Guest Post + GIVEAWAY: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

I am pleased to be a part of the GLITCH blog tour. GLITCH is a riveting sci-fi novel that released August 7, 2012. So what are you waiting for? Check it out!  And, as part of the blog tour, the author of  GLITCH (Heather Anastasiu) was kind enough to write a guest post. 

Writing Tip: Let Yourself be Scared

I read a bunch of interviews about Doctor Who recently, and several times people mention how Steven Moffat's writing brings things children are most afraid of out into reality. Being afraid of shadows takes on whole new meanings in the universe of Doctor Who. Spoiler: they are the Vashta Nerada and they are COMING 2 EATZ U!

But it got me thinking. What are the things I'm afraid of, and how do these things trickle into what I write about? On first glance, I thought: I don't write horror, it doesn't apply to me. Then as I was answering an interview question about the impulses behind my debut novel Glitch, I realized I was wrong. In Glitch, I tackled something that has long haunted me as a major theme in the book: going through life as a drone, mostly asleep to the world around you, only performing the tasks you are set and whiling away days and decades without thought or feeling.

It's an easy enough trap to fall into. The American Dream might be a cliché, but it's still something that's easy to buy in to. Go to college, get a steady job, get a mortgage and a car payment and a credit card and work till you drop so you can have something for your retirement. It's about stability. It's about not taking risks. But the problem is when you allow yourself to get so tugged into the numbing patterns that you forget what it means to live and feel and be. Even taking The Road Not Taken and being a writer can still catch you in the same traps: letting yourself be a slave to deadlines, trying to write a book that is just good enough to make the grade instead of slowing down to try to create something truly amazing. 

So, I think exploring our fears through our writing is a way to create powerful stories as well as a way (to use Natalie Goldberg's lingo) to meet our own minds. What fears are locked away in the shadows of our memory and psyche? How do other people cope (or not cope) with similar fears, and how might you create a narrative that really pokes and stabs at these sleeping dragons?
 
Even if just as a writing exercise, I think facing our fears and letting ourselves be scared is a way to dig into some exciting, revelatory territory in one's writing.

It's an easy enough trap to fall into. The American Dream might be a cliché, but it's still something that's easy to buy in to. Go to college, get a steady job, get a mortgage and a car payment and a credit card and work till you drop so you can have something for your retirement. It's about stability. It's about not taking risks. But the problem is when you allow yourself to get so tugged into the numbing patterns that you forget what it means to live and feel and be. Even taking The Road Not Taken and being a writer can still catch you in the same traps: letting yourself be a slave to deadlines, trying to write a book that is just good enough to make the grade instead of slowing down to try to create something truly amazing. 

So, I think exploring our fears through our writing is a way to create powerful stories as well as a way (to use Natalie Goldberg's lingo) to meet our own minds. What fears are locked away in the shadows of our memory and psyche? How do other people cope (or not cope) with similar fears, and how might you create a narrative that really pokes and stabs at these sleeping dragons?
 Even if just as a writing exercise, I think facing our fears and letting ourselves be scared is a way to dig into some exciting, revelatory territory in one's writing.

Thank You, Heather. Here's more information about GLITCH: 

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu
Release: August 7, 2012

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

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