From the Bard's Quill Interview with Albuquerque Annie
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | From the Bard's Quill Interview with Albuquerque Annie |
| Interviewer: | Tom |
| Interviewee: | Albuquerque Annie |
| Date(s): | July 8, 1997 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Xena: Warrior Princess |
| External Links: | interview is here, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Albuquerque Annie was interviewed in 1997 by for the Xena: Warrior Princess site Tom's Xena Fan Fiction Archive.
Other interviews in the series: From the Bard's Quill Interview Series.
Some Excerpts
Q: What are some of the differences you’ve found between writing short stories and writing poetry?
A: There are some fairly obvious differences such as length of the work, et cetera. Poetry is easier to write because not only is it shorter, but it’s more straightforward. It’s a collection of imagery and raw emotions with no plot necessary. Just write it and get it over with. Plus, even if it’s jibberish, to could still be considered a poem.
Short stories have to be set up. The writer has to establish a place, time, scene, and action (plot) which the story revolves around. The short story writer definitely has to write clearly and make herself or himself understood by the readers otherwise the story won’t work. Moreover, because it’s a longer work, it requires more thought, and if the story is about a particularly difficult subject for the writer to deal with, it can become absolutely agonizing in both the planning stages and the actual writing. For example, "Will You Remember Me?" hit too close to home for me and I had to take several breaks during the final scene or two because I came dangerously close to making myself cry. <laughing> Short stories have become about the hardest thing for me to write because I haven’t written any in such a long time. "Will You Remember Me?" was the first short story I’ve tried to write in about 3 years. It felt really awkward to me and I kind of had to give myself a good kick to get started. I used the first half of the story to try to get rid of the rust.
Q: What’s your favorite topic to write about and why?
A: I like to write about friendship because I know the ups and downs of it. I’ve had lots of great times with my closest friends. On the downside of that, I’m in my early twenties and most of my closest friends are already dead, including my best friend. That thought stuns and pains me. Through the combination of both joy and sorrow, however, I’ve learned to appreciate friendship and closeness. On a quick sidenote, I feel I could better write "A Second Chance." The first time I wrote it, I used part past experience and part imagination. My mom should’ve died this year, so I better understand the anxiety and everything else that comes with that sort of event.
Q: Is there any advice you could give to wannabe fanfic writers?
A: I’ve learned so much from my writing workshops and my own mistakes that I can’t give all the advice I’d like to. That, and even most textbooks I’ve seen don’t cover everything, either. I do have one major piece of advice for every kind of writer (fanfic, personal letters, etc.): GOOD GRAMMAR AND GOOD SPELLING ARE ESSENTIAL!!!!!!!!!! If readers have to re-read sections of a work to figure out what a writer is trying to say, the "spell" is broken and the work is easily laid aside. That’s a great piece of advice, kiddoes! That’s one few people will ever tell you or even think to tell you, so consider yourselves lucky that I care! <smiling> Finally, if you want to write, WRITE! You don’t have to share with anyone if you don’t want to, and if you don’t try, you will never know your potential!