I have wanted to be a writer since I was a little kid. Sure, there have been detours along the way. I nearly became a professional flutist, and I spent years as a blues dance DJ. But like any good road trip, all the detours make for a more memorable journey and a better story to tell in the end.
I did my undergraduate study at Northwestern University, with B.A. degrees in creative writing and art history. My freelance journalism career started a few years later in 2012 and continues today. One of my editors dubbed me “the overnight expert.” I appreciated the title, because I’ve happily remained a generalist in a world that more often rewards specializing. The world is a big place with lots of amazing stuff and I want to explore as much of it as I can. I try to treat my brain like Mary Poppins’ carpetbag: always room for something new, fascinating, and magical in there.
Most recently, I’ve been returning to my fiction roots alongside covering the games beat. I’m working in interactive fiction and chipping away at my debut romance novel. Whatever the format, my greatest skill is in creating characters. I love writing dialogue, getting a voice to sound just right, and developing relationships that feel genuine. It might be the friendship between an academic dog and a guacamole-obsessed bird or a conversation between two awkward strangers at a party. And I always enjoy crafting a sincere, satisfying love story. I also place a high value on respectful representation in my writing. We’re all the better for having more diverse stories on the page and the screen.
I am looking to work with game studios of any size, so if you’ve got a passion project and an positive culture, get in touch! Or if you’re a fellow writer, let’s be friends.
Email: annawashenko [at] gmail [dot] com
Instagram: @annawashenko
Twitter: @AnnaGetsPithy
Anna Washenko 