Hello. My name is Ashley.
I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember and writing them ever since I was able to hold a pencil. Though I have finished very few works of fiction (my preferred medium is the short story), I have written several humorous stories over the years recounting the various predicaments I have gotten into –courtesy of my friends and family. I hope to one day publish a collection of short stories about my oddly funny life and family. To give one a bit of perspective on this matter, I can honestly say that the literary character I relate to best is, hands-down, Anne Shirley of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. I seem to have a knack for attracting trouble, but I like to think my sense of humor and ability to tell a good story turns those troubles into blessings.
My “writing role models,” as I like to call them are Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, Alice Munro, and (a more recent addition) Flannery O’Connor. I adore Jane Austen’s dry wit and L.M. Montgomery’s everyday-life humor. Alice Munro, though I am not generally a fan of darker literature, possesses an incredible ability to say so much with so few words. I long to be able to do that as well, one day. I recently added Flannery O’Connor to my list for two reasons: Her writing is raw, yet polished. She was clearly not afraid to tell things like they are and those who knew her say she was a ruthless editor not prone to take criticism personally. I hope to one day master these aspects of writing, myself. I don’t expect to become one of the “greats,” but I do hope to leave a mark with my writing –even if it is on the hearts of only a few.
Oh. I’m an ENFP, by the way. =)
Pens and Needles 