Today I welcome Andrea Vermaak to my blog. Andrea's contribution to the JOURNEY anthology was invaluable. Not only did she contribute her own story, she was the editor for all the authors, and she let me bully her (okay, it wasn't that bad 😉) into mentoring Michelle's first forays into Young Adult stories.
What is the title of your story?
Break Away
What inspired your story?
Other writers always tell me to write what I know. I've drawn from many aspects of my life to write Break Away: from people I have met to experiences I've had. The old man in my story is, however, inspired by a few lines in 'Kill your heroes' by AWOLNATION.
Please tell us about the journey of your character(s)
Jenna, my main protagonist, goes on both physical and emotional journeys. The two journeys are inseparable; metaphorically speaking, of course.
What other things, besides writing, do you like to do?
Read! All writers have to read! I go to an adult ballet class once a week despite having three left feet, and I try not to sound like a dying mosquito when I attend my weekly violin lesson. I guess I adore music and movement no matter how bad I may be at them!
What did you learn about yourself or your journey as a writer during this project?
When I am stuck, I must not give up! This particular project has been very challenging because my story is a bit too close to the bone. I am afraid of who will read it, so I try to veer away from the truth, but the story loses its backbone when I do. I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't matter who reads it, I must just keep digging deep and keep on writing!
What do you see as your biggest challenge as a writer?
To write a great ending. My draft endings are always too obvious, too soppy, or both.
Do you have another project in the pipeline that you would like to share with my readers?
I have two short stories for which I would like to write better endings (told you so), as well as bits of a novel which I would like to finish during NaNoWriMo this year.
Thank you, Andrea! It was a pleasure working with you on this project.
Note from Linzé: Andrea has agreed to be my editor for Waiting for Adrian - yay!
😱 If you missed the interviews with the first two JOURNEY authors, Melissa and Michelle, just click their names 😎
