Ask the Author: Angie Thompson
Answered Questions (6)
Angie Thompson
I always welcome reviewers! :) Feel free to send me a message and let me know which titles you're interested in and how to get them to you.
Angie Thompson
Maybe not to let questions sit in your inbox for months because you keep forgetting about them and aren't sure how to answer them when you do remember? XP
Seriously, though, I would say, hold onto the thing that makes your writing yours. You'll read all kinds of writing advice, some bad and some good, some absolutely necessary and some well-intentioned but dangerous if not used with care. Do you need to learn and grow in your craft? Absolutely! But whatever you do, don't let all the advice you receive bury the spark that made your writing your own under a pile of gray sludge that looks just like everyone else's. Learn, grow, and excel in your craft--that's wonderful. But don't give up on the instincts you've always had or the heart that's always beat beneath the surface of your writing. Anyone can follow a formula, but there's something you can bring to the world through your writing that no one else can. Keep that spark alive, and let it shine no matter what!
Seriously, though, I would say, hold onto the thing that makes your writing yours. You'll read all kinds of writing advice, some bad and some good, some absolutely necessary and some well-intentioned but dangerous if not used with care. Do you need to learn and grow in your craft? Absolutely! But whatever you do, don't let all the advice you receive bury the spark that made your writing your own under a pile of gray sludge that looks just like everyone else's. Learn, grow, and excel in your craft--that's wonderful. But don't give up on the instincts you've always had or the heart that's always beat beneath the surface of your writing. Anyone can follow a formula, but there's something you can bring to the world through your writing that no one else can. Keep that spark alive, and let it shine no matter what!
Angie Thompson
Great question! I had grown up knowing the parable and was very familiar with it, but putting it into a modern-day setting definitely forced me to take a deeper look at it than I ever had before.
One of the biggest elements that I hadn't really considered was just how much the Samaritan did and gave up for the wounded stranger. It becomes a pretty personal thing when you're tending someone's wounds with your own hands, not to mention making yourself responsible for their care!
The other question that I really became curious about was how this experience would have changed the people involved--particularly the man who was hurt. How would he have felt toward his rescuer? How would it have changed the way he looked at Samaritans in the future? Would anything in the Samaritan's life have changed? What about those who passed by? Obviously those answers aren't contained in the original parable, and there are a lot of possible outcomes, but exploring those what-ifs--why does it matter and what changes could God work through a sacrificial love like this?--became a key part of the story for me.
One of the biggest elements that I hadn't really considered was just how much the Samaritan did and gave up for the wounded stranger. It becomes a pretty personal thing when you're tending someone's wounds with your own hands, not to mention making yourself responsible for their care!
The other question that I really became curious about was how this experience would have changed the people involved--particularly the man who was hurt. How would he have felt toward his rescuer? How would it have changed the way he looked at Samaritans in the future? Would anything in the Samaritan's life have changed? What about those who passed by? Obviously those answers aren't contained in the original parable, and there are a lot of possible outcomes, but exploring those what-ifs--why does it matter and what changes could God work through a sacrificial love like this?--became a key part of the story for me.
Angie Thompson
Okay, how did that slip through?!? Nope, not purposeful. XS
Thanks very much for your encouragement! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story!
Thanks very much for your encouragement! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story!
Angie Thompson
Too many ideas! I have a couple more children's/teen contemporary fiction ideas near the front burner, along with a biblical fiction story set in the book of Daniel that I'm really excited about. Now that Bridgers is finished, I'll probably be settling down to one of them, unless something else interrupts again!
Angie Thompson
I was listening to a children's audio drama (thanks to the Audio Theatre Central podcast for introducing me to some great new shows!), and several of the episodes involved modern retellings of Jesus' parables. One of these in particular got my imagination started wondering how I would choose to retell the story, and the result was Bridgers!
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