Episode 25: Interview with Lisa Baxmann

Today we are thrilled to share our latest author interview! In this episode, Fable and the Verbivore speak with writer Lisa Baxmann. Lisa is currently working to finish the full draft of her first fantasy trilogy series and will soon be starting the editing phase of this project before querying it out to agents. She also just so happens to be the Verbivore’s sister.

Discussing the setup for her book, Lisa describes the hook and some of her main characters, as well as the portfolio she created to manage the details of her character arcs and the world of her story. Laura has helped with some early edits of this series and has greatly enjoyed the portions she’s read so far. We are both excited to read these books once they’re complete!

In this episode, Lisa unpacks her unique path to becoming a writer, rejecting doubts and the belief that you need specific training or education to be creative, reminding ourselves that our brain is a muscle and can be strengthened and trained in whatever direction you choose to pursue, and the positives and negatives that come with tackling all three books in a trilogy at the same time.

Lisa provides some great advice and encouragement to anyone who has a story in their heart but are uncertain whether or not they have the gifts or abilities to fulfill that dream. We also chat about how there is no one right way to tackle a novel, and sometimes you can proceed best by writing out of order and leaning in to write what you are naturally ready to put down on paper rather than the scene that chronologically comes next.    

We talked with Lisa for over an hour and it was difficult to cut this conversation down close to the length of our typical episodes. If you want to hear the full discussion, you can find it on our Patreon page. For just $5 a month you can support this podcast and get full author interviews each month.

We hope you enjoy listening to this week’s episode, we sure enjoyed recording it! Keep reading, and writing, and putting your voice out there!

Into the woods,

Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

Lisa mentions several authors that she has enjoyed following on instagram and learning about their path. Those authors are Sabaa Tahir @sabaatahir and Robin LaFevers @rllafevers. Both of these writers are very open about their writing process and share writing tools and tips, words of encouragement, and their own writing struggles.

The Verbivore touches on professionl writing habits that you may have to actively correct when you want to write a novel. What was meant by “professional writing” is any type of business related writing activities such as: writing training manuals, marketing communications, business communications, and client newsletters. Each of these activities can teach important writing principles, but they can also encourage habits that may need to be shed.

Books Mentioned:

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

interviewBethany Stedman