to do for my life's work, but I do remember telling people I'd stop if it wasn't working out", he said in describing his move away from writing. In a 2020 interview with American Songwriter, Anderson also explained that the country market was shifting towards crossover pop. For that reason, he found it difficult to write material for other artists. "Country music was changing and I was wondering if I could still fit in. I don't know how I got in that funk, but it was a tough time", he recalled. Anderson did not fully stop writing material for his own albums. On his 1983 studio release, Southern Fried, he wrote three of the record's tracks. His 1986 studio album, A Place in the Country, contained two tracks written (or co-written) by Anderson. However, only one album track was self-composed: the song "We May Never Pass This Way Again.' Both of these self-composed tracks were only included on the version of the album released in the United Kingdom. Anderson turned his writing priorities towards other directions as well. In 1989, he released his first autobiography, Whisperin' Bill, via Longstreet Press. It was reviewed by Publishers Weekly in August 1989, giving it a mostly positive response: "Despite a measure of hoopla and hyperbole ('I did it . . . I did it all . . . but it wasn't easy'), the author does justice to a powerful story", reviewers commented. 1992–present: Return to songwriting and collaborations with others In 1992, country artist Steve Wariner recorded Anderson's 1960 hit "The Tip of My Fingers". Released as a single, it became a top-five hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that year and inspired Anderson to write again. "Steve's version of 'Tips' was some indication that words, melodies and emotions can carry across decades", he commented. Among his next compositions was a song co-written with Vince Gill entitled "Which Bridge to Cross (Which Bridge to Burn)". The song was written in a "writing appointment", where composers make arrangements to write music and are paid by recording hours in a time clock. "Which Bridge to Cross" was released as a single by Gill in 1994 and became a major hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard country chart. According to Anderson, the song's success helped him gain credibility with younger songwriters in Nashville. He began receiving phone calls from other writers and