Ask the Author: Anissa Stringer
Answered Questions (7)
Anissa Stringer
I've always loved apocalyptic fiction. The Stand, Day of the Triffids, The Earth Abides--I devoured them when I was younger. It wasn't until I started to write my own tales of the end of the world that I began to understand why I loved those kinds of stories: The apocalypse strips away the social and cultural baggage that rules our lives; it offers us (the reader and the writer!) the opportunity to explore some of the philosophical topics we don't have the chance to think about much in our busy lives. Plus, it's just fun to wonder how we'd survive if the world ended in various ways!
Anissa Stringer
Wow. This is a much harder question than you might expect! Sometimes when people ask this, they’re really asking: How do you find the time and ideas to write full-length novels.
The answer to that is: Finding the time is hard and it takes some sacrifice (there are only so many hours in the day), but ideas are easier to come by and come from many different sources (other books I’m reading, TV shows, documentaries, strange ideas that pop up in my head, and even dreams).
The other thing people sometimes mean when they ask about inspiration is: How do you turn a single idea and a few words into a novel without losing interest or getting so frustrated that you quit before you’re done?
That question is much harder to answer and it changes as you grow as a writer. When you’ve never completed a novel before, there’s so much to learn about writing dialogue, setting a scene, ramping up tension, plotting, character growth, and so forth that it feels like you’ll never turn your idea into a full-length book.
But slowly, as you get more accomplished and find your voice, moving a story along becomes second nature. It helps a lot to attend writers’ workshops (your local library may have some that are free!) and read everything you can get your hands on about the craft of writing. online critique groups like Scribophile.com are also helpful if you don’t know many other writers.
If you’re asking about inspiration because YOU dream about writing a book but aren’t having much luck in moving it beyond the “idea” stage, it’s important to dedicate time to your writing every single day. You can visit my website at https://www.StringerStories.com (click the “For Writers” tab at the top) if you’d like to view a free Prezi about how you can maintain your forward momentum even if it’s by spending just 10 minutes a day on your writing. Good luck--and I hope this answered your question!
The answer to that is: Finding the time is hard and it takes some sacrifice (there are only so many hours in the day), but ideas are easier to come by and come from many different sources (other books I’m reading, TV shows, documentaries, strange ideas that pop up in my head, and even dreams).
The other thing people sometimes mean when they ask about inspiration is: How do you turn a single idea and a few words into a novel without losing interest or getting so frustrated that you quit before you’re done?
That question is much harder to answer and it changes as you grow as a writer. When you’ve never completed a novel before, there’s so much to learn about writing dialogue, setting a scene, ramping up tension, plotting, character growth, and so forth that it feels like you’ll never turn your idea into a full-length book.
But slowly, as you get more accomplished and find your voice, moving a story along becomes second nature. It helps a lot to attend writers’ workshops (your local library may have some that are free!) and read everything you can get your hands on about the craft of writing. online critique groups like Scribophile.com are also helpful if you don’t know many other writers.
If you’re asking about inspiration because YOU dream about writing a book but aren’t having much luck in moving it beyond the “idea” stage, it’s important to dedicate time to your writing every single day. You can visit my website at https://www.StringerStories.com (click the “For Writers” tab at the top) if you’d like to view a free Prezi about how you can maintain your forward momentum even if it’s by spending just 10 minutes a day on your writing. Good luck--and I hope this answered your question!
Anissa Stringer
I currently have two books in progress:
1. The first is an anthology of short stories about the apocalypse. I’ve have so many “how the world could end” ideas and I’m excited to finally get them on paper! I hope to release this book by the end of the year (2018).
2. The second one is book with a year’s worth of random acts of kindness. It’s been so heartwarming to read the stories I’ve received and this book is a good companion to the book of gratitude prompts I released earlier this year (A Year of Guided Gratitude).
I’m also in the process of revising an old short story (apocalyptic fiction) to make it longer. I’m not sure yet if it will just become a longer short story or a novella, but it’s fun delving deeper into the ideas I had to cut short when I first wrote the story!
1. The first is an anthology of short stories about the apocalypse. I’ve have so many “how the world could end” ideas and I’m excited to finally get them on paper! I hope to release this book by the end of the year (2018).
2. The second one is book with a year’s worth of random acts of kindness. It’s been so heartwarming to read the stories I’ve received and this book is a good companion to the book of gratitude prompts I released earlier this year (A Year of Guided Gratitude).
I’m also in the process of revising an old short story (apocalyptic fiction) to make it longer. I’m not sure yet if it will just become a longer short story or a novella, but it’s fun delving deeper into the ideas I had to cut short when I first wrote the story!
Anissa Stringer
My best advice is this: Never, EVER give up. I also recommend that you learn to be objective about your own work. There are people out there who will hate what you write no matter how good it is...and there are also people who will tell you that your work is wonderful even if it's not. You have to be able to differentiate between those two types of feedback...and also be able to assess your work objectively in order to accept or reject suggestions within the context of your stories. Objectivity is a tough thing to learn, but it's super important for aspiring writers.
Also, stop calling yourself an ASPIRING writer! Put words to paper. You ARE a writer. You can do this!
Also, stop calling yourself an ASPIRING writer! Put words to paper. You ARE a writer. You can do this!
Anissa Stringer
As a kid, I was very shy and introverted--so much so that it was often difficult for me to interact with my peers. As a result, I used books as an escape. And while that might not be so great, the stories I stepped into brought me so much joy that it's hard to wish I'd been more outgoing! It's probably not surprising that as writer, I love knowing (hoping) that I offer my readers the same opportunity to escape when they need it.
Anissa Stringer
I'm currently on an apocalyptic "roll" after finishing and releasing my series The Glare and the companion books to it (The Glare is an apocalyptic/post apocalyptic thriller). Since my brain is still in end-of-the-world mode, it was an easy jump to start an anthology of short stories that capture some of the different and sometimes zany ways the world could end. Zombie sharks and widespread "poisoning" by genetically modified wheat are just a couple of the premises in the book. I can't wait to release it and see what you think!
Anissa Stringer
Lots of writers are terrified of writer's block, but there are so many ways to come up with creative solutions to writing challenges that I see it as an opportunity to try something new. For instance, a writer friend of mine (Haley Dziuk) recently introduced me to the idea of using Tarot cards in her new book, Tarot for Fiction Writers. I would have never thought to use the cards like that (or at all), but I found that her process was a great way to try something new, and I got some great ideas as a result. Being open to simply looking at things from a different perspective is a huge help to avoiding (and overcoming) writer's block!
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