I was recently interviewed

I was interviewed online by the lovely Robin this week. Interviews are a great way to show your brand and self to the world. It is a chance for you to shout out, “Here I am!”

Back in the day, being interviewed by magazines, tv, and radio was different. It was not always easy to secure those spots.

The internet has given us a new avenue to have a spotlight shined on us.

There are many sites online looking for people to interview. It is a good marriage.

So, here is part of the interview with the link at the bottom if you want to read the rest.

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Name or pseudonym: Sharon C. Williams

What genre/s do you write in, and why? I write in comedy, short stories, children, and drama.

I learned early to write on what I know. Well, that is what I had read from books and told from other authors.

Some of my novels come from observations around my home. Since I knew the specific topics they pertained to, it seemed like a place to begin.

Drama is a genre I wanted to try. I no longer feel I should stick to what I know. I’m excited to try out new genres in hopes of challenging me.

When did you begin writing, and was it something you’ve always wanted to do? As an avid reader, I always considered authors magical people I would place high up. I was in awe at how they transformed words into chapters and a story and weaved them perfectly.

I came to writing in my early 40ties. It was something that kind of fell into my lap. I never thought of writing before.

My husband had told a friend of mine earlier that he felt I wrote well. Upon her telling me this, I thought to myself, “Why not?” 

I started seriously writing in the Fall of 2009. I had a story in my head that would not let me rest. Having two surgeries at the end of 2009, non-related, gave me a lot of free time to put to paper the story.

What type of research goes into your writing? My children’s series is in the Amazon rainforest, to which I knew next to little.

Wanting the books to be educational and enjoyable, I researched the rainforest for months for the trees, animals, and plants. I have gone through at least half a dozen links to get the information right. I check links, books, and videos.

I want kids to learn, and by learning, maybe get engaged in the plight of the rainforest. I do this for the various genres I write. I want to be as accurate as I can.

I will also read books by authors who write in the same genres. Especially a new genre. I want to see how they go about the different aspects of that particular genre.

I have watched a variety of webinars to learn in any way to progress my writing.

Here is the link for the rest:

https://tinyurl.com/2p82ew9a

When is your manuscript ready for submission?

I always figured the hard part of being one was writing the book. I soon found out writing the book was one of the easiest parts of the journey.

Revising is a big part of getting one’s book in the best shape possible. If you don’t have all the ducks in a row, the novel may not go very far.

But how many revisions and editing is too much? Can you go overboard and make it worse?

I get the fact that we want it as perfect as we can make it. But revision can take up a lot of one’s time. If you are fortunate to be part of a critique group or beta group, that can help you shave off some of that precious time.

But there comes a point when you have to say enough is enough. I’ve done all I can do and move that manuscript forever. That is not easy to do. We want it to fly as well as possible. It may even come to a point where we become obsessive in our revisions and editing. I have been there a few times. It is not fun. LOL

But at the end of the day, we need to step back and evaluate how close we to being done, are we just tired of it all and let move on or realize that you have done all one can without ruining your story. Only you can decide when you are ready. Let’s hope you don’t keep your fans waiting so long they move on.

Penpals: What a great experience

When I was in fifth grade, a school from Kansas sent a letter asking for someone to be penpals with a little girl named Melinda. They were sending letters all over for the class. Luckily I was chosen.

What embarked was a great time in my young life as I learned about Mindy and her family, and she learned about mine. Sadly, we lost touch. It is something I have thought about over the years.

A few months, ago I became penpals with a six-year-old little girl.

Her grandmother, one of my besties, asked if I would be open to that. I readily said yes. Grabbing some note cards from the Dollar Store, I started my journey with this young person.

She is just learning to read and write, so I will get short sentences and sometimes just words. But that is okay. What is developing between us is a love to write, the companionship of sorts, and joy.

Her grandmother says she gets so excited when she gets letters in the mail from me, and to be honest, I do as well. She was having so much fun now her older brother wanted to be part of it, so now I have two pen-pals.

It keeps me writing, even if it is not toward any of my works. It helps me write at that age level which is good since one of my series is this age level.

Both the mother and grandmother have expressed how happy they are that this is happening. They are both appreciative.

But to be honest, I am not sure who is having more fun, the kids or me. May this journey continue between us.

The Musings of A New Englander