Welcome to The Spire! I’m guessing you already know me from The Days Are Packed. I’ve been blogging there since 2005 about my experiences as a mother, wife and writer, as well as my transformations into a photographer and homeschooler. It’s also possible that you know me from Twitter, Flickr or Facebook (Shawna Ayoub Ainslie). Perhaps you’ve read my writing on ArabComment, Racialicious or Grist.

Basically, this blog exists because some of my readers and friends told me they would be into reading my fiction in this type of forum. I graduated from Indiana University with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing back in 2007. I had one son while in grad school. I had the second in 2008, shortly after graduation. They keep me busy. I found time to write while I was in school, but since I received my diploma, I’ve been telling myself I’m too busy to write.

In the meantime, I started Sunlit Photography, put my son in preschool and took him back out. If you follow my blog, you know those were huge events in my life. Partially through those experiences and partly through something much more personal, I’ve come to realize that writing is and has always been my true passion. It keeps me whole and sane. It’s the way I sift through the sands of my subconscious. Ultimately, I can’t live without it. Writing is part of my essence.

My plan here is to share writing old and new. I would love feedback, especially of the constructive criticism variety. I’ll let you know now that I’ve never been good at grammar. When you see errors, let me know. When you find plotholes, point them out. When you just hate it, I’m good with that. When you love it (as with hate), please tell me why.

I want to grow as a writer. I want to improve.

I’ll be reading all along this journey, so shoot me your recommendations. There is no genre I haven’t tried except for the ones I don’t know about yet. Like my writing, my reading is all over the place. In general, my work is made up of lies, lies, lies. Don’t be surprised if you spot some truth in here, though, but don’t expect me to verify it’s accuracy. Don’t be surprised if you spot yourself in here, but don’t expect me to admit that it’s you.

While most of what I write comes out serious, I hope to entertain you with a mix or yarn, fairy tale, re-imaginings of present and past, some fleshed out conspiracy theories for laughs, and likely a bit a poetry here and there.

Your reflections on my work will help me grow as a writer. Feel free to be blunt if it’s in your nature. If you don’t like to speak up, that’s okay too. Thanks for reading. If you want to say something personal, email me at shawna [dot] ainslie [at] gmail [dot] com.