Ashley C. Darling

And remember: your story matters. Write it. <3

Well, hello. I haven’t blogged on here in a while, and even though its always my intention to do so, I just lose track of time and find myself spiraling into the rabbit hole that is YouTube or Facebook. (Bad use of time, let me tell you.)

I originally wrote this as a thread on Twitter, but I wanted to make a blog post about it, too, because I know I’m not the only one who struggles with maintaining my writing passion.

You know that feeling when you’re eyeball-deep in revision and you think your writing just SUX0RS? Yeah, well, that was me in July. I took a break from my beloved WIP, worked on something else, read a few books, etc etc.

I struggled with this revision. I LOVE this story, these characters, but I didn’t know where I was going or how to make the story I’d written into the story I wanted. I was so frustrated and exhausted that writing felt like torture. It sucked, big time. I doubted myself.

I doubted why I started writing in the first place, doubted my passion for writing, doubted everything about myself. It didn’t help that my job at the time also sucked. It still does, but not as much. But even while I was writing something new, I kept coming back to this story.

This story speaks to me as a girl who doubts herself, who wonders what’s wrong with her on a daily basis, who wonders why she’s surrounded by people who make illogical decisions. Why she’s not “like the other girls.” This story is something that needs to be written, not only for myself, but for other girls who struggle with the same thing, who are so different from their counterparts that they think there’s something wrong with them.

It may center around a princess who embraces her dark side, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. I want to write a story where girls see themselves, can find common ground with a character who looks or acts or thinks like they do. A girl who struggles with her sexuality & morality, who questions herself on a daily basis and yet still finds the strength to go on and be herself anyway.

A girl who decides that whether or not society deems her actions “correct,” she’s going to fight for those less fortunate than herself. She fights for the poor, the disenfranchised, the downtrodden, the weak. She fights because they can’t. She tears down a monarchy built on lies.

All of this to say that I realized what I was missing was my mission, my passion, my connection to this story. And as I was reading through the words I’d written in July, I realized that I don’t suck. My writing isn’t bad. In fact, my writing is pretty dang good. What I realized was I was just in a bad headspace back then, and rewriting something that was so personal to me was bound to be hard. So I struggled, and when I exhausted myself, I forced myself to step back.

So if you’re a writer struggling with a WIP or a revision, take a step back and examine yourself. What brought you to this story? What makes you passionate about it? Rekindle that passion. Reignite the flame. And remember: your story matters. Write it. <3

Saturday Chats — My Writing Journey

Hey y’all! I’ve had some ups and downs lately, and I decided to post about them here for y’all to read. I know not many people follow my blog, but I wanted to start writing about, well, my writing. So here it goes!

These past few weeks have been spectacular in my writing world. I finished–yes, FINISHED!–the third draft of THE ADEPT and sent it off to my critique partner (CP) and a few trusted beta readers. I should be getting their feedback by June 1, so I’ll let you know how it goes! I’ve been itching to start editing, but my CP forbids it! (Thanks, Alyson! 🙂 )

I finally wrote THE END on draft 3 of The Adept!

I finally wrote THE END on draft 3 of The Adept!

So instead I’ve been working on a new story. It arrived in my brain pretty much fully formed one night. Its about SUPER TEENS. 😀 I’m super (haha) excited to work on this, since its a new concept for me, and super humans are hot right now (when are they not??). I can’t wait to flesh out more of their world and bring it to life!

I’ve been on an agent hunt for a few weeks now. I’ve got a list of around 30 agents I’ll submit to once I get my CP and beta reader’s feedback and any revisions completed. This part scares me, but at least I’ve got the bulk of writing finished. After I land an agent, there will of course be more revisions with them, and then even MORE with the editor/publishing house. So I’ve got to get used to editing!

That doesn’t mean I can slack on this new idea, though. I’ve been trying to do this draft the right way: planning, outlining, fleshing out primary and secondary characters, etc, all BEFORE I start writing. I’ve been following Susan Dennard’s For Writers website and I’m loving it. Her advice has been extra helpful in setting up this new world, which is contemporary and a new genre for me. I’m excited about this idea, and I hope it’ll be a fun adventure story.

Lately I’ve been feeling a little down about my job. It’s been pretty stressful at work and I don’t like feeling stressed about things, especially things I can’t control. I decided yesterday that I’m going to work on not letting the little things get to me, so I’m not so stressed. And if there are things I can change, I will. But for now I’m just going to chin up and remind myself that life isn’t perfect, and this job pays my bills for now. If nothing changes in a few weeks, I may have to do something, but for now I’ll deal with it.

I think that’s all I have for today. If you have any questions about me or my writing, please leave them below and I’ll answer them next week!

Love,
ACDSignature