{"id":7391,"date":"2013-12-01T01:18:38","date_gmt":"2013-12-01T06:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"\/nashvillereview\/?p=7391"},"modified":"2013-12-01T01:18:38","modified_gmt":"2013-12-01T06:18:38","slug":"annie-downs-community-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/archives\/7391","title":{"rendered":"Annie Downs Community Feature"},"content":{"rendered":"

Power in the Connection:<\/span> A Conversation with Annie Downs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

by Anne Charlton<\/strong><\/p>\n

Annie Downs has told stories all her life but never dreamed she could turn writing into a career. When she moved to Nashville, its community of people pursuing creative dreams helped her to follow her own. A faith-based writer, Annie writes mainly for teen Christian girls, but because it is saturated with honesty, wit and wisdom, her writing influences a wide audience. Annie maintains a blog and has published two books, Perfectly Unique <\/em>and Speak Love<\/em>, with another book for adults to be published in 2014. She also travels often, speaking at conferences and events.<\/p>\n

A longtime reader of her blog, I met Annie one morning for coffee. I brought up that it might be strange talking directly to someone who has read her blog, and she told me, \u201cNo, not at all. It means we\u2019re already friends.\u201d This generosity of spirit comes through in her words as well as her demeanor, making it clear that Annie is a big strength in Nashville\u2019s literary community. Here\u2019s what she has to say about writing and the city she calls home.<\/p>\n

Anne Charlton: How did you come to Nashville, and how did you come to writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Annie Downs: I grew up in Atlanta and went to the University of Georgia, always with the plan to be an elementary school teacher\u2014no other plan, ever. So I taught elementary school for five years outside of Atlanta. And I\u2019d always been a writer\u2014I\u2019d always journaled, I grew up writing stories, I grew up telling stories. I always enjoyed writing but I never considered it a career, at all\u2014ever. It never crossed my mind that it could be a career. So by my fourth year of teaching, which was 2006, I\u2019m leading a Bible study for girls at my home church, and they say, \u201cInstead of us picking a book at the bookstore, will you tell us stories this semester?\u201d And I thought, \u201cOh yeah, I can do that!\u201d So every weekend, while I was teaching school, I would write up a lesson, print it off at the school Monday morning, and on Monday night, they\u2019d come over and read it. So by the end of that fall, I had accidentally written about 25,000 words\u2014like a small book. And the girls really liked it\u2014so then I felt like these doors were opening to pursue making something into a book. There was a writer\u2019s conference, American Christian Writers, and they did one-day conferences in big cities. They had one in Atlanta, and I thought, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m gonna do this!\u201d I remember showing up there and feeling electric, like \u201cAll these people are doing what I want to do!\u201d\u2014and that\u2019s when I knew \u201cOh, we\u2019re going to do this.\u201d And then I went to a bigger conference in California, met an agent there, and signed with her the next year. Then I quit teaching and moved to Nashville. There were writing opportunities in Atlanta, but there wasn\u2019t the social norm of not having a real job and pursuing a dream outside of working full-time. So then from August-December of 2008, I just wrote and met friends and tried to make a life in Nashville. For three years, I had a lot of other jobs, and it\u2019s only been since April of 2012 that I\u2019ve done writing and speaking full time.<\/p>\n

AC: Since you\u2019re at a point where you\u2019re writing full time, what do you write?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: Every day I have a blog where I write, and it\u2019s not really themed, usually; it\u2019s just what is going on in my life. I started it in November 2006. My first two books are for teen Christian girls. Perfectly Unique<\/em><\/a> <\/em>came out in September 2012, and Speak Love<\/em><\/a> came out in August 2013. And then I have a book for adults coming out in August 2014. This will be the first one that\u2019s sort of for my friends\u2014I wanted a book that told my story as an adult, that talked about moving to Nashville and moving to Edinborough, Scotland (because I lived there for six months). And I wanted a book that my guy friends could read, that everyone I know in my real life would want to read.<\/p>\n

AC: Expanding the scope of your audience a bit?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: Yeah, a bit. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll stay there, though, because I don\u2019t necessarily like writing this\u2014it\u2019s very hard and very personal and it feels super revealing. My teen books don\u2019t feel as revealing.<\/p>\n

AC: Going back to your blog, I wanted to talk about what a blog does\u2014I remember the Miley Cyrus post<\/a> that basically went viral, leading to a mention in the Tennessean<\/a>\u2014so how do you use the blog specifically? What can it do differently than your books?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: For writers, I love blogs because they\u2019re a good testing ground for your content. Two years ago, I wrote \u201c31 Days of Courage<\/a>,\u201d and that was to test the next book\u2019s content. It\u2019s not so much that that\u2019s repeated in a book, but I wanted to know if it connected with the audience. Then when I went to a publisher, I could promise people would read it because I could say \u201cLook at all these comments and thoughts.\u201d It\u2019s great practice; it makes me write every day, even when I\u2019m tired. It\u2019s every day: 500 words, get a start, finish and middle. I think you live differently when you think about your blog, and I think that\u2019s good because you don\u2019t forget that there\u2019s an audience out there. The reality is, in your real life, there\u2019s no way you could sit down every day with 20 writers and help them improve their writing, but you\u2019d easily have 20 readers on your blog. So you\u2019re getting a chance to mentor people every day. People worry about being a small blog, like \u201cI only have 50 readers,\u201d and I just think, \u201cI\u2019d love to meet someone who mentors 50 people a day!\u201d You just can\u2019t, but you can in your writing. I think that\u2019s what blogs offer\u2014a place for you to invest in other people through your writing, especially if you\u2019re inclined to teach any topic\u2014a blog is a platform to lead more people than you could ever lead in your real life. And you give people the chance to decide they want to know you, for nonfiction writers especially\u2014because then they\u2019ll connect with what you have to say.
\n
\nAC: Where do you think the power is in writing? Reading your blog, there\u2019s a lot of humor and a lot of storytelling, and you just let people connect to it how they will\u2014is there something there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: I think the trendy answer now is to say the power is in the story, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s not true\u2014but I think the real power is in connection, because no matter what you write, what keeps readers turning the pages is if they feel connected to the words. And whether that\u2019s through nonfiction and being connected with the author or the topic, or for fiction and being connected with the characters and the storyline, the power of the writer is the power to connect with the reader. [For example,] I don\u2019t care at all about hunting. Someone could tell a really good hunting story, but I wouldn\u2019t be able to connect to it. So the power isn\u2019t the story, it\u2019s in whether I can connect to it. But if someone were to talk to me about bullying, I\u2019m really connected to that right now because Speak Love<\/em> is about bullying. If someone\u2019s going to talk to me about being single, I\u2019m going to connect with those stories. Right now I\u2019m reading The Paris Wife<\/em> because I like France, I like Hemingway, and I like the <\/strong>20s, so I\u2019m connected to all those things.<\/p>\n

AC: I think it\u2019s both story and the connection, since you have to tell a good story to keep the book in the reader\u2019s hands, but it also has to do with this personal connection and how the author\u2019s words resonate with the reader. All writing, even fiction, is a very personal act\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: Right, because those characters are your people.<\/p>\n

AC: Right. Shifting to the question of how you become a better writer\u2014and thus, better able to make this connection\u2014how do you work on your writing, either consciously or subconsciously?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: I read a ton. I am not great at this, but my goal is to pick reading over electronics as much as possible, over TV, over Facebook. I think you can just [gain] so much skill from watching what other people do. There are so many people that I read [with this in mind]: I read Ann Lamott<\/a>; I read Emily Freeman<\/a>, who really inspires me not only to be a better content creator but a finer writer. She\u2019s a good meet-in-the-middle between my [style] and Ann Voskamp<\/a>\u2019s. I\u2019m like the jester, Ann\u2019s the queen and Emily\u2019s the really fun princess.<\/p>\n

Having editors makes me a better writer. For example, my editor, the other day, said \u201cI want you to write three paragraphs about maps and what maps mean to you,\u201d because we want to work it into the book, but I need to identify it for myself first. So my editor gives me writing assignments\u2014it\u2019s to refine my language and improve my writing, but also to improve my thoughts on a topic. So getting assignments is good.<\/p>\n

I think reading about writing is good, although it\u2019ll make you feel sick because you\u2019ll just think, \u201cI want to be better.\u201d I avoided Shauna Niequist<\/a>\u2019s writing for years because she sounds like me but is much better. I\u2019m the fourth grade version of her dissertation. Sometimes I can even guess her jokes\u2014it just makes you sick because she\u2019s so good! Have you ever felt that reading other people\u2019s work?<\/p>\n

AC: Oh, definitely. When you\u2019re working on a poem, there are moments when you get it and you know you\u2019re doing what you\u2019re capable of\u2014and then there are moments when you know something could <\/em>be great, but it\u2019s not there yet.<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: Yes, that\u2019s the struggle! When I turned in the manuscript for this new book, I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done, and I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

AC: So what else do you do to improve your writing, to get something to be as good as possible?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: I exchange work with other writers\u2014I think that\u2019s really important. I think writing and reading outside your genre is really important. I read authors as different from me as possible, and I respect them so much; I think they\u2019re good at what they do. I also read Poets & Writers. I read Real Simple because one of my dreams is to write one of [their editorial pieces]. I\u2019ve been rejected three times by them, but you know, you just keep going. What else do you do to improve?<\/p>\n

AC: I agree with reading things that are totally different from what you do. Often I do that when I\u2019m stuck writing and need something else to worm its way into my work.<\/p>\n

From here, let\u2019s talk about Nashville. It has quite a literary scene, so how do you see that functioning? How do you see yourself in it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: I think we have a lot of the best faith-based writers living here. Partly we\u2019re in the Bible Belt, so there\u2019ll be a lot of people here who are strong in their faith and also pursuing creative tasks. But outside of that, there\u2019s Ann Patchett<\/a> and so many other writers who are doing non-conventional writing as well as getting book deals. So many people are songwriters who want to write memoirs and also have blogs\u2014so they write a memoir and put it out themselves, for example. I think that\u2019s different from Chicago, different than New York, or Austin even. Nashville seems like it\u2019s filled with more faith-based writers who travel more.<\/p>\n

AC: It seems like Nashville is a place where lots of people are just trying to be creative, to follow their dreams with or without a \u201creal job.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: Everyone\u2019s kind of on equal playing ground here. You could be a super famous writer and no one stops you, or you could be a lesser-known writer and one person stops you because they happen to read your work. I think Nashville gives you permission to go after whatever you want to go after. And when you succeed, people are excited, but it doesn\u2019t change your status. And people like helping each other; it\u2019s not as competitive around here. When a new book comes out, there\u2019s a group of us that will blog and tweet about the new book, and we\u2019re happy to do it. I don\u2019t know a lot of cities like that. Here it\u2019s like, \u201cHey, I love that you do what you do, I\u2019ll want to support that.\u201d<\/p>\n

AC: That makes me think of a friend of mine who said that when you\u2019re in a writing community, any success is one for the group, as well\u2014as if we\u2019re all up-and-comers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: Yeah\u2014when someone succeeds, it\u2019s like \u201cYes, let\u2019s keep going; there is room for more.\u201d Shauna Niequist says, \u201cThe lie is scarcity; the truth is abundance.\u201d There is space for everybody. We should cheer for each other, because if good work is getting put out in the world, that is a good thing. There is enough room on this planet for as much art as we can make. Other people\u2019s successes are just motivators. You gain nothing from being jealous and catty, but you gain so much from being in someone else\u2019s cheering squad. <\/span><\/p>\n

AC: Because any other way, you\u2019ll end up wasting time. At the end of the day, you just have to go do your work. So what are your hopes for Nashville\u2019s literary community?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: I want Ann Patchett to keep doing good things for us, because she inspires all of us. I want her not to slow down. I love where we\u2019re going, but I\u2019d love to see us gather more. We need to gather the ones who are actually writing. I\u2019d love to find a way for Ann to say, \u201cOkay, if you have a book in this bookstore, we\u2019re gathering for dinner tonight.\u201d It\u2019d be incredible. We\u2019d get to ask what they\u2019re working on and learn who actually lives here. I always look at the local author table and try to read something from there, because then I\u2019ll want to connect with that person. That\u2019s what I want to see happen\u2014for us to bring all these people together and just sit around tables and talk about work. I\u2019d love for there to be a knowledge of each other.<\/p>\n

AC: What are your favorite things about Nashville?<\/strong><\/p>\n

AD: I love the work culture; I think that\u2019s irreplaceable. [Two] things that keep me in Nashville are the work culture and the airport. I travelled 26 out of 30 days in September, so I really appreciate not having to go to the Atlanta airport twice a week. I love the live music. I love our weather; I love that we have four real seasons. I love the people; there\u2019s a real special thing about who lives here and stays. A lot of people move here without family because they\u2019re pursuing a dream, so your friends become your family. You show up as an orphan and become a family member, and that doesn\u2019t happen in a lot of places. It\u2019s not \u201cevery man for himself\u201d here. This town teaches you to find your place and then invite other people into it. Moving here was hard, but five years in, I\u2019m grateful for what I had to walk through to get here, and I\u2019m thankful that other people taught me how to invite others in.<\/p>\n

You can find Annie\u2019s blog <\/em>here<\/em><\/a> and her website <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Power in the Connection: A Conversation with Annie Downs by Anne Charlton Annie Downs has told stories all her life but never dreamed she could turn writing into a career. When she moved to Nashville, its community of people pursuing creative dreams helped her to follow her own. A faith-based writer, Annie writes mainly for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Jypy-1Vd","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7391\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp0.vanderbilt.edu\/nashvillereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}