“Write Like You’re Running Out of Time”
Hey guys, it’s Ashley, your silent, but vibrant introvert. Since this is my Author’s Blog, my pseudonym and author’s name is A.C. Lottie and welcome to my blog. I will have many discussions about what it means to be an author, how it feels to be an author, and the impact of writing.
I was already an avid reader, so this next step was definitely the icing on my cake. I didn’t really discover my gift for writing or knowing that I would be an author until I was a senior in high school and I took my first British Literature class. That's when I learned and took a chance on writing, plus it was for a grade...which I received an 'A' :)
My first short piece of fiction was entitled, ‘A Rogue’s Tale.’ and this process led me to becoming the writer turned author I am today.
After writing this short piece of fiction, I later had the opportunity to obtain copyrights of my work while I was an undergraduate at Chicago State University. ‘A Rogue’s Tale’ was then submitted and placed in the United States Library of Congress.
As time progressed, I became more and more interested in literature and being a writer. I was always an avid reader, so my academic experiences pushed me to go deeper into the realms of literature and discover that I wanted, needed to be an author.
The genres that I write are Supernatural, Paranormal, Southern Gothic, Psychological Thrillers, and Paranormal Romance (every now and again). My novels do contain interracial love and I add that to my mix of genres as well.
As a young Black woman, I always felt that I was already living outside of the stereotypical box that society and sometimes, our own people place us in. I love learning and exploring the realms of the paranormal/supernatural in my writings. I love challenging myself to write novel where the lead character is a Black woman who can see spirits or a Black family that stems from a powerful, magical bloodline.
I know that everyone has their own reading niche, but I believe other Black women, like me, enjoy haunting stories, mysterious lead characters who become the pariah of a small old south town. There are other Black people, who enjoy stories like these and what I write. It's not always about the drug and gang struggles, inner city life, and hardships.
NEVER EVER feel intimidated, pressured, or submissive to changing yourself and your writing. NEVER EVER feel that you have to write the same genres, the same characters, the same story line, the same themes as another author--to fit and fulfill a stereotype.
Toni Morrison said it best and this is a quote I LIVE by:
Sometimes, I want to sit down with a book where the setting is in a small Louisiana town where magic, religion, and politics collide...all while sipping tea on a rainy day listening to Mississippi Blues.
Writing has not only given me joy, but it has helped me through many inner, silent battles. Writing to me is more than just typing or writing out words and turning them into thick paragraphs with characters. Writing to me is liberating.
With each and every story that I have created, with each and every character that I have birthed (as I call it), I have learned that my novels are more than just stories. My novels take my readers on unforgettable journeys, questionable decisions, self-reflections, and most of all…seeking the truth within oneself.
If you are more interested in learning or indulging in my author’s life, I have created a world entitled, ‘The Authors Asylum' on Instagram. This name came to me when I was literally overworking myself during a revision of my novel, Between The Houses.
It was over the summer and I locked myself in my room, literally working every hour or sometimes hours until I was exhausted trying to complete my book. The negative of this process was that I couldn’t break away from my work and ‘breathe’ coming back to reality, but the positive was that I came up with a world–my world, The Authors Asylum: Where the writings on the walls become stories.
The best quote that fits with this moment comes from the song Non- Stop from Hamilton.
Why do you write like you're running out of time?
To me, at that moment, it was just that. I felt like I was running out of time. But in the end, the story was revised and completed…being better than the very first version.
I have come to accept and acknowledge that I am NOT a Writer, but a Novelist.
A Writer can be anyone who writes anything.
An Author is a distinguished and professional writer who has published and sold their work.
A Novelist writes novels, hoping to publish.
I have EVOLVED from Writer to Novelist to Author.
If you're interested in the genres that I mentioned, check out my page A.C. Lottie on Amazon for my novels.
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