Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Brooks.
Hi Ashley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My day job for the last 17 years has been teaching Pilates and yoga. In 2012, I opened my own small Pilates studio in Port Orange, FL that I still own and operate today. Like most writers, I grew up as an avid reader and began writing stories and creating small books as a child. I continued writing stories and poetry into adulthood, but strictly as a hobby and inside the confines of our spare bedroom. It was during the early stages of the pandemic that an online class caught my eye teaching the basics of pitching. Looking for something positive to focus my energy on while at home and intrigued by the thought of actually reaching out to publications with my writing, I signed up. After the class ended, I joined an online writers’ group, hosted by award-winning photojournalist Yulia Denisyuk, the same woman that had created and taught the class for pitching. This is where my writing started to take off with publications like Condé Nast Traveler, Shondaland, and Huffington Post publishing my work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The process of writing in secret to then reaching out to my dream publications has been more of a personal journey that anything else. The only person that stops me from sending a pitch is me, and every pitch unsent will remain unpublished. The writer’s group I belong to, Travel Media Lab, has been so instrumental in helping me get past the hurdles of insecurity and hesitation and accepting that rejections are not personal, just simply part of the job of a writer. Learning the difference between the creative process and the pitching process was a huge step in actually seeing my work published, as they are two very different animals, but nearly two years into writing professionally, I can see more of the whole picture and how the two relate to each other. I would encourage anyone who is a new writer to find a similar group or mentor, it was a game-changer for me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a freelance culture and travel writer. My writing has been published by outlets such as Condé Nast Traveler, The Huffington Post, Shondaland, and Medium.com, and my first work of poetry will be published later this year by Borderline Press. That poem, Boccaccio’s Love Letter, is my first collaborative piece, working with my friend and artist Beth O’Connor, who created an incredible piece of digital art inspired by the poem. That was a thrilling moment, to have my work published alongside another artist that I’ve long admired! Thus far, my journalistic work has ranged from writing about alternative female retirement to the benefits of public nude bathing and even the literary undercurrents to be found in unexpected locales such as Waco, Texas.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Today, with the internet, the world really is your oyster. I meet at least once a week with a writers group hosted completely online, and the course I took to learn to pitch I found via social media and was also 100% digital. There is such a range of offerings, from groups to coaching available online, there really is something for any budget, with even free content available if you search it out. And as someone who has shied away from joining things my entire life, preferring a “lone wolf” approach to life, it has surprised no one more than me how beneficial it has been to join a group. It has provided me with support but also accountability, which is so beneficial when you’re trying to launch into any artistic or creative endeavor, especially sending your work out into the world.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ashwritesitdown
- Twitter: @ashleybwriter
- Other: @holisticmovements
Image Credits
Condé Nast Traveler
Shondaland
HuffPost
