Orsayor: What’s your writing process? How do you get in the mood? Music? Wine? Snacks? Other?
Sharon: My writing process is clearly under development. When I wrote my first book – “Plan It!” a resource guide not fiction, I jotted down all the topics I wanted to cover and then filled them in. Some people might call it an outline, but it wasn’t that sophisticated.
Then came the short story “Circle of Life” one of the stories in the new anthology “The Ex Chronicles”. I simply sat and wrote it. Author Victoria Christopher Murray had encouraged me to try writing fiction after the success of “Plan It”. So when I read that Brown Girls Books was soliciting entries for an anthology, I decided the time had come for me to sink or swim. That short story was one of only 20 selected, from a pool of over 300 submissions, to be in the anthology.
Now that I am working on a novel, I have found my rhythm. I write a section, reread, make adjustments until it I feel it’s right and then move on to the next section. I stop intermittently as needed, to again reread and make adjustments until I am comfortable the sections are consistent and link. It’s a little slow – but it works for me.
My only requirement to get in the mood to write is time. I like to know at the outset that I have two or three hours of uninterrupted time – without phone calls or small talk. It doesn’t have to be quiet – but it has to be free of interruptions. I have warned my family that I will not be held accountable for anything I agree to while writing.
Orsayor: Is there an author or book that inspired your journey?
Sharon: No particular author or book has inspired my journey. What has and continues to inspire me are all of the African-American authors and readers who take pride in what they write and read. There is no substitute for a well-written book, especially when you can see people who look like you in the characters.
Orsayor: Is there one question above all else that you don’t want to answer about yourself -What is the question?
Sharon: I will be 69 years old in June and there is no question I would not or could not answer about me. The past cannot be changed and the future is looking pretty good from where I sit.
Orsayor: If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Sharon: My biography title, “Was She a Legend in Her Own Time or Just Her Own Mind?”
Orsayor: What song best describes your work ethic?
Sharon: A song that describes my work ethic? “Let’s Get it On”! I believe when you choose to lead, you should never ask anyone to do anything you would not do – you lead the way and see it through to the end.
Orsayor: Can you tell readers about any upcoming books/projects?
Sharon: Before I became a published author, literary event planning was what I did! I love hosting the Black Authors & Readers Rock Weekend each October and though I don’t expect that to change – I will probably devote more time to writing. My first novel is a work in progress – and whether it makes the cut or not, as I write I’m calling it “Married Til You Realize You’re Single”.
Sharon Lucas is an Author, founder/president of the Reading Divas Book Club, the event planner of the Black Authors & Readers Rock Weekend, an annual two-day literary conference.
Her first book, “Plan It! A Resource Guide for Authors, Book Clubs & Literary Event Planners” was released in October 2015. Most recently her short story was one of 20 featured in the anthology “The Ex Chronicles”, which was released on March 8, 2016.
Since her retirement in 2010, Sharon has worked tirelessly as an advocate for African-American authors and book clubs. She doesn’t claim a favorite author, but shares that she loves well-written books, especially suspense and mystery.
Sharon and her husband David, the parents of three adult sons and grandparents of five, are both retired and reside with their two cocker spaniels, in Bowie, MD.
