Ann Linquist

Hi. I’m Ann Linquist, writer, and online instructor of writing courses. When I first started novel writing, I had to make a deal with myself to accept that my work would probably be lousy. It was. But I didn’t quit. I took some classes, read many books on writing, and kept putting words on the page. I dug up an old paperback copy of Roget’s Thesaurus and spent a lot of time looking for the right words to capture what I meant. Meaning is key for a serious writer.

Meaning is a hefty topic, so I can only speak for myself. For me, getting the words right is the same as creating meaning. It doesn't matter if I'm writing a letter, a poem, a business e-mail, a scientific report, a note to myself, a short piece, a newspaper article, or a novel. Writing is the tool that I use to find out what I mean.

I'm not a doctor or a bridge builder, a scientist or a politician. Instead, I choose the quietness in front of the screen and the struggle to get the words right, to go over and over them until I hear that inner voice say, "Yes, that's what I mean."

But besides the right word choices, there is the issue of story. I like stories. I want a book to take me somewhere by letting me climb into a character’s experience and imagine being that person. I want to be surprised by events that I don’t expect. Meaning resides there too. I want the story to pull me along, and make me ask, “What is she going to do? How is he going to go forward?”

I believe we read to find out how to live, to see how other people meet the struggle, whether it’s life or death or just facing another day. We are in this together. My stories, my books will hopefully let you watch some characters keep going in spite of the challenges of living.