Multi-Faceted: An Interview with Vocal Creator Anthony Stauffer

"Just as we are more than the sum of our parts, the definition of who we are is more than just a singular moment in time. We are multi-faceted, and so are our life-defining moments."

- Anthony Stauffer

Those words are from Anthony's autobiographical work, "The Definition of Me," and I couldn't agree with him more. In fact, I said very similar words in one of my own autobiographical works that you can read here.

I recently had the privilege to virtually "sit down" with Tony and exchange interviews as a part of the "Not My Shoes" collaboration project for a group of talented Vocal creators who you can meet here.

I knew that fellow Vocal creator Call Me Les had already interviewed Tony in her piece, "Chat With Les: Anthony "Tony" Stauffer, and knowing that I could not improve upon her beautiful interview with Tony the Man, I decided to get to know a little more about Tony the Writer, and in the process of getting to know Tony better, I discovered more about myself, as is often the case when we allow others into our world.

In my discussions with Tonty, I discovered that he is not only an insightful and interesting writer, but also a genuinely nice guy with whom I share many common interests, including an affinity for author J.R.R. Tolkien that borders on the fanatical. You can read one of my tributes to the Father of Modern Fantasy here.

Perhaps the greatest of our shared interests, however, is our mutual passion for baring our souls through the world of short story, and in this pursuit, Anthony Stauffer shines.

So, I invite you to join me inside the multi-faceted mind and life of Anthony Stauffer - Father, Husband, Writer, World Builder.

On Finding His Inspiration

Lena - As a fellow writer, I know that it is impossible not to put bits of ourselves into our characters when we write, so which of your characters is the most like you?

Tony - "Hands down, Alex from “The Choice.” Point of fact, that story is about me and my wife, and how we would face the situation of the Earth being overwhelmed by an alien invasion force. I actually consulted my wife prior to writing it."

Lena - Yes. I've read that piece already, and its realness and underlying love story really stood out to me, so I'm not surprised that this is inspired by your real-life wife. Congratulations on that recent and beautiful wedding, by the way!

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Lena - I'm not sure if you've heard of the “bad art friend” controversy, and if you have not, I recommend keeping free of that drama, but the gist is that a writer should be careful just how similar they make their characters to the people in their lives. So, how do you feel about taking inspiration for your characters from the people in your life?

Tony -"Honestly, friends and family are where the bulk of my inspiration comes from. It gives me a ‘real’ base from which I develop my characters. Of course, there is always the hidden twist within that gives the characters their own personalities, but the more familiar your characters are to you, I find, the more relatable you can make them for the reader."

Lena - I couldn't agree with you more. The old adage of "writing what we know" practically demands that we draw from these real-life relationships, but a good writer is able to do this without crossing boundaries, and based upon what I have read so far of your work, I would argue that this is a line you have learned to use to the full without crossing.

I am reminded of one of my favorite pieces of yours, "Mater Maris." I believe I can sense the real-world inspiration below the surface in this piece of fiction as well, and yet, it is beautifully done.

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Lena - So, in line with this idea of drawing inspiration from our real lives and the people in them, what impact, if any, does being a father have on your writing?

Tony - "I hate to sound mechanical about it, but the only real impact that being a father has on my writing is the ability to include that style of relationship in the lives of my characters. It would be significantly more, I think, if I wrote for children and young adults.

That, however, is not my niche. I don’t think, outside of poetry, that I will ever write something meant for that age group, so the relationship impact on my characters is the only thing I can use.

Not that it’s not important, it certainly is, as you’ll see in ‘Prime,’ but the personal impact appears minimal."

Lena - I don't think that is mechanical at all, just realistic, and it is one of the best ways that we can grow as writers - gaining new roles in the real world.

* Read this poem that I argue was definitely inspired by his role as a father!

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Lena - Our shared favorite writer, J.R.R. Tolkien once described a taste of his writing process. "To me, a name comes first, and the story follows after." What comes first in your writing process: the characters, the plot, the name?

Tony - "It’s all about the characters for me! In my first ‘About Me’ piece, “Life Writes Us, So We Write Life”, there is nothing interesting that can happen without the characters. And there is so much in a name. I’ll have a character come to my mind, if it’s not a prompt given to me by another, and I will simply ask what their story is. And in there is something special, something worth writing about.

That’s how “Lily and The Storm” came about. I simply saw this little English girl in my mind, standing on the Cliffs of Dover, and I asked her what her story was. I was blown away when she told me that she battled a god…"

Lena - I love that! And I feel the same way. I like to sit back in the dark sometimes, and I just let the characters take over the story. It's their world, after all. We have to let them live in it!

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Lena - Speaking of sitting back in the dark and letting the characters lead the way, sometimes I have to create an environment that puts me into that "writing place" or mindset by sitting in the dark with a flickering candle to set the tone.

Do you have any writing crutches like this? Or are you able to just sit down and write, no matter the circumstances?

Tony - "Time is of the essence for me, so, luckily, I am able to do most of my writing at work. My job only becomes busy when something breaks. There are other times, to be sure, but that is the most common. I find it easy to get into my author’s mindset without needing anything special to get me there.

Lena - Ooph! I'm jealous! I admit that I often require more to get me into my writing place with my tea and candles, like I'm channeling the great writers of old. Haha!

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Lena - Along the lines of needing inspiration at times, where do you weigh in on the topic of "writer's block?" I know that a lot of writers will claim that this only exists for the amateur or wannabe writer. What are your thoughts on this? What tips do you have for getting over the hump?

Tony - "I do believe in writer’s block, and I believe it has two distinct forms.

I think the most common form is that our minds get overcrowded with ideas, so we just need to take some time and reorganize the filing cabinet in our minds. This happens to me often, but I’ve become accustomed to doing regular ‘file cabinet maintenance’ to overcome this.

The second form is one that I’ve never had, and that is where there is a lack of inspiration. I find inspiration everywhere, and I could write about anything and everything I see and experience. Now, whether or not those pieces I would write would be any good is a totally different story. (Haha!)

But, at its heart, I think a block resulting from a lack of inspiration is simply the writer’s mind being overtired. Despite the fact that most people think authors are simply putting words on paper, it’s a very draining thing to do. It takes a lot out of us. Sometimes our brains just simply have to say, ‘Enough for now, I need a break.’

Understandably, not many of us are happy when that happens. A writer’s best tool, in my opinion, is some form, any form, of meditation."

Lena - I completely agree with this! I suffered from writer's block for a very long time, and it cost me a lot of years that I could have been writing. I talk about that in my own piece about overcoming stifling here. And I love this "file cabinet maintenance" idea.

I know that for me, it is all about being overtired, overwhelmed, or overanxious, so I will be "filing" this tip away for a future day! (No pun intended - Haha!)

* Check out this awesome short story as proof to Tony's ability to keep writing!

On His Early Influences

Lena - So, tell us what the first book you remember reading is. Why do you think that book is the one that stands out in your memory?

Tony - "As much as I want to say it was Tolkien, it actually goes back a little further than that - when I still despised reading.

I can’t remember the exact name of the book, but I believe it was a Hardy Boys novel. I had a book report due, and I hadn’t read a single word of the book. When my mother found out, I was sent to languish on the couch with it until I was finished.

I was not happy.

But then, to my amazement, I started reading it and got lost in the story. I was finished with it before I knew it. It would still be some time before I voluntarily picked up The Lord of the Rings and started reading on my own.

But that (Hardy Boys) was my first taste of getting lost in somebody else’s world."

Lena - That seems about right to me, honestly. Those are just the kinds of books a young boy can become immersed in. I would also love to say that my earliest favorite was Tolkien, but my earliest beloved book was Robert Munsch's Love You Forever.

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Lena - So, we've discussed Tolkien more than once throughout these last couple of days, and I am always overjoyed to find another Tolkien fan! We already discussed your piece, Life Writes Us, So We Write Life (what a fantastic title, by the way!) in which you talk about the girl who first introduced you to the "Father of High Fantasy's" works, but what was it that first jumped out to you about those works, and what is it about Tolkien's craft that made his work stick with you throughout the years?

Tony - "The grandeur… Tolkien had an affinity for linguistics, and he was able to create a world of such depth, such fascination, out of nothing but a newly spoken language.

There were times when Middle Earth felt more real to me than the waking world. And it was all about language and a desire to have a consistent mythology for his homeland. I think he nailed it!

That’s what I want to create for my readers, a world that they can simply get lost in and (have) fun being lost in it. A world where they can let their minds roam free, despite the drama and evil the world I create may hold. An escape for the reader is success for the author.

Lena - Ah! I like that... "An escape for the reader is success for the author." Tolkien discussed a very similar concept throughout his letters to a friend in which he said that "the moment disbelief arises, the spell is broken; the magic, or rather art, has failed." This was Tolkien's superb gift!

On His Own Writing

Lena - Okay, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. We've discussed your writing process and what first got you reading, but let's talk about what first got you writing. What was your inspiration, your catalyst to write? What was it that first got you to put pen to paper?

Tony - "I will refer you back (to the previous question) … The grandeur.

I wanted to create something of my own that could make them (the readers) experience the same things in my writing that I had felt in others'.

For me, the experience is mind-blowing, wondrous, and cathartic, all at the same time. It’s a feeling that I want everyone to experience, and I’m greedy for the idea that it can be my writing, my stories, that gives them that.

Lena - Oh! This is just such a great answer! I also long for that ability to give a world to someone else the way that Tolkien gave us his world!

* Read this short story and get lost into this future world Tony creates!

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Lena - Okay, so we've discussed the concept of "writer's block," but what you mentioned the quality of the writing when you push through a block. So, what do you do when you produce a piece of writing that you later hate? Or are you one of those lucky few who does not experience this?

Tony - "At this point in my life, there is nothing that I write that I ‘hate.’ My craft is to the point where nothing is beyond redemption in my own eyes.

In my earlier years, when I was unimpressed with something, I would simply file it to the side with a ‘get back to it later’ mentality, where it would subsequently get lost.

I can’t tell you how many notebooks are polluting garbage dumps that have pages and pages of unfinished tales.

But, using the backbone of flash fiction, I find that I am better able to produce pieces that I would read, had I not been the author."

Lena - This is really a great way to look at our writing! I think you're right that nothing is really beyond redemption, and I certainly agree with you that you are producing some spectacular pieces of fiction!

* Check out this awesome short story by Tony!

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Lena - So, then, what is your main purpose with your writing? Is it just to entertain or is there some grander message that you're sending out into the universe?

Tony - "I don’t know that it’s necessarily a message. It’s a relationship.

Everybody needs to read. Everybody needs the escape. It’s the place where we find inspiration to advance our everyday lives. It’s the place where we find ambition, and how to think out-of-the-box.

How many times have you read a story, or an article, and you were able to relate it to your own life and change it for the better?

We find things in stories that we never thought possible, and we use those things to make things possible in our lives that we never expected.

Tolkien and Stephen King are my two greatest influences, and I’ve related to so many of their characters in my own life that I don’t think I’d be the same person if I didn’t.

And I’ve never had the chance to meet either one face-to-face, and I suspect that I never will. But, that doesn’t matter…

Writing is like teaching, if you reach even one person and affect them in a positive way, then all of the toil and heartache is worth it."

Lena - Wow! That's just such an awesome answer, and I completely agree with you. That's exactly how I feel about writing. Whether I become famous or paid or not, the point is to affect at least one person, and I can assure you that your work is capable of that. My absolute favorite story of yours is The Legacy, and it most assuredly affected me! (Yes. I'm a hopeless romantic. Haha!)

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Lena - Now that we've discussed your purpose for writing, I need to ask what your expectation is. So, what is your grand goal for your writing? And how do you gauge your success as a writer? What's your dream outcome?

Tony - "My dream outcome is to have a book or two published that I can use as supplemental income. I don’t need to be Stephen King, but if my stories can be talked about outside of my own circles, and I can make decent money with it, then I’ll be overjoyed.

Success, in general, though, is to reach that one person who reads my work and says, 'Yes! Give me more!' I look at writing much like teaching; it only takes reaching one to be successful."

Lena - Well, my friend, by your own definition of success, you are a successful writer! Because I know that you have reached more than one with your work! (Myself included!)

*Check out this non-fiction work by Tony that I absolutely love!

On His Novel

Lena - Alright, Tony. I know you've been waiting for this, and you're wondering when we will get to it. So, after much ado! Let's talk about your novel-in-progress! Last we spoke, I told you that I had yet to read it. I like to save things like this for when I can really get into them deeply.

Well, now I have! And I was enthralled! So, this I believe started out as just a single short story of the same title, Prime and escalated from there.

So, tell us about Prime, the Novel! What was it about this story that called out to you and just had to be continued?

Tony - "For me, a series can only take up my time to write if I’m passionate about the plot or the characters or the message, etc...

What is it about this story that just HAD to keep going?

‘Prime’ is story that covers my own personal and ongoing esoteric conflicts.

First, the conflict of science vs religion. What if there wasn’t a conflict? What if both were necessary?

The second overarching theme is ‘control’. The devoutly religious, especially in this country, blindingly bow to God as ‘king’, but, here on Earth, they’re all about ‘personal freedom’. To me, that’s a conflict of epic proportions.

No doubt, should this novel become popular in the coming years, it’s going to have a level of infamy among the devoutly religious. But I’m alright with that. But more than that, once the short story was written, it called out to me for three months and told me that there was much more to the story.

It was a story that had to be told. Because within those two overarching themes were so many undertones of what it means to be human that they couldn’t go without being mentioned. ‘

Prime’ actually pushed my list of other pieces waiting to be written to the backburner. It NEEDS to be written, and I’m still not totally sure why. But who am I to question it, right?"

Lena - Who are you, indeed? I know that this story has reached many people already. Our mutual friend, Josie, is absolutely loving this, and I anticipate this fantastic story will only garner more fans in the coming weeks!

On His Fellow Vocal Creators

Lena - Alright, well now is when I would like to ask you that question that all of us Vocal creators dread! Who are your favorite Vocal creators right now and which pieces of theirs speaks the most to you?

Tony - "This is always the most difficult for me to answer! There are too many! I haven’t seen a talent pool such as this in my entire life. I could spend days getting within the fantastic worlds our creators put to paper.

I’m simply going to copy what I answered for Lesley’s interview:

Poetry goes to:

• Mike Singleton - Here is Mike's most recent poem - "This Love of Ours!"
• Tiffany Gordon - Here is Tiffany's most recent poem - "Hold On To What Is Right!"

Series goes to:

• Melissa Ingoldsby for "Bexley"
• Jason Ray Morton for "Three Rivers"
• Josie Mason for "Ramblings" (which is also poetry follow the link for her latest)
• Daniel Millington for "Random Musings of a Dead Man"
• And your own collaboration for the Winter Series

(Thank you so much, Tony, for the recognition. I'm very proud of this piece! So, I'm going to shamelessly include this below!

Beyond the Boundary by Lena

His Final Thoughts

Lena - So, it has been so inspiring and insightful "talking" with you, Tony. Before we go, what final thoughts do you have for me and your readers and fellow creators?

Tony - "Final Thoughts: I’m greedy for reads.

I want to be a popular writer, not for the notoriety, but for the difference I can make in people’s lives. I want to take my readers on an unforgettable journey, if only for a few minutes.

I want to give them some respite from their lives because we all need it. There are absolutely times when this altruism of mine suffers, as I see the popularity and respect many of our fellow writers already have.

I am jealous of those that have already published and have entertained readers that they’ll never get to know in any capacity. But it drives me to want to be better in my craft.

I know that I’m a good writer, but I want to be that one that can change somebody’s life in some small, but measurable, way just by the words I put to paper."

Lena - Well said, my friend, and thank you so much for taking the time to give me such great answers to these questions. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know both you and myself more over the past couple of days!

From the Interviewer

I'm sure that you can all agree that Anthony Stauffer is a creator to watch! So, get ahead of the curve and become a follower now!

As to the caption on the title image, I'm sure that by now you have observed Tony's ability to build worlds. Or maybe it is more of the role of "World RE-Builder," as Tony has a passion and knack for recreating the events and stories throughout our known history in a way that fascinates and engages the readers!

If you have not already subscribed to this awesome creator's work, what are you waiting for?

Subscribe now! Here is the link to his profile:

Author's final note

Thank you for taking the time to read this interview with Anthony Stauffer as part of the "Not My Shoes" collaboration in the Facebook group "Vocal Writers Sharing Community." Be sure to check that group out!

If you enjoyed what you read, please click HERE for more, and don't forget to LIKE, SHARE, & SUBSCRIBE! Tips are Always Greatly Appreciated!❤

Check out another one of my short stories below!

Look below for one of my favorite poems!

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