Ashlee Willis's Blog, page 2

What Inspires My Writing (Pt 1)

Hardship.

Hardship is something I’ve known off and on all my life, although the past few years have been especially trying for various reasons. I believe everyone comes to a point during hard times where they have the choice: Be weakened and destroyed by your trials, or be strengthened and learn from them.

All the books and movies tell us it’s an obvious choice: Choose strength, not weakness. Choose light, not darkness. But that’s much more easily said than done when life’s shadows start to close in on you and, one by one, people you once trusted turn their backs on you. Aloneness like that is no joke, reaching the bottom of yourself and truly believing there’s no more you can give, no way you can inch back toward who you were meant to be.

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Many things have gotten me through the dark times of my life. God, friends (the true ones!), and family. But the one thing I’ve always taken for granted has been my writing. Writing has been a part of me so long I don’t think about it as I do other things. It’s there when I need it, when I feel like doing it, when I need an outlet.

Yet when I was at my lowest point, writing was the one thing I shoved aside. Suddenly there was no time, no room inside me, for writing about fantasy worlds when the real world was closing in so tightly around me. That part of me was closed off.

When I finally decided to weave stories again, after two long and difficult years, it was not at first in the form of writing. It was in storytelling. At night I would sit by my son’s bed and tell him stories that came from places I didn’t realize I had in me. I dredged them out of the shadows of myself not for my own sake, but for my child’s. Those stories were embodiments of the darkness the two of us had seen together. Those stories were paths back to the light. They opened me, thawed my heart, and, finally, made me long to write again.

And so I did.

I wrote my first story, and then several more, and then started on a full-length novel. Perhaps my writing itself hasn’t altered as much as I myself have changed. My characters are no longer quite so black and white. And my feeling for them is like the feeling I now strive to have for humans in general – acceptance, pity, patience. And grace.

Hard-won battles bring the most joy. I know this now, not because I read it in a book once, but because I have lived to tell the story myself.

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Don’t forget to visit my blog next week to hear from a mystery guest author who will be talking about where her own writerly inspiration comes from!

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Are you a writer? Crafter? Creator of some kind? Where do you get your inspiration?

When Winter Won’t Go Away

I’m not sure what you’re experiencing in your part of the world, but here in Missouri, winter keeps coming back. Fortunately, I love winter and snow. Unfortunately, snow makes it harder to get out and DO things.

But more hibernating days means more writing days! And I’ve been taking full advantage of those. My new book (another YA fantasy), is currently sitting at exactly 52,109 words as of today. It’s always difficult to tell at this point, but I believe it will be around 70,000 words total, which means I am . . .[image error]

So.

Close.

I can just feel it.

No telling how long it will take before I’m ready for beta readers, but be warned . . . it’s on the horizon!

In March I plan to have a handful of very talented fellow authors guest post on my blog about what INSPIRES their writing. I’m so eager to read what they have to say myself! I hope you’ll visit again in a week or two to join in!

In the meantime, have a wonderful winter . . . spring . . . whatever is happening right now!

Winter Fairy Tale Reading

With the weather getting colder (we’ve already had SO much snow!), it’s just the perfect time of year for cozy reading. As usual, I have a whole slew of books I’m eager to read, so I thought it would be a great time to not only list a few that I’ve read, my opinions on them, a few I intend to read soon . . . and see what YOU are reading!

Merlin’s Harp by Anne Eliot Crompton[image error]

Very unique take on the Arthur story. The story itself doesn’t deviate much from the one most of us know; however, the point of view is from that of the fey folk, which I loved. Told in lyrical type prose, it has a most definite fairy-tale/legend type feel. My only complaint was simply that the author took for granted that the reader knew the Arthur story inside and out . . . which meant a lot of details and motives were skipped over which might have added to the coherency of the story.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Oh, this book. Maybe I just read it at the right time, or maybe it really was as wonderful as it seemed. Whatever the reason, I thought it was amazing. Battling clans of fey folk, forbidden love, forests and art and danger and sacrifice. All the things I love, basically. I’m getting hopelessly impatient to read Rogerson’s latest, Sorcery of Thorns.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

I bought this book before even knowing what it was about, simply because I adored another of her books, Uprooted, so very much. I wasn’t at all disappointed. I thought this tale was a truly spellbinding take on Rumpelstiltskin which, though recognizable in some of its elements, was still wildly original and utterly magical. Pretty sure I’ll be getting my hands on everything Novik has written now . . .

Currently, I’m reading two books: A Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and Married to a Bedouin by Marguerite van Geldermalsen (one my dad bought for me after visiting the Middle East a few months ago and speaking to the author herself).

So many of the brightest book-gems I’ve read come from personal recommendations . . . so please tell me what you’re reading or have read recently, and how you liked it! I’d love to hear!

My First Year of NaNoWriMo

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After brainstorming, planning, and outlining my next novel for the two or three months previous to November, I felt this year would be as good a time as any to finally participate in National Novel Writing Month. Though I didn’t reach 50,000 words, I did reach my own personal goal of 25,000.

I loved the experience much more than I thought I would. Here’s why.

THE POWER OF A DEADLINE:  I’ve been writing most of my life, and though I constantly remind myself how HUGELY much I have to learn, I was shocked at the stimulus that a simple goal and deadline can cause. I have always thought of myself as a slow writer. The experience of NaNo has made me suspect that perhaps I’m not so much slow as extremely laid back. And yes, there is a big difference there.

COMMUNITY THAT PUTS ME IN MY PLACE:  There’s something amazing about knowing that thousands and thousands of people are participating in the same thing I am, all around the world. These people are churning their creativity, pushing themselves to limits, focusing, delving, crying, trying . . . spilling themselves into their own unique stories. Just like me. Puts a little perspective on things.

EVEN IF I LOSE, I WIN:  So I didn’t get 50,000 words. No biggie. At 25,000 words, that’s at LEAST twice as much as I would normally write in a month’s time. That’s worth something to me, if nothing more than showing me I can do MORE than I believed I could. That’s a powerful thing.

For those of you who have participated before, whether beginner like me or veteran . . . what has NaNoWriMo taught you over the years?

Change Is Beautiful

It’s a funny thing how I can await a certain book’s release, eager for months to read it, drool over the premise and the delicious cover art, watch as it is plastered all over Instagram and Facebook . . . and when the day comes and it is in my hands and the first chapters are read, it simply falls flat. I never know – is it my anticipation that is too great, and no book can stand up to it? Perhaps my tastes are changing and my brain hasn’t caught on yet? Or maybe it’s simply that, as a writer, I have come to expect more out of stories than sugar-sweet fantasy and contrived superficial drama.

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On the other hand, I can’t count the number of times I have chosen a book at random from the library shelf, its spine stiff with disuse but its copyright date telling me it has been on this shelf for quite some time. Something about it might call to me in a strange or unique way, and when I get it home and curl up with it in bed or on the couch, I barely come up for air. These are books I’ve never heard of before I spot them. They aren’t on display as exciting new releases in genres that are popular to read, let alone have I seen even a hint of them on social media. Some of them are by authors I never knew existed.

Whatever the case, I’m sure the answer lies within me. I change, as does all of creation. My body, my mind, my expectations, my depth of understanding, my desires. If that’s life, why should it be any different with books?

All of this makes me want to rethink how I go about compiling my colossal TBR list. Books are more than just pretty faces and exciting action. Something I’ve always known, yes, but something, too, that I’ve become much more grumpily stubborn about. I want characters with depth, not stereotypes. I want action with meaning, not just for its own sake. And I want deeply flawed people who change in some way . . . for better, for worse, it doesn’t really matter; either way, I want to be changed by watching these characters change.

Pretty demanding, I suppose. But I expect no less from myself as a writer.

How have your tastes changed as a reader over the years? How do you choose the next book you’ll read?

October Love, Wild Wanderings, and a New Book

Fall is here at last in my home of Missouri. Three days ago brisk winds blew in thunderstorms and chilly weather. Leaves are falling from the trees already. All the beaches we love to play and walk on have been temporarily drowned in the swell of the great Missouri River (but that didn’t keep us from building a fire this afternoon to warm ourselves as we watched the river flow by!). I’m looking forward to more craft shows, fall festivals, lots of hot chocolate and cozy reading, and our annual fall-is-in-the-air-now-it’s-time-for-a-Harry-Potter-movie-watching-binge which, coincidentally, will be starting TONIGHT!

Blind Beauty BOOK REVIEW

[image error]What a charming, well-told, and heart-touching collection of stories. Though these are fairy tale retellings, don’t expect to hear the same stories you think you’re familiar with. Each has creative and clever twists of its own that kept me reading from start to finish, hardly able to put the book down. It is extremely difficult to write a story which is at the same time a retelling as well as a story completely its own; yet that is just what Ms. Burton did here. I appreciated the details in the stories that were reminiscent of the originals, yet each was also refreshing and original, and I couldn’t help but be blown away by how perfectly the author melded old and new together.

Not only is each story full of beautiful description, but the characters themselves jump off the pages as if they are drawn from real life instead of the author’s imagination. Though each of these fantasy tales possess their own unique theme, set of characters, and premise, it is very clear to me that common themes run through each of them, and that those themes must be dear to the author’s heart: grace, redemption, family, and love. The message of these reverberates through the fabric of each tale and makes them truly worth reading again and again.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meredith Leigh Burton is a voracious devourer of fairy tales. She is a motivational speaker, writer, and teacher. She attended the Tennessee School for the Blind and Middle Tennessee State University. She received a degree in English and theater. Meredith hopes to convey through her stories that those with differences can contribute much to the world. She resides in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK

Goodreads     Amazon

The Best Bookish Friendships

Friendships tends to get overshadowed by romances in many books and movies. However, true friendships are some of the best relationships in any book. The possibilities they give for growth and depth, along with the simple joy they bring, are some of the most powerful things in many a beloved story. Here are some of my personal favorite bookish friendships.

Elizabeth and Jane Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

There’s no friendship like that between sisters. Elizabeth is pert and fiery and, let’s face it, a bit cynical. Jane is sweet and forgiving and perhaps a little naïve at times. But different though they are, I know in my heart that far beyond the last pages of their story, these sisters only grow in closeness for the rest of their lives, and their vivid differences serve only to balance their sisterly friendship.

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Harry, Ron, and Hermione (Harry Potter series)

How can anyone not love the friendship between these three? It grows steadily throughout the series, and as the friends get older and more mature, so the troubles they come across grow scarier and deadlier. A few normal little tiffs, a couple serious ones . . . yet they always find themselves back together again, the perfect team with their vastly different personalities, quirks, and virtues.

Cathy and Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)

These two have a friendship both wild and free, but with a deeply dark side as well. Heathcliff’s violent possessiveness and love of Cathy is what drives him forward and gives his life meaning. Though we look at this story and think of lovers whose lives go terribly wrong, I can’t forget the sweet friendship that they had as mere children, running the vast moors together and fiercely defending one another from all life threw at them.

Holmes and Watson (Sherlock Holmes)

Put Holmes with his genius-like eccentricities and condescension next to Watson with his down-to-earth intelligence and kindness, and you’d never imagine the two becoming such close mates. Yet that’s exactly what happens, and whether it’s in the original stories or in one of the many adaptations of these stories, I never tire of watching the facets of that friendship.

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Pooh and Piglet (Winnie the Pooh)

There are so many aspects to the friendship of these two. Protection, forgiveness, trust, humor, and gentleness. They somehow don’t seem quite complete without each other. They have many moments of true heart-to-heart connection. But mostly, they have adventures and fun.

“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have and one of the best things you can be.”  (A.A. Milne)

Frodo and Sam (Lord of the Rings)

Perhaps these two weren’t much more than acquaintances at the beginning of their journey, but it was clear Sam held Frodo in high regard, almost as a servant thinks of a master. Yet their difficult and humbling journey puts them on a completely different footing with each other, and the close bond they form through the hardships they endure together can’t ever be broken.

Jena and Gogu (Wildwood Dancing)

The friendship between Jena and her frog, Gogu, is so refreshing and unique. I love that, though their friendship blossoms into something more once Gogu has taken his true form at the end of the story, the foundation of their love is still based on their friendship. Wrap it up in a wonderfully charming fairy-tale setting and it makes for one of my favorite retellings ever!

Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum (The Silver Chair)

These three. They crack me up, but I adore them more than words can say. Jill has fears, Eustace is rather superior, and Puddleglum is just plain . . . glum. Yet somehow – somehow – those idiosyncrasies in their characters prod each other into becoming better, trying harder, bucking up and finishing their quest just as Aslan wishes them to do.

Lucy and Tumnus (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)

This sweet friendship always makes me smile. Outwardly these two couldn’t be more different – a middle-aged faun and a little English girl. Yet I sense that their hearts are the same: meek, loving, and kind – but quietly strong for all that. I picture them having tea together for years after Lucy becomes queen.

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Emma and Mr. Knightley (Emma)

Perhaps we see where this friendship is headed long before it actually gets there, but it doesn’t stop us from hoping with each turn of the page that Emma won’t screw things up. Secretly I used to wonder what exactly it was that Mr. Knightley saw in Emma to make him love her so much. After all, she can be a bit silly and blind to others. But love’s like that, I suppose. Especially when it’s built on a firm friendship like theirs. And in the light of that friendship, Emma blooms into a more thoughtful and caring person.

David and Jonathan (The Bible)

They weren’t brothers, but perhaps should have been. Or maybe they were closer even than brothers can be. “The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David.” I think God intended us to strive for friendships like the one between these two. No judgments or criticisms, just open-heartedness, loyalty, and honesty. No one in the world can ask more from a friendship than this.

True friends are always together in spirit.  (L.M. Montgomery)

Anne and Diana (Anne of Green Gables)

Ah, kindred spirits. Their friendship is instantaneous. Diana meets Anne’s desperate longing for a friend of her own. Anne wakens Diana’s sense of adventure and creativity. They complement each other in just the ways friends should. Their adventures lead them different directions in life, but their friendship remains strong throughout.

What are some of your favorite literary friendships? What makes them so meaningful to you?

Favorite Fairy Tale Blog Hop and HUGE Giveaway

Welcome to the 2018 Fairy-tale Blog Hop. Thirteen fabulous fairy-tale authors have gotten together to talk about their favorite fairy tales. Follow the links at the bottom of each blog post to hop to the next author’s website. Collect our favorite numbers to total up at the end and enter to win a print collection of our books! (There are several anthologies, debuts, and even an ARC for a BLINK YA book you can’t buy in stores yet!).

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My Favorite Fairy Tale

The Six Swans has long been one of my favorite of all fairy tales. Truthfully, I’ve never thought much about why this might be. Stories heard in youth, they sink into your skin and into your consciousness, and you either love them or you don’t. This story, I loved, and still love. I could read a dozen retellings and probably enjoy every one of them.

I love that the girl who must rescue her brothers is so incredibly brave. And her bravery is not of the usual story kind. She wields no sword into battle, fights no monster. No, she must simply stay silent for seven years . . . seven years . . . No utterance at all. Not even a laugh. And she must sew shirts of nettle for her beloved brothers. All of this is tedious and difficult and painful and must be unbearably boring and horribly lonely for her. If that’s not a desperate position to be in, I don’t know what is. But she does it because she loves her brothers and knows she is their only chance. She is in for the long haul. Such devotion can be nothing but admirable.

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The love in this story, at least to me, is not of a romantic kind. It is about the great affection the girl has for her brothers. I enjoy romance as much as anyone, but I always appreciate a story that shows an unexpected angle, uncovers not-often-mentioned emotions. This is such a story.

There are a couple versions of this tale. The Brothers Grimm version is titled The Six Swans. However, in the Hans Christian Andersen version there are not six brothers, but eleven. And although eleven IS my favorite number, I’ve always preferred the version with six brothers. Six just seems so much more manageable when it comes to brothers, don’t you think?

As for why this particular story struck my heart as it did, however many long years ago it was, there’s no way to tell. Stories do that. I’m sure you know. Love for any tale is grown from such an eclectic mishmash of things, happenstances, feelings, emotional tugs and even pain.

What is your favorite fairy tale? Have you ever stopped to think about why that story has nestled so deeply into your heart?

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Visit the next blog in the hop by clicking here.

Once you’ve collected all our favorite numbers and added them up, enter the giveaway by clicking here.

Authors: Truth vs Myth

Maybe you hope to be an author. Maybe you have a friend who is one. Either way, there are plenty of misconceptions about what happens when a writer becomes published. The minutes I became a published author, these assumptions started popping out of my friends’ and acquaintances mouths until I just had to put aside my frustration, shake my head and smile.

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MYTH: Once you’re published, you’ll instantly be rich and famous.

TRUTH: There are some authors who not only survive off the proceeds of their books, but thrive (J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, Rick Riordan . . .). But believe me, that’s the exception, not the norm. I’m fairly certain it’s something like between 1% to 5% of authors make enough money to live independently on their royalties. That leaves the other 95% of us with the need for day jobs.

MYTH: Authors are moody and troubled.

TRUTH: I suppose many of us are. I know I have been at many points in my life. But then again, I know many people who are NOT authors who are moody and troubled as well. I’m fairly certain this is just a side effect of life, not of authorship. Yes, many authors TAKE that troubled existence and turn it into a story, twist it back into a shape that gives hope instead of darkness.

MYTH: Authors are hermits.

TRUTH: Well, this one isn’t strictly true . . . but then again, it isn’t strictly Untrue either. Let’s face it, writers often have abundant alone time. It’s simply the nature of the job. Yes, many of us are introverts and wouldn’t be bothered at all if we stayed in our PJs and never saw another human face for days on end. But in general, authors are normal people who have families and make meals and take their kids to school and get up for church on Sundays. We may long to disappear completely into the worlds we have created, but life calls and we must answer.

MYTH: Authors don’t have regular work hours like “normal” people do.

TRUTH: If an author is going to have any amount of success, she will probably be strict with her writing schedule. And if she’s not strict about it, she will at the very least be fiercely protective of the here-and-there time slots she DOES find in which to write. Books don’t write themselves. As with any job, especially ones that require deep thinking and organization, it takes time, effort, tears, and . . . So. Much. Work. If an author tells you she’s busy writing, do her a favor and just leave her alone. Don’t expect her to rearrange her schedule constantly because her job appears to be more fluid than an 8 to 5 one. Her job is as real as yours.

MYTH: Authors have time to read everyone’s (including strangers’) unfinished novel and give feedback.

TRUTH: I am always encouraging to new and aspiring writers. Every author was one once. However, the first thing an aspiring author should learn is to respect the time and effort of OTHER authors. And asking for one of them to take the significant amount of time it takes to not only read, but critique, something like a novel . . . well, it’s rather thoughtless, actually. Not only do authors WRITE, but most of us have day jobs as well, husbands and children to care for and spend time with, friends to see and daily life-obligations to fulfill. Recently I was contacted by someone I knew many years ago, asking if I would mind looking over and correcting all of his papers for the classes he was currently taking! He knew I was a writer and just assumed that was second nature to me, no problem for me to spend hours of every week critiquing his papers for free! I politely turned him down and suggested he find a fellow classmate who wouldn’t mind exchanging feedback with him instead.

None of these misconceptions are offensive to me . . . in fact, most make me smile or laugh. Regardless, I’ve had to shake my head once or twice, as I’m sure you have if you are an author or even an aspiring one.

What misconceptions have you personally experienced about authors, from either end?