When the Ink Runs Dry

by Theodore Ashford

Winner of the 2016 Summer Indie Book Awards

"...the most poignant collection about writing I've ever gotten my hands on." —Amazon Reviewer

“I am a writer.”

Whisper it every night before bed, and maybe someday you’ll learn to believe it. Whisper it when others aren’t looking. Whisper it when you’re sitting in front of the blank page, trying desperately to drown out your doubt and fear. You say it because of the fear there’s nothing left to tell. You’re feeling the ink running dry.

The short stories and poems inside explore the concept of what it means to search for the right words and ourselves. All artists know the pain of feeling out of place and out of ideas. This collection shows we sometimes find more of ourselves when there aren’t any words left.

When the Ink Runs Dry is a short collection designed to inspire you quickly and send you back to work. Short stories, essays, poems, and visual typography are all interwoven together to stimulate both sides of your brain and get your creative juices flowing again. Because sometimes the best cure for writer’s block is simply knowing you’re not alone.

In the summer of 2014, Theodore Ashford gave a speech at TEDxYouth@Portland on the subject “Finding Yourself.” Despite that, he has been writing for over ten years and still questions whether he’s a “real” writer or not.

42 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2016

Reviews

[Diana Febry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An off-beat collection of insights into how a writer will allow time to flitter away on the distractions of social media and the numerous excuses for the lack of progress of his novel. Something many writers will indentify with to a greater or lesser extent. The writer admits at the end he loves his "writer's block" as it protects him from revealing his work to the reader. Having acknowledged this, I hope this writer will address his fears and learn to develop a routine and structure for his work as this short collection does indicate potential talent.

[Ubiquitous Bubba · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Ink Runs Dry is a collection of poems and short sketches about an author's struggle with writer's block and the creative efforts to break through it to reach the other side. The tone of these pieces is generally introspective, imaginative, mildly whimsical, and is topped off with a hint of self-depreciation. The individual poems and stories are quite short, like bite-sized morsels, rather than a full meal.

I enjoyed the imaginative, whimsical nature of the poems and stories. When the author interacts with his imaginary characters or with his computer, I'm right there with him. I liked the format, with quick bits that can be sampled for amusement or inspiration. I would recommend this book for authors or anyone who has ever struggled through the creative process.

I was given a free copy of the book for a fair, non-reciprocal review.

[J.R. Gershen-Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd and interesting little book, perhaps best slipped into a purse or backpack for reading while commuting (please don't read and drive, of course!).

It felt unfinished. I wish there was more!

I also loved the typography and wish I could design like that.

[Augustine Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unusual Musings from the Other Side

It is a bit tricky to pigeonhole this 42-page work as a novel or even a writer’s handbook though it bears the descriptive rider: “Short stories and Poems about Writing.” It certainly is about writing, or specifically, about writer’s block. And, though it contains some poems, it doesn’t quite measure up to the rider and hence lacks identity—an oddity underscored by the curious opening. What begins as an out-of-the-blue tirade turns out to be a kind of thought process that degenerates into something akin to self-flagellation. Soon it becomes clear that the narrator is actually the one at the receiving end. In fact, it is, wait for it, the blank page in front of him that launches into a puerile tirade on the narrator’s supposed inability to write a single line for the
NaNoWriMo challenge. Now, perhaps in an era in which frozen embryos can sue a human being in a court of law for a chance to be born, it shouldn’t come as a surprise at all that a blank page can scold a writer for failing to fill it up with stories on account of a long bout with writer’s block.

Still, When the Ink runs Dry comes across as a rambling piece fit for a journal, or at best, musings for a blog post, considering the atypical logic of letting a blank page taunt a writer with a discourse about that overrated thing called inspiration and the uselessness of waiting for it instead of ‘just writing.’
My inability to relate to this work stems from the belief that not everything that goes through the mind ought to end up as a book because a written work should have a keen aesthetic sense. It should be distinguished as a literary culture of value.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the subtitle states, this book features short stories juxtaposed with short poems – and interestingly, typographical art, on the subject of writing. The book begins with a short story that reads like a one-sided conversation from a forgotten character to his writer. The experience of feeling a character, knowing a character and making memories with him is explored throughout the book. There are musings on writers block, the blank page (ex: “White Space”) – and a letter that speaks directly to writer's block (ex: “With Love”). Poignant lines include “the heart never stops writing” and descriptions of writer's block as “severing the connection between heart and fingers” (quoted from “Blank”). I laughed along with the story “Figuratively Dead,” which describes an author's experience with trying to write a novel in a month (otherwise known as NaNoWriMo). The work of revising is explored in “Pushing the Glass”, where Ashford sagely says: “Sometimes creating beautiful art requires making a mess.” Perhaps that is just what Ashford is doing with this book – writing down the bones of a short story or a poem, getting over his fear of sharing it with us and throwing away the need for perfection. In doing so, he has crafted a book that will no doubt speak to the hearts of writers, gaining him new readers in the process.

[Alison Cubitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the Ink Runs Dry is a great title, for what is meant to be a collection of writing about writer's block. I can see that this might appeal to younger readers, on somewhere like Wattpad, but for this reviewer, it comes across as an unfinished and superficial work-in-progress.

The book begins with an experimental piece, written in the first person, which I thought at first, was a rant against a person, but which turns out to be the writer beating himself up because he's got writer's block and he entered NaNoWriMo. Can this really be all this is about, or have I missed something?

After that, there are chapters in this short 36-page book that include: Finished Crap is Better Than Perfect Nothing; I Write, Therefore I Am; I Might Not Be Famous But I'm Still Having Fun. These short pieces might work as a series of entries in a private writing journal, but lack polish and the fine-tuning required for a book for sale. This collection is in need of the input of a structural editor, to encourage the writer to come up with some meaningful themes, as well as help him rework his material.

I received a free copy of this book.

[C.A. King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up this book of poems and short stories. After reading it (more than once) I can sum it up in one word. Inspirational. This book should be on the desk of every author, writer or the aspiring likes.

With NaNoWriMo round the corner, I suggest participants grab a copy and give it a read. If the words written inside can'r motivate you, I don't know what can.

Theodore Ashford manages to put into words writers block from both sides of the paper. It's a humbling experience to hear what a character could be feeling When the Ink Runs Dry!

5 stars

[Elyse Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quirky collection of poems, short stories, and artwork is a delightful work that speaks honestly to the author's perceived difficulties in writing. How I wish this book had been longer than it was. Just as the reader settles in the book comes to an end.

Some may think that only another author can understand what Theodore Ashford writes about, but the fact of the matter is that anyone can relate to this. Being an author (or an author-in-waiting) isn't a prerequisite for enjoying this treat.

[Mary Kincaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

When The Ink Runs Dry by Theodore Ashford is a delightful and witty commentary on writing and the writer’s world. It is in prose and poetry. Every writer will see themselves in at least one of the offerings in this collection.

I give this a four out of five stars. I found it delightful and witty but I didn’t think it was long enough. It was just a taste of what this writer can do and I felt like I was teased with the shortness of it.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a writer's book. A series of whimsical observations and poetry about the challenges of keeping those writing juices flowing from the character that just won't show up, to the dreaded writer's block. Thoroughly enjoyed the short volume and look forward to reading more from Ashford.

[Anna Fantabulous · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strangest book I’ve ever read. It feels random, unfinished - as if something is about to happen right after the book ends - and of course we do not get to read it. The passages and verses come across as musings, hopes, fears, frustration and loneliness of a writer.

Taking clue from one of the stories (the great ‘Pushing the Glass’) quoted in the book, I can only surmise that Theodore Ashford is taking a risk with this assortment, that it has nothing else to offer but bits and pieces of an extravagance: a labor of indulgence. I think the poems ‘AlphaSmart’ and ‘White Space’ (also part of the book) show this sentiment convincingly. Maybe that’s the genius of this book - it’s about nothing or rather, nothing else.

The styling (red title and red quotes in between the book, the typography) is pretty cool though. As I found out at the end, it’s available as mugs and notebooks. Great!

I received a free pdf of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.

[Loralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little collection of stories about the internal struggles writers have. There was so much I could relate to! There were a few minor errors, not enough to pull down the rating for me, but that threw me off just a little. For example: “we had a day where we critiqued each another’s work” rather than -each other’s work- The little stories went from the troubles poor, neglected main characters have when their writers spend too much time away from them, to a personal letter to the infamous Block that writers sometimes find themselves facing.
One quote I really like from this collection of short vignettes, is: “The part of you that writes is your heart, not your fingers.” Loved it! I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenna Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short collection of poetry and short-short stories reads like the diary of a writer who thinks he's got writer's block, but who has been writing all along. As a fellow writer, I appreciate many of the sentiments that Theodore Ashford speaks about the writing process: it's not glamorous, it's riddled with self-doubt, and it's much easier to hide your work than it is to reveal your writing to the world for judgement.

This is a very short read; it took me maybe 30-45 minutes to get through it. After finishing the e-book, I kind of wished I had it in a paper version. It's the kind of thing you look back on and re-read when you're struggling with your writing and you want to feel like you're not alone. I look forward to reading more of Ashford's work in the future.