Ask the Author: Alison Huff
Answered Questions (4)
Alison Huff
Armed with everything Coach Siri taught me, I was more than ready to make her proud—and win the World Championship.
I stepped into that beatboxing ring carrying my boots and cats and boots and cats and boots and cats and boots and cats…
I stepped into that beatboxing ring carrying my boots and cats and boots and cats and boots and cats and boots and cats…
Alison Huff
This answer contains spoilers…
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Alison Huff
I really can’t remember exactly what inspired me to research Asmodeus back in 2012, but as I so often do with any topic I’m curious about, I went down an internet rabbit hole when I did…
Reading through varied lore surrounding him—he’s the epitome of evil in some, and tricksy but rather kind in others—it occurred to me that the truth of any story is based on the teller.
In the Book of Tobit, for example, Asmodeus killed seven men on their wedding nights before the marriages were consummated with the bride (Sarah). In the Talmud, however, he is a judge of moral character with a capacity for empathy and kindness, as much as trickery or evil when it was deserved.
I began to think about the possible reasons he had for killing Sarah’s husbands, beyond simple malice, while also considering his moral judgment of others. I wondered whether Sarah might have loved him back, and if she did, how the fallout for his actions might have played out for them. I also thought about what made Asmodeus who he is… the situations he might have faced, shaping the man he grew to become.
All these things came together in my mind and I just free-wrote a bunch of thoughts, ideas, plot possibilities, and random notes. And the story materialized from there…
Reading through varied lore surrounding him—he’s the epitome of evil in some, and tricksy but rather kind in others—it occurred to me that the truth of any story is based on the teller.
In the Book of Tobit, for example, Asmodeus killed seven men on their wedding nights before the marriages were consummated with the bride (Sarah). In the Talmud, however, he is a judge of moral character with a capacity for empathy and kindness, as much as trickery or evil when it was deserved.
I began to think about the possible reasons he had for killing Sarah’s husbands, beyond simple malice, while also considering his moral judgment of others. I wondered whether Sarah might have loved him back, and if she did, how the fallout for his actions might have played out for them. I also thought about what made Asmodeus who he is… the situations he might have faced, shaping the man he grew to become.
All these things came together in my mind and I just free-wrote a bunch of thoughts, ideas, plot possibilities, and random notes. And the story materialized from there…
Alison Huff
I think every writer’s worst fear relates to running out of things to write about… it’s right up there with giving a presentation to a room full of people and realizing midway through that you forgot to put on pants before you left the house.
In my experience, inspiration is everywhere and usually shows up when you least expect it. I keep a text file on my laptop and a notepad entry on my phone that’s filled with random ideas that pop into my head. Might be an idea for an article or story, might be a funny thought I had about potholes in the road, whatever.
I jot that stuff down because 1) I’ll forget that awesome sentence I just came up with a minute ago, and 2) I might be able to use that idea for something one day.
You will find inspiration in the weirdest of places, but that’s how it works. It’s like lightning; you’ve got to keep a bottle handy so you can catch it before it disappears like a fart in the wind.
When I’m feeling less than inspired or I’m in-between projects and not sure what to do with myself, I go and check out the stuff I threw into that file of random thoughts and notes. Something might strike a chord and lead me to write something amazing on a day when I felt that task was otherwise impossible.
Worst case, I grab my earbuds, put on some good music, and play solitaire on the computer. I play the game on auto-pilot, almost, and my mind freely wanders along with the music. No pressure because I’m not struggling to think of something to write about… if it happens, that’s great. If not, well… I just took some much-needed downtime for myself. Either way, I can feel good about it—and I'll see what tomorrow brings.
In my experience, inspiration is everywhere and usually shows up when you least expect it. I keep a text file on my laptop and a notepad entry on my phone that’s filled with random ideas that pop into my head. Might be an idea for an article or story, might be a funny thought I had about potholes in the road, whatever.
I jot that stuff down because 1) I’ll forget that awesome sentence I just came up with a minute ago, and 2) I might be able to use that idea for something one day.
You will find inspiration in the weirdest of places, but that’s how it works. It’s like lightning; you’ve got to keep a bottle handy so you can catch it before it disappears like a fart in the wind.
When I’m feeling less than inspired or I’m in-between projects and not sure what to do with myself, I go and check out the stuff I threw into that file of random thoughts and notes. Something might strike a chord and lead me to write something amazing on a day when I felt that task was otherwise impossible.
Worst case, I grab my earbuds, put on some good music, and play solitaire on the computer. I play the game on auto-pilot, almost, and my mind freely wanders along with the music. No pressure because I’m not struggling to think of something to write about… if it happens, that’s great. If not, well… I just took some much-needed downtime for myself. Either way, I can feel good about it—and I'll see what tomorrow brings.
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