Ask the Author: Ana Bilic
Answered Questions (9)
Ana Bilic
My last book was the novel "Der Weg nach Solareii" and the idea behind it is to invent a wondrous journey where the characters are supposed to rediscover themselves. The idea came to me in 2016 when I was traveling by train from Leipzig to Berlin. The passing landscape was bathed in strange bluish colors, and strangely enough, everyone on the train was talking about one thing, as if they had agreed beforehand: that they were going to change their lives. An impressive image. In the novel, of course, I also added a scene with the train, but in a different context.
Ana Bilic
I observe things and note them through my personal lens. The choice of inspiration is large: literature, life, friends, dreams, films, art, family, love, cooking, shopping, humor, crises, jokes, TV, nature, cosmos, newspaper, food, photos, drinking, problems, silence, scents, acquaintances, solutions, colors, memories, etc.
Ana Bilic
Apart from "write, write, write", there are two other important things. In order to create distance from your work and overcome your own operational blindness, you should take breaks between two manuscript drafts. The second thing is to reread the finished work after a while to see how you used to tick and what has changed in the meantime. This makes the writing better.
Ana Bilic
In any case, it is wonderful that you can make your vocation your profession. That means making the freedom to create the main focus of your life.
Ana Bilic
I have a very simple strategy - I write down the ideas that occur to me or the interesting observations that come to mind. No matter where and no matter when. That means even in the middle of the night or during breakfast. When I get writer's block, I simply read my notes. That helps tremendously.
Ana Bilic
A man opened his eyes and was quite surprised. He was tied to an operating bed, a team of doctors stood around him and the man only heard one sentence before he lost consciousness: "Now which part should we cut off next?"
Ana Bilic
There are many book worlds that I would like to spend time in. What immediately comes to mind is the world of the book "Jungle Book" - a very nice memory from childhood. - And that's a symptomatic sign for me as a reader: as soon as I can't or don't want to immerse myself in the world of a book, I don't read the book either.
Ana Bilic
The list is not finished yet, I'm working on it.
Ana Bilic
Here is the beginning of a true story: When I was a student, I had a good friend. She was very pretty, always dressed to the nines, cultured, very popular with friends and had many admirers around her. Once, during the break between two lectures, I was drinking a quick coffee and half-absently watching the people queuing at the nearby phone booth when a funny thing happened. A young woman got in line and I recognized her as my friend. But she now looked completely different than usual: old, worn clothes, greasy, messy hair, no make-up, dark circles under her eyes, dirty sneakers and she rudely insulted the people around her. Before I could react, she left in a huff. Was my girlfriend leading a double life? Was she my girlfriend's unknown twin sister? Or was I just imagining I saw my girlfriend? I called her but she didn't answer. I visited her at home, but her mother only vaguely told me that she couldn't speak at the moment. And then…
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