An Interview with CP Ann Olson

Many of you on AC probably know the name Ann Olson. As a professional writer, she has tackled numerous topics, from Kung Pao Chicken to Viagra alternatives, and graduation songs to "tentacle rape." We caught up recently, and Ms. Olson discussed many of her interests, reasons for writing, and RPG-playing. For details, read on...

Eric Pudalov: So, have you been into writing for a long time?

Ann Olson: Hmm, well now that I think about it, I pretty much have my entire life. I started writing small stories when I was 9 and continued writing stories well into high school.

After that I moved into articles and more non-fiction work, which eventually led to what I do today. I do enjoy writing fiction though, and I'm still writing it today...just not as frequently, because I'm busy with work and other things.

EP: Can you explain what your job entails?

AO: I basically ghostwrite for a living.

EP: Oh, how cool! Does this mean you don't get credit?

AO: Yeah, that means I get to write lots of funky articles and others get to say they wrote it. Which I don't mind, given the right price...but hopefully I can move on from that eventually.

I would like to be one of those writers you see in magazines or in newspapers someday, offering my own view of the world. But I'll settle for this right now.

EP: Had you tried any other writing sites before AC?

AO: Could you define writing sites? Do you mean writing sites that pay you like AC or something else?

EP: I was thinking of sites like Helium.com that pay you, yes...unless you want to include blogs in that!

AO: Yes then, Associated Content was officially my start into that sort of world. I thought I would just try it out and write a couple of articles about my interests, but I ended up liking it so much I continued writing!

EP: You mentioned being an RPG-er; what are some of your favorite games and why?

AO: Oh yes, I'm a huge RPG nut. I've been playing RPGs since I was 10. I started out on some lesser known RPGs but my first serious RPG was Final Fantasy 7, which I still play occasionally to this day. That's probably my favorite RPG. The entire game just drew me in. Even today I'm amazed at how simple but complex the whole storyline was.

As for other RPG's...other RPG favourites [sic] I think would probably be Final Fantasy 6 because it was just such a good game considering the system it was made for, the Super Nintendo. And of course I loved the storyline. I also love Final Fantasy 12 for its battle system and the explorability, and Chrono Trigger.

I'm pretty much a Final Fantasy nut, haha.

EP: You live in Minnesota...is it an interesting state, and why or why not?

AO: Well it's better than Wisconsin, at least...I live right on the border, I could literally walk to Wisconsin if I wanted to.

But overall, I love Minnesota. It has a small-town feel wherever you go and everyone's nice. There's definitely a sort of nice, homely feeling here that you won't get anywhere else in America. It really feels like home to me.

EP: That's great! I hear a lot of folks say they hate the state they live in. You have some great content about weddings; did your wedding go smoothly (if that's not too personal a question)?

AO: Hey, I'm not actually married yet. I'm getting married next July.

EP: Oh, OK...LOL. I suppose I just saw the articles and it just sounded as though you were.

AO: I've been planning it for around 2 years so I've learned a lot of tidbits along the way. It's pretty nightmarish actually. LOL.

EP: I'm under the impression you've traveled to Korea; did you live there previously?

AO: I was born there. My parents moved to Wisconsin when I was 6 months old, though. I also stayed there in 2005 with my relatives; I'm half-Korean.

EP: OK! Did you enjoy staying there?

AO: It was a great experience. I got to visit Anyang, where my mom used to live, and my relatives took me around Korea to historical places. I stayed in Incheon, then Sokcho, then in Wonju City...I sampled a lot of the cuisine too. Yum.

EP: Wow...I hope to visit some part of Asia during my lifetime, though I don't know where to start.

AO: Japan is pretty cool too.

EP: So I hear!

AO: The officers there wear the cutest outfits too.

EP: LOL...yes, I would go just for that reason.

AO: And J-rock concerts!

EP: Speaking of which, have you ever been to an anime convention?

AO: No, not yet. I want to go, but I live so far away from all of them, which is a real downer.

EP: That's too bad; I'd recommend Otakon in Baltimore. OK, anyways...

AO: Haha, this got a bit off topic.

EP: Is there an anime series that you would recommend to a newcomer?

AO: Definitely Cowboy Bebop. It was one of the first animes I watched. Got me hooked instantly.

EP: Is there anywhere else you've traveled that you would like to tell about?

AO: Gosh, hmm...I don't honestly travel that much outside of my state, but I did travel to Madison, Wisconsin in May 2007. I don't know what it is, but I just loved that city. There are huge lakes surrounding the city and plenty of independent stores; it's a very liberal town.

I hope I could live there someday, it seems like the perfect place for me.

EP: Awesome. What is your favorite site to blog on? LiveJournal?

AO: Well gee, you must be a mind reader...my favourite [sic] site is LiveJournal. It was the first blogging site I tried, back when I was 14 or so, and I've been blogging away ever since. I mostly just stay there for the communities, though, I'm not a very serious blogger...I tend to talk about irrelevant things.

EP: What's an irrelevant thing?

AO: I tend to post about thoughts going through my head, which usually consists of things I found funny or things I did that day, etc.

EP: Is there any topic you find too taboo to write about?

AO: Nothing's too taboo with me, I'm a pretty open-minded person. I like writing about controversial topics anyhoo [sic], it's fun to write about subjects most people wouldn't dare to touch.

EP: They get more page views, don't they?

AO: That too!

EP: When you talked about Korea, I thought of another question; have you ever heard of Young-Hae Chang? She's a Korean animator. I guess the general question would be...are there Korean artists you admire?

AO: I haven't heard of Young Hae-Chang, but there are a couple of Korean artists that I do admire. One artist, she's primarily e-famous as far as I know; her name is Min Rho. She used to be famous for her Legend of Zelda art, but she primarily sticks to superhero fanart [sic] now. She has a really intriguing realistic style.

The other one is Hyung Tae Kim, I believe he did the artwork for the Magna Carta [PS2 Game]. His work is amazing.

EP: Finally, do you have any advice for other writers like yourself?

AO: If you can write, and if you have the passion to work for it, you can be successful. Never listen to anybody who says you can't do this or that. If you put your mind to it, and put in the effort to make your writing top-notch, people will notice and you will succeed. It's happened to me, it's happened to people I know, and it can happen to you if you're willing to put in the effort to get there. That's my advice.