargas

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