Fighting Prose Interview with Alice Liddell!

Welcome to my in-depth writers series Fighting Prose. Where I talk to authors in the industry on what their process is like and what it takes for them to keep on creating, through all the odds.

Alice Liddell

is my interview this week!

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing since as long as I can remember. I spent the majority of my time growing up writing in my notebooks and typing away on my computer. I started writing on a professional level in my early twenties. I had a few short stories published in some small literary magazines. From there, I created the art fashion magazine Cloud Orchid Magazine with my best friend and business partner, Bryan Thompson. Together, we were invited to many local fashion shows and events. We also created many beautiful photo editorials together. I wrote about 90% of the interview editorials on photographers, models, designers, etc for the magazine. Since then, it has evolved into Cloud Orchid Publishing. We hung up doing fashion work, and started focusing more on our artistic works. We now publish art books, which combine Bryan's photography, and my short stories, poetry, and artwork. We have also published 5 of my poetry collections and 4 of my novels thus far. At the same time, I have also done some freelance ghost writing work here and there, writing articles, short stories, and even novels for various clients. Unfortunately, I can't really share these, as I signed NDAs for the projects. My first novel was actually published by Ink Smith Publishing. I also plan on shopping more of my novels to other publishers, while still earmarking some of my works for Cloud Orchid Publishing.

If you’ve written several books, which is your favorite?

I would have to say my favourite book I have written is Geisha Hands. This project was a true labour of love. Geisha Hands is a fully illustrated historical fiction novel that I published through Cloud Orchid Publishing. Set during the Meiji Period in Japan, this book focuses on the history and culture of maiko and geisha. The story is about a maiko named Yukie, who is on the cusp of her erikae (turning of the collar ceremony to become a full geisha). She is still struggling with where she fits into the hanamachi, and feels she is being pigeon-holed into the role of being a jikata (musician). There is also a bit of romance as she meets an important client who will help her make the successful transition into full geisha. This book took 5 years to complete from conception to publication release. The writing and research took 3 years, and the illustrations took 2 years. I illustrated all the images myself. The layout for this book took Bryan and I 3 solid months to work out - fitting in the different types of illustrations, the footnotes, and how to best present the 40 page glossary. I have never been more proud of a project I have completed.

What's your favorite genre to read? Write?

My two favourite genres to read are fantasy and historical fiction. Both are a lot about escapism for me, whether it's escaping to another world or another time. I love immersing myself into a totally different setting and reading about characters that are experiencing life in ways so different than my own. I'm also big on description, both reading and writing it. I love that fantasy and historical fiction MUST include a lot of description in order for the reader to truly understand the world they are reading.

How do you get in the mood to write?

Typically, I'll read a few pages of what I already wrote for a story to get me back into the flow. Then I just let the story take off. I typically jump around a lot with the plot, I don't usually write chronologically. And then the story just kind of comes together as I envision the different scenes. Poetry is much different for me though. I have to be in a very specific mindset. I can force myself to get into that mindset, but it's best when it's organic.

How do your characters come together?

My characters kind of tell me who they are and who they need to be. I tend to come up with the world and the story first, and then the characters kind of pop up and introduce themselves to me. Their names are especially important. My character names are hugely influenced by the world and the time period they are in. I often use historical/cultural names in my stories. Though, if a character name is completely made up, I try to make sure it has roots that evoke a certain feel for their origins.

How do you get your ideas?

Ideas just happen for me. They're like weeds. They pop up unexpectedly. I have a folder on my computer that is little collections of ideas. Some are only a few sentences long, and some are several pages. Whenever I need a new project to work on, I just go hunting in my ideas folder.

Who do you admire in the writing world?

I'm not sure about "admire" in the writing world. I'm not the type to get super hyped about big name authors. I would say what I "love" most about the writing world is the freedom to be exactly myself. I love that I'm finally being rewarded for the work that I love doing. I love that it has value and that I can also celebrate the value in the work of others. The writing community is very important to me. I do all I can to nourish it and support it, while still forging ahead with my own work.

If you're not busy writing, what are you busy doing?

I also work as an artist, a drag performer, a model, and a social media manager. It's A LOT to handle. A typical day is broken up into sections of work for me - morning is social media work (doing marketing on behalf of private clients), then afternoon is admin work for my writing and my artwork (website and social media stuff, tracking ad campaigns, signing up for conventions, etc) then the evening is creative time. The evenings are typically either I sit and work on my writing all night, I work on my artwork all night, or I perform at one of my shows. My "event" days are typically dominated by all day performance festivals, all day photoshoots, and all day events or conventions. My schedule is typically pretty chaotic with 1-5 event days per week, and I work 7 days per week. It's very rare that I let myself have a day off to do "non-productive" things.

Have you always been creative?

Always. I have been writing and drawing and playing pretend ever since I was a small child. My parents have a big storage container of all my old writing and artwork. I also have scores of full sketchbooks and journals squirreled away in my apartment. Doing creative work is like breathing for me. I can't NOT do it. I'll die.

Have you ever had writers block? If so, how did you get out of it?

I really don't suffer from writer's block. Sometimes I'll get stuck on a particular scene, or get bored with a particular project. This is why I typically work on about 3-5 projects at the same time. This allows me to switch between projects so I can change my focus and refresh my brain. By the time I come back to where I was stuck, I have an idea for how I want to move forward. I've never in my entire life ever had a time where I was unable to write, or unable to draw.

When you sit down to write, is it easy or hard? If it's hard, what makes you keep showing up?

It's "easy" for me. It's easy in that sitting down to write "something" is enjoyable and the flow is always on. What is "hard" is maintaining my focus. Some days I get hyper focused and I can get a lot of work done on one of my projects. Other days, it's like pulling teeth to get me to focus on the project I'm "supposed" to be working on, and I'll spend hours "playing" with other projects instead. I try not to beat myself up too much when I do this since I'm technically getting work done either way, it just might not be work I need to get done "now".

For a writer starting out what advice would you give them?

My biggest advice is first and foremost, write for yourself. If you don't like your story, why should anyone else? Yes, being aware of your audience and knowing who your book is geared toward is very important. But that's more once you're in the final editing and marketing stages of your book. When actually sitting down to create a story, write a story that YOU want to read. That's the most effective way to set yourself up for success.

What is your dream writing location?

This is too funny, I was actually talking about this with my partner the other day (he's also an author). And we were joking about how for some reason, Hollywood always depicts authors as living alone in a big lake house in a secluded area. I honestly have never had any aspirations to live in some remote or scenic place in order to work as a writer. I'm quite happy now living in my apartment in Boystown in Chicago. My biggest dream is to be able to make a living doing ONLY my writing, and not having to do outside gigs that distract me from my writing.

In reference to your books, what question do you get asked the most?

The most frequently asked question I field is "Did you really write all these books?" It's an intimidating spread when I show up at conventions with all my novels, art books, and poetry books. Most people can't wrap their minds around that I've really written and published so much. The second question I get the most would be what inspires me to write all the things I do. I think I kind of answered that in the "How do you get your ideas?" question above. But to build on that, I'm hugely inspired by the works of other writers, both independent and well-known. I'm also hugely inspired by mythology and certain historical/cultural events. I often like to mash them together to create my own new worlds and timelines.

If you could bring one of your characters to life who would it be? Why?

I'm not sure I would want that. I suppose it would be neat to bring one of my mythological creatures to life. I've never really thought of what would happen if one of my stories would become "real".

What do you think makes a good story?

Plot arc and character development. I know it sounds boring, but you can have the most fantastical fantasy story, or the most relatable young adult story, but it's unreadable if the plot doesn't make sense and the characters are cardboard cutouts that never learn or grow. Taking the time to ensure that your plot moves forward in a way that's easy for your readers to follow, has a logical progression (this, then that), and doesn't leave your readers with gaping plot holes is what makes a story "good". Creating characters that are relatable, that have flaws, that have hopes and dreams, that suffer conflict and become more than what they originally were in the end - that's what makes a story great.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to be an author. I've always wanted to be an author. I enjoyed a few years working as a professional model, and touring nationally. And I love working as a performer here in the city. But my main passion is my writing, with my artwork as a supporting secondary. I have always had so many beautiful ideas and stories I wanted to share with the world.