Ask the Author: Sharron Arksey
Answered Questions (4)
Sharron Arksey
I walk away. Writing is not my full-time job; I find room for it when and where I can. I make room for it when the words are so clear in my head that they need to find space on paper or screen. But if the words won't come, I move on to another job that needs doing.
In a situation where I have a writing deadline to meet, of course, it is not always possible to walk away. In a situation like that, I push back against the block by writing whatever comes into my head - nonsense, poorly-chosen words with my inside editor shut off. Much of it will be eventually deleted, but if I give myself that freedom to write without worrying about the quality of the work, I will find in that mess of words an idea that will move me forward. So far the process has worked for me.
In a situation where I have a writing deadline to meet, of course, it is not always possible to walk away. In a situation like that, I push back against the block by writing whatever comes into my head - nonsense, poorly-chosen words with my inside editor shut off. Much of it will be eventually deleted, but if I give myself that freedom to write without worrying about the quality of the work, I will find in that mess of words an idea that will move me forward. So far the process has worked for me.
Sharron Arksey
I have an idea for a project and I am doing a lot of thinking about it. Those thoughts have not yet reached the actual writing stage. In the meantime, I am working on a personal writing project, putting together a family history that will not be for publication.
Sharron Arksey
By listening and watching to what I hear and see around me. By reading. When I read the words of others, I want to add my own to the mix.
Sometimes the most mundane of tasks will inspire me. I recently spent some time going through old recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines and never until now organized into a collection. I found myself thinking about the recipe directions, how familiar they are to me. Cream the butter and sugar. Sift the dry ingredients. Combine alternately with liquid. I learned these things from my mother, but did I teach them to my daughter in the same way? I thought about the chemical reactions that underlie the sequence of the steps. I could write a poem about this, I thought.
Sometimes the most mundane of tasks will inspire me. I recently spent some time going through old recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines and never until now organized into a collection. I found myself thinking about the recipe directions, how familiar they are to me. Cream the butter and sugar. Sift the dry ingredients. Combine alternately with liquid. I learned these things from my mother, but did I teach them to my daughter in the same way? I thought about the chemical reactions that underlie the sequence of the steps. I could write a poem about this, I thought.
Sharron Arksey
The simplest answer to that question is "life". That said, this is not a story about my life. Rather it is partly about the farm lifestyle. I am a farmer's daughter and a farmer's wife, so the lifestyle has become part of who I am. Because my husband and I raised cattle, I wanted to use those animals and their life stages as a metaphor for the human life cycle. As the novel developed, however, its focus became much wider.
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