I have a few authors that, as soon as they release a new book, I have to buy it, and I am never disappointed by them. It is hard to choose a stand-alone favourite author. It can change, with the years and the seasons. But at the moment, my favourite author is Juliet Marillier.

The first book I read of hers was called ‘Wildwood Dancing’ and I read it almost ten years ago now. I was entranced immediately by the poetry of words and the beautiful world built around the characters. I loved that the book was inspired by a fairy tale, but since reading the majority of Marillier’s books I have seen the themes. Each story is based on a fairy tale or some bit of folklore.

Perhaps my favourite book by her is ‘Heart’s Blood’. It is a stand-alone novel based on the tale of Beauty and the Beast. The ease with which Marillier transforms a well-loved fairytale into a story of her own design is astonishing, and a sort of magic all within itself. Set in Ireland, in a remote settlement run by a chieftan shrouded in mystery, one girl seeking refuge from a troubled past takes on a secret unlike anything she has ever known. It is a heart-wrenching, bittersweet tale that always brings tears to my eyes.

The latest series I recently completed was called the Blackthorn and Grim series. The final book of three, ‘Den of Wolves’, had a great ending. It did not seem too neatly-tied up. There were still questions, and sorrows, but there was the promise of something great. It leaves many things open to interpretation.

That’s what I love about her books. There are always deep wells of sadness buried in the story, that eventually rise to the surface. There are joys beyond imagining, and characters moving out of their comfort zone to achieve something they never thought possible. The stories are never over the top, never ridiculous or far-fetched. They are just what they need to be, and I can read them time and time again and always get something new out of it.

I have always wanted to meet Juliet Marillier. I built up a meeting in my mind, the sorts of things I would say, the way the conversation would go. I had my chance, a few years ago, at the Supanova Pop Culture Convention in Sydney. I was completed ecstatic, over the moon. I brought the first novel of the Sevenwaters series for her to sign, ‘Daughter of the Forest.’

My younger sister and I, filled with excitement, went to line up. When it came to be our turn, no one was behind us. I thought, ‘great, now is the chance for me to ask all the questions I wanted to ask.’ But, since I am socially awkward, none of those things ended up coming from my mouth. I can’t remember the exact words I said because I have tried to repress the humiliation, but it went along the lines of, ‘I love you, I love the way you write your stories, your words are magic,’ and then feeling as though I wanted to cry because I could not seem to say anything else.

I thing Marillier was rather taken aback, because the words also came out in one partially-garbled flow. Instead, my sister had a nice conversation with her, completely intelligible and lucid. I looked down at my book, at the words she had written.

“To Anna,

Best wishes and happy reading.

Juliet Marillier.”

I spent the entire trip back home staring at those words, and feeling completely frustrated that I did not have that conversation with her, or really ask any of the questions I wanted to. My sister happily mentioned the conversation she’d had, natural as anything.

I hope that, one day, I will have the chance to meet her again and keep my head screwed on straight. Because there is definitely a lot I could learn from her, from the way her words just flow, and the way her plot lines are woven. She is a master storyteller, and I aspire to gain at least some of the magic she infuses into her words.

I have decided to, gradually, go through a list of my favourite things. Not like the song, not exactly.

I am starting with my favourite poem. I mean, picking a favourite is always very difficult. It can change with the years and seasons, but this is a poem that always seems to stick with me.

It is a very well-known poem called ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost.

The words can be taken for their surface meaning, for a nice walk through the woods, but it can also be interpreted to mean something much more profound. I like the depths of the poem. I like that it is complex in its very simplicity.

It touches on depression, a theme many can understand. Robert Frost suffered through depression most of his life, and he was surrounded by loss and grief. The words that particularly resonated me were as follows:

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep…”

The words indicate a possible path, a path down a dark road, an end to things. Then there is a choice to stay, tempting though that darkness is. It really shows the darkness we all have within us, that pull toward the metaphorical woods.

I suppose I enjoy the poem because of the simple flowing of words, the imagery of the “frozen lake”, and of “easy wind and downy flake.” It sort of sends a shiver through you, gives you a sense of the cold, brooding woods and the immense isolation.

It is with words like these that I remind myself there is a path for everyone. We all have our promises to keep, and we all hold our destiny in our hands.

It is by writers like Robert Frost that I am inspired, not only in my writing but also in my life. For we all have our demons, and only we can fight them.

Another year is almost down, and with it, another NaNoWriMo has come to an end. This was a particularly difficult NaNo for me, and not for any discernible reason. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I am in a different job, I am more sociable, generally happier. I know, it sounds awful, right?

So I had to resort to a few extra techniques to get my word count done on time. I thought that, by sharing them, it would help others develop their own.

Of course, first and foremost, the best thing to do is to keep writing. Write and write, even when you know it is no good and even when you really just want to sit down and play some Skyrim or watch another episode of Pretty Little Liars (we all have our guilty pleasures, for anyone getting all judgey). Every writer gets into a rut, and it often happens after a burst of pure inspiration. Unfortunately, you cannot be filled with inspiration for the entirety of NaNo. These are the times when you need to resort to extraordinary measures.

This NaNo, I have developed a technique I will call the ‘Finger Bun’ technique. For anyone who does not know, finger buns are bread rolls with icing and, often, hundreds-and-thousands on them.

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked by visions of finger buns. But the general gist is, the last week of NaNo, I would buy a finger bun from Baker’s Delight on the way home and set it on the kitchen bench. Then I would not allow myself to eat it until I had reached my word count for the day. I am not going to lie, there were many times I was close to tears because all I wanted was to eat it and then maybe everything else in sight – writer’s block gives me the nibbles. But it worked, and success was sweet.

A more long-term technique I developed is to reward myself after reaching certain milestones. For instance, I have aimed to complete the draft for my novel ‘Wanted’ before the end of the year and, to reward myself, I can buy bluetooth earphones.

But the main technique that works is to keep writing, even if you are sure it is terrible. Getting the story out is the most important part of a draft. No one else will read it but you, and no one else needs to until you want them to.

“The first draft of anything is shit.” – Ernest Hemmingway

No writer will get published off a draft, and that is where the editing process comes in. This is what I tell myself as I write horrid cliches and introduce awful characters. Remember, if I can do it, so can you!

Of course, now that November is over I will no longer be writing 1,700 words a day in a frenzy of tears. But I will still be writing. Even 100 words a day is something, because it will still get me over the line eventually.