Ask the Author: Ash Tough
Answered Questions (6)
Ash Tough
I am currently working on a third book in the Holly & Oak series. Ideally, there would be another couple of books at least that I would like to write in this series until I feel like I have told Kate’s story. There is also another series set within the same universe that I am hoping to start developing in the next couple of years. Beyond that, I definitely have plenty of ideas for this world and these characters.
Ash Tough
The idea for the novel came about in a really odd way. I had been watching a couple of different television shows that have an actor or actress play a couple of different characters simultaneously. In a lot of those depictions, you see a recurring theme of two people who while similar in appearance have very different personalities, perspectives and traits. As such, I was really interested in writing a story, which had that dichotomy between two people at its core. Due to some of the early choices I made around how that relationship would be reflected, it just felt natural to set the story in a world of Faeries and Fae. Fortunately, I had been developing another story with an elaborate world that was perfect for this book to fit into.
Ash Tough
I think being a writer is, at times, an incredibly freeing experience. It is such a cathartic experience as I get turn both the difficult and beautiful aspects of my life into stories filled with Faeries, magic and wonder. It is a very cathartic experience.
Ash Tough
I think the ideas for my book come from some interesting places. I often find that an idea for an entire scene can spring from a single line of dialogue. I had that the other morning. I was thinking about some things people say about the law. As a result of the work that I do, I feel that I have some different views on that then most. But I just thought of this interesting comment about the law, justness and fairness. The minute I knew that line, I had the scene that went with it and exactly where it fit in what I needed to write. The more I worked through that scene, though, the more I thought about the flipside of that comment, and it meant I had a great scene told from someone else’s perspective that juxtaposed to different views and perspectives on the same issue. So, out of a single thought and line of dialogue, I suddenly had the idea for four scenes that before this I knew more or less that I needed them, but no idea what they needed to be about.
Ash Tough
I often find that when I am going through period’s of writer’s block, I have also stopped reading. As such, I often find that I need to start reading again to work through whatever blocks I am having in terms of writing.
Ash Tough
I think my most important suggestion is simply to write every day even if it's only something small. While I struggle to sometimes to work on my novels every day, I spend every day writing something. A large part of that writing, which I do for my day job, is telling stories clearly and painting a picture as to what has happened to my clients. As such, I am continually working on my writing skills and practicing every day the best and clearest way to convey the ideas that I want and need to convey. So, if you can work on your novel every day, do that. But if you can’t, at least make sure that you write something every day. Writing is just like any skill in life, the more you work on it, the more skilled you will become.
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