Today I’m back with more about the upcoming release of Iron Walls. Last week I answered the questions I’m asking other authors in the group, and this week I have Astrid V.J., the author of “In Pursuit of Independence”, a short story with a powerful message about not living with contradicting beliefs and desires. Astrid, thank you for joining me today! Let’s jump right into the questions. To start of with, can you tell us a bit about why you chose to participate in this dystopian anthology?
I already had a story written when I saw the call for stories. It came at an opportune moment and being part of this anthology definitely feels like it was meant to be.
Sounds like it was timed perfectly, then! Before we get into the themes and philosophical messaging of your story, would you share with my readers what your story is about to offer some context for the rest of the discussion?
In Pursuit of Independence is set in my fictionalized future in a galactic empire much like the scope of the one in Star Wars. Misubuki is the capital city’s leading economist and she is tasked with averting a war when one of the founding planets makes a move to withdraw from the Haldrian Empire.
It sounds like an interesting world with a lot of thought behind it. Having read the story myself, I can say from personal experience that the story world definitely feels like a real place. It’s very well done. But now that you’ve shared the basic idea with my readers, could you share the overarching theme or message of your story?
Our thoughts can keep us trapped more surely than any cage or system. When we believe certain things that are opposed to our inner truths, we mire ourselves in an inescapable quicksand.
That’s an excellent point to make. Living in contradictions will make even the most stable people unhappy. Again, speaking from personal experience, I know exactly how much damage that can do. It’s a message lots of people need to hear. So why did you choose that theme or message?
In Pursuit of Independence came about as a simple exercise in putting on a particular mindset. In recent years I’ve come across a lot of statements made by hardcore feminists that I cannot relate to at all because they do not reflect my unique experiences as a woman and run counter to certain desires I’ve always had (like wanting to have children, for example). One day, I wondered what it might be like to truly believe these postulations and internalize them, superimposing them on my personal wants and needs, and relegating those to the subconscious. This short story is the result of that exploration and my examination of what would become of me if I were subjected to such a contrast of “conscious thoughts” versus “subconscious dreams”.
Intriguing! I wouldn’t have guessed that from reading the story. If anything, the story does seem pretty anti-feminist. But I think it’s a fair point that it’s more anti-hardcore or modern feminist than it is anti-empowering of women. So you’ve shared the plot theme, but can you share with us the philosophical message behind your story?
No ideology can contain the full truth of human experience. Ideologies only offer us facets of the whole, not the diamond in its entirety. But in focusing only on one aspect, ideological postulations can end up focusing on perceived flaws and turn them into something that is “bad” and needs to be “removed”. Ideologies of all kinds often end up fostering extreme intolerance and this is one of the main focuses of all my writing: fostering tolerance for difference, no matter what that difference might look like.
That’s often true, especially if we improperly integrate that ideology with our own experiences and lives. Now, how does that message extend from your own philosophy, and why do you feel it’s so important to share with the reader? In other words, what is it you want people to learn from this or hope they will reconsider about their own worldview/philosophy?
From my own experience and through my work as a transformational life coach, I have often been faced with mindsets that hold people back. As a teenager, I saddled myself with the belief that “since writers don’t tend to make a decent living, it isn’t worthwhile to pursue my dream of publishing my writing.” That belief held me back for over a decade while I battled depression. As soon as I learned to embrace my writing for what it is—an integral part of who I am—then suddenly my earlier reservations became meaningless. I write because that is what makes my soul sing and my heart soar, and that is all that is important. When our thoughts and actions align with our true selves, we are able to achieve so much, but when we live in dissonance, we end up living the kind of dystopia that Misubuki has allowed her society to build around her by saddling her with certain beliefs that she embraces with her mind, while her body rejects it vehemently.
It seems like you’ve certainly had a lot of experience with this struggle both in your life and in your work with others. So switching gears just a little bit, can you share some of the points or scenes that were your favorites because of how they highlighted that philosophical message or aim in your story?
I loved writing the love at first sight scene with Sergeant Amq’i because Misubuki’s vehement denial and absolute refusal to believe it possible is an important lynchpin for the message of the story. It’s through that scene that we are introduced to her beliefs about men and relationships, and her friend’s romantic comments that rile up Misubuki were so much fun to write. The ending scene is another really powerful one. I can’t say I enjoyed writing it, because this is a dystopian story, but it does move me, and I hope that means it’s sufficiently poignant.
Okay, so wrapping this up, if you could ensure readers learned just one thing from your story, what would it be?
To trust in themselves. Only you know what it is that will bring meaning into your life and only you can choose to pursue that activity. Meaningful pursuits and a deep belief in the self and our capacity to achieve what we dream of, that is the cornerstone of a good life and it is everything I want to convey through my writing.
Well, that’s a great message to leave people with. Thanks for sharing the philosophy behind your story, Astrid! It was wonderful to have you here with us on Atlas’s Island today. The story was an excellent one. I’m not exactly your target audience, per se, since I’m extremely anti-feminist–at least per the modern definition of feminism–but we’re definitely on the same page about extreme feminism, and despite being deeply unsettled by Misubuki’s adherence to extreme feminism, I actually really enjoyed the story. I think that speaks to the power of the message because even though I started out disliking Misubuki because of her irrational fanatical adherence to an ideology that clearly harmed her, I ended the story feeling sad for her and hoping she’d learn from the experience. To my readers, I’d definitely recommend Astrid’s story. It’s coming out in Iron Walls along with mine and many other authors whom I hope to showcase in the upcoming days to give you all an inside glimpse on what you can expect from the anthology. Thanks for joining us today, and I hope you’ll come back next Tuesday for the upcoming interview with Joshua Reid, a Christian author from the anthology, who will be sharing the message behind his story with us. Until next week!
