Ask the Author: Yvonne Anderson
Answered Questions (6)
Yvonne Anderson
The only mystery would be what part would make for a good story. My life is happily dull.
Yvonne Anderson
That's a good question, Tracy--and the answer is a long one. For this story, I started with the setting. I'd been visiting Gannah for so long, I wanted a complete break, so I tried to decide what sort of planet to visit next time. I've always been fascinated with two kinds of terrestrial terrains: flat, bayou-like regions where people travel by water rather than roads; and steep, rocky, mountainous areas that only a mountain goat would love. I decided to put the two together--but of course they're mutually exclusive and can't co-exist in nature, so I had to make it a man-made environment. And the whole planet couldn't be like that; it would have to be just one portion of it. And so the concept of Freemansland was born. Then I tried to envision what sort of person that strange land would spawn. Jemima became the product of her environment. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I just started spending time with her and came to learn her story.
Yvonne Anderson
It's a creative outlet. I guess that's the best thing. I've met some wonderful fellow-writers during the process, people whom I consider my best friends. But honestly, I wish I wasn't a writer. It's not something I chose to do; it chose me, kind of like an incurable disease.
Yvonne Anderson
Two things:
1 - Preparing my latest spec-fic series, The Four Lives of J. S. Freeman for publication. Have run into delays, but I hope to release Book 1, Stillwaters, in early 2018.
2 - I'm working with a friend to help her release a wonderful nonfiction book about her journey out of depression. We're putting the finishing touches on it now, and I hope we'll be able to publish it before the year is out. Title: Dancing on Stones. I've very excited about this one!
1 - Preparing my latest spec-fic series, The Four Lives of J. S. Freeman for publication. Have run into delays, but I hope to release Book 1, Stillwaters, in early 2018.
2 - I'm working with a friend to help her release a wonderful nonfiction book about her journey out of depression. We're putting the finishing touches on it now, and I hope we'll be able to publish it before the year is out. Title: Dancing on Stones. I've very excited about this one!
Yvonne Anderson
Sounds crazy, but my advice is to quit. Just give it up. If you find you simply CAN'T quit, then you know you're a real writer; it's not just a passing fancy. In that case--if you've tried to put this faithless lover behind you but simply can't leave him alone--my advice is to go back to the worthless cad with no expectations. Don't expect him to support you, or encourage you, or give you fame or prestige. Learn the craft (never quit learning), interact with other fellow-sufferers, be willing to change--no, be eager to change, to grow, to improve--and climb this mountain one painful step at a time.
Yvonne Anderson
I hear about writer's block all the time, but I'm not sure I've ever truly experienced it. When I find myself stuck on one scene, or one project, I'll move to another scene, or another project. It also helps to go out and do something physical--work in the garden, take a walk, scrub the floors. I've struggled with finding the time to write far more often than I've struggled with what to write when I had the time.
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