Ask the Author: Allison M. Dickson
Answered Questions (13)
Allison M. Dickson
I am! My handle is @MsAllieD
Allison M. Dickson
Hi Herman! I am hoping to re-release all of my short story collections very soon! Devil Riders will be included in that! Thank you for checking in and let me know what else you might be looking for.
Allison M. Dickson
It came down to a matter of compromise. The first ending (the short and sweet one) was the one suggested to me by the editor, and since it was my first story, I was willing to go for it. After all, it was a thrilling ending and it made an impact. But ultimately I preferred the quieter and more haunting original ending I wrote, which is what went on to become the "alternate." I think it did a better job of explaining the nature of the GPS. So when I decided to self-publish the story, I figured it was a great time to post it with the alternate ending so people could decide which one they liked more.
I am always interested in what readers prefer. It seems to be more or less split down the middle.
I am always interested in what readers prefer. It seems to be more or less split down the middle.
Allison M. Dickson
It doesn't happen too often, but it definitely does happen, especially when I write protagonists who are generally not all that likable. Sometimes friends or family members will read my stuff and see a teensy snippet of something in there that they recognize, like a name or an anecdote from real life, and they'll think, oh so THAT'S what you really think of me (or this issue)! It's funny no one ever tries to attribute the positive stuff to themselves. :-P
At any rate, this notion that the things I make my characters do or say is "me" couldn't be further from the truth, and I like to remind folks that I am a fiction author first and foremost. I write in many cases to escape real life, not mirror it on the page. Though I do believe what Stephen King says about fiction being the truth inside the lie, said truths are more in the broad sense and not about specific things and people or politics or religion. I don't try to embed messages about my stances on social issues in my work -- that's a bit too didactic for my liking and it gets in the way of making authentic characters, and I also think it's lazy for authors to always be falling back on those same laurels. I believe writers need to challenge themselves and stretch unfamiliar muscles in their work. And if they're going to be putting a lot of their personal views or experiences into the work, they need to do it obliquely enough that it doesn't read like a manifesto.
You can usually tell when an author is trying to intrude on his or her own work. Some can succeed at it. Robert Heinlein had a way of making his characters sermonize on his pet issues that was so utterly persuasive and fascinating that you would put his books down wondering how best to go about starting a polygamous nudist colony. I could never get away with that, and I'd rather not try.
At any rate, this notion that the things I make my characters do or say is "me" couldn't be further from the truth, and I like to remind folks that I am a fiction author first and foremost. I write in many cases to escape real life, not mirror it on the page. Though I do believe what Stephen King says about fiction being the truth inside the lie, said truths are more in the broad sense and not about specific things and people or politics or religion. I don't try to embed messages about my stances on social issues in my work -- that's a bit too didactic for my liking and it gets in the way of making authentic characters, and I also think it's lazy for authors to always be falling back on those same laurels. I believe writers need to challenge themselves and stretch unfamiliar muscles in their work. And if they're going to be putting a lot of their personal views or experiences into the work, they need to do it obliquely enough that it doesn't read like a manifesto.
You can usually tell when an author is trying to intrude on his or her own work. Some can succeed at it. Robert Heinlein had a way of making his characters sermonize on his pet issues that was so utterly persuasive and fascinating that you would put his books down wondering how best to go about starting a polygamous nudist colony. I could never get away with that, and I'd rather not try.
Allison M. Dickson
Sadly, not at this time. It's a medium that I know very little about in terms of how to break into it, but now that I've signed with an agent, my hope is I'll be able to move my work to a larger stage, and then hopefully find a way into the audio market.
Allison M. Dickson
With more than a little help from my friends. :)
Other than that, my life is a study in faking it until I make it, crying it out, and being too stubborn to quit. I have just enough confidence in myself to push forward, but not quite enough to believe my success is deserved. Somewhere in the middle of all that, stuff happens.
Other than that, my life is a study in faking it until I make it, crying it out, and being too stubborn to quit. I have just enough confidence in myself to push forward, but not quite enough to believe my success is deserved. Somewhere in the middle of all that, stuff happens.
Allison M. Dickson
Stephen King is the reason I'm a writer today. It's as simple as that, really. But there are a ton of writers who have inspired me over the years.
Gillian Flynn inspired me to tap into my realistic fiction side. Margaret Atwood captured a literary form of science fiction that put me in a state of awe. Cormac McCarthy is a perfect study of brevity. Elmore Leonard was the dialog master. Joe Hill is a reminder to commit fully to the weirdness inside me.
But I find a lot of inspiration in my colleagues as well. You, Shewanda, are an inspiration to remain true to my characters. Ian Thomas Healy is a bedrock of support. Gae Polisner is one of the most elegant and heartfelt writers I've read.
The list goes on and on...
Gillian Flynn inspired me to tap into my realistic fiction side. Margaret Atwood captured a literary form of science fiction that put me in a state of awe. Cormac McCarthy is a perfect study of brevity. Elmore Leonard was the dialog master. Joe Hill is a reminder to commit fully to the weirdness inside me.
But I find a lot of inspiration in my colleagues as well. You, Shewanda, are an inspiration to remain true to my characters. Ian Thomas Healy is a bedrock of support. Gae Polisner is one of the most elegant and heartfelt writers I've read.
The list goes on and on...
Allison M. Dickson
I don't believe in the existence of that phenomenon. There are times when creative juices are high and other times when they are low. If they're low, it just means you need to change things up a little. Challenge your brain in other ways. I highly recommend every writer purchase a deck of Story Forge Cards. If there is a better system for jacking open the creative centers of the brain, I haven't found it yet.
Allison M. Dickson
Working in my pajamas. Bar none.
Allison M. Dickson
Writers write. It's a cliche for a reason.
You just gotta do it. Stop letting the voices and the doubt stop you. Write through all of it and gain a sense of confidence in your abilities. You might not be all that good at first. That comes later, too. Just write.
You just gotta do it. Stop letting the voices and the doubt stop you. Write through all of it and gain a sense of confidence in your abilities. You might not be all that good at first. That comes later, too. Just write.
Allison M. Dickson
My agent will have editorial marks for Kudzu soon, so that isn't completely done yet, but currently I'm thinking of diving back into my contemporary fantasy story about gods and baseball called STATIC. I also have the sequel to my novel STRINGS to finish up.
Allison M. Dickson
I'm driven by a perpetual need for self-expression, but I often don't get inspired until I start writing. The "muse" only comes out when she sees I'm working for it.
Allison M. Dickson
The book I just finished, a southern Gothic suspense novel called "Kudzu," came to me when my mother, who grew up in Georgia, told me about the huge, thick growths of those invasive vines down there. I started thinking about it metaphorically, about how it binds things together and then consumes them. In many ways, this made me think of family secrets and how they operate in much the same way. The story grew from there.
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