Ask the Author: Stephanie Baumgartner
Answered Questions (6)
Stephanie Baumgartner
I think what I love most about being a writer is that I get to put my interests to good use. My fascination with WWII is not just a quirky enthusiasm anymore; it's the driving force for most of my stories. I also love creating real people in my characters; imperfect characters that are relatable in some way to my readers. I love telling their stories, whether it be as a cautionary tale, or as tales of redemption. I also love taking elements of my own life and experiences and incorporating them into my stories and my characters. I have found it both therapeutic and validating in many ways :)
Stephanie Baumgartner
If you mean the project I'm currently working on, the idea originated when I was 19 years old. One day, I was craving a particular type of storyline with a particular set of characters in a particular setting (WWII...duh!), and when I couldn't find it, I decided to write it. That was the moment Sophia's War was born. If you are referring to the next book I plan on writing (Memories of You), the entire novel was inspired by Taylor Swift's song "Enchanted." She inspires me a lot :)
Stephanie Baumgartner
I am currently working on a series that I finished almost 8 years ago (Sophia's War). It has almost been completely rewritten and though the essence of the characters has stayed the same, I've made them more clearly defined now, as well as strengthening the plot and making minor characters more essential to the storyline. I'm very pleased with how far it's come and how much I've learned since I first finished it all those years ago.
Stephanie Baumgartner
Music. I get probably 99% of my ideas for both stories and scenes in my novels from music. :) The few ideas I've gotten from somewhere besides music have come from doing research out of non-fiction WWII books.
Stephanie Baumgartner
Write something you would want to read. Write for yourself first, and consider the love of readers as a blessed bonus. Everyone has their preferences and different opinions. Those opinions don't make the reader right or wrong (not always, anyway), and those opinions don't mean your story or your writing has been executed right or wrong. Just learn all you can about what you're writing and find the joy and fulfillment in that alone. Most importantly, don't give up. Keep writing.
Stephanie Baumgartner
It depends. If I experience writer's block after having written an emotionally draining scene (or scenes), I allow myself anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks of no writing. The reason being is pretty self-explanatory...I'm just drained. So instead I may use that time to read, watch movies or TV shows with great storylines and character development (something I can learn from), or I do more research on WWII. I still try to edit daily during the hiatus, though, just to keep the story fresh in my mind. Two weeks is my cut off, though. After that, I force through the writer's block, and eventually it all starts to flow again :)
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