ISSUE #11 | Ana Gardner on the Writing Process, Tropes, and Staying Hopeful

ANA GARDNER is a cognitive scientist, puppy wrangler, and author. Her story, “A Defiance of Violins,” (from Issue #11, Snake Eyes) is about art, power, and revolution. This story was personally sourced from Ana after the first story she sent us was swooped up by another market mere minutes before we sent our contract.

Illustration by Maura McGonagle

PLANET SCUMM: Whatcha reading?

ANA GARDNER: Aside from the latest Planet Scumm issue I just got in the mail (!!!), I just started Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. Still early in the book so idk how it'll turn out, but the premise is currently resonating. And, not unrelatedly, I'm also reading Sarah Kurpiel's books, Original Cat, Copy Cat and Lone Wolf, to a fussy baby in the evenings  ;)

PS: What changed the most since the first draft of your Issue #11 story “A Defiance of Violins”?

AG: The very first draft was actually closer plot-wise to the final product (though hopefully I've managed a bit of extra polish :^) ) than many intervening drafts. I'd taken some early feedback about the story being too long and cut out a chunk of plot, leaving the focus only on Nina's escape via her technical tricks. 

But after doing that, I realized I missed the original plot, and the “escape alone” story didn't have enough of an emotional backbone for me, so I put May back in and added the violins. I'm much happier with the final product ;) 

PS: What literary tropes do you have a soft spot for? Which annoy you?

AG: I'm in love with the “found family” trope, especially when instantiated as a bunch of cranky, exhausted people coming together to find joy and hope amidst heaps of external hardship. Also a fan of hopeful endings. They don't need to be happy, but I like it when there's room for the characters to keep growing after the story concludes.

I hate the “bury your gays’ trope. BURN IT WITH FIRE. I'm still mad about the time I got feedback on a story that “it would be more powerful" if [half of the WLW couple] was dead at the end”. Blarg. More powerful to do what, exactly? Thank you, I will take my non-powerful, funeral-free version ;)

PS: Would you rather have a cat the size of a whale or a whale the size of a cat?

AG: BOTH. I guess rational-me would pick a cat-sized whale, since it would be easier to care for. HOWEVER, chaotic-me really wants to take a whale-sized cat for a walk in my neighborhood, so I'm choosing that one. 

PS: Though it’s too early to “look back” on it, what’s one way you’ve noticed the pandemic affected your creativity or worldview? 

AG: It's NOT too early to look back! We've been in this for a million years, no?

I think the pandemic has pushed my writing even more toward hopeful stories. Particularly stories in which people are kind to each other in the middle of external chaos.  Basically, I just need to believe there are good humans out there who choose to care about and support others, even when things are hard ;)