Thoughts

SHARON POPPEN, AUTHOR:

     “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?” Satchel Paige
     “I’m an idealist – I don’t know where I’m going, but I ‘m on my way.” Carl Sandberg
     “Know your own bone.  Gnaw on it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still again.” Walt Whitman
      “You see, after all is said and done, the only thing you can be really sure of, the only thing you can really count on in this world, is that you just never f—ing know.”  Larry Gigli
     I love these quotes from such varied sources and find them so inspiring.
     One of the best questions I was ever asked came from Professor Kathy Thwig, a Creative Writing instructor at my college.  She asked me if I was a writer.  Me, who has trouble saying hello in less than 250 words, was caught speechless.  When she asked the question, I’d only had one short poem published.  So, was I a writer?  She didn’t rush me and as I pondered her question, I felt she knew the answer, but wasn’t sure I did.
     Finally, I said yes.  She then asked me if I wrote every day.  I said I didn’t.  She smiled and said then I really wasn’t a writer, because writers write every day.  It doesn’t matter if you only write for twenty minutes, but a real writer writes every day.
     Well, since that little dialog, I’ve taken her advice.  I now have almost thirty poems, over three hundred short stories and twelve novels sitting on my shelf.  I admit that not everything I write everyday is worth keeping, but even the below par jottings work toward making me a better writer.
     My love is novels.  If you ask me where my ideas come from, I will tell you that I believe writers, at least fiction writers, are a tad schizophrenic.  I hear voices and these voices want their stories told.  At one of my book signings, a fellow writer who read one of my novels suggested that because my characters are written with such depth and authenticity, that I’ve lived these stories in previous lives.  Well, I’m not sure about that, or where the voices and ideas come from, but I’m so glad they are there and sharing their loves and hates, their joys and tragedies, their hopes and despairs with me.  In many cases, I see their stories in my family and friends and people in the news and in all cases, I feel it’s a pleasure and a privilege to sit down and tell their stories.
     I’m a romantic at heart, so what you’ll find in my stories are characters – good characters, flawed characters, evil characters and other worldly characters.  Characters!  In my stories, you’ll love them or hate them, but I guarantee you’ll turn the pages to see who or what they have to deal with next.
    I totally subscribe to a young-mental-age philosophy of life.  I feel as comfortable writing from a child’s point of view as a doddering senior citizen.  I am the age I think I am.
     And, I’m definitely on my way!  I’ve eleven book in print and ebook formats and a myriad of short stories in print and across the web.  Yahoo and Google searches take several pages to showcase my efforts.
     As to knowing my own bone, my own writing voice, I listen to the critics with an open mind.  Then, let it rest for awhile.  When I pick it back up, I use the upgrades that speak to me, then trust my own instinct for a final product.
     And finally, the bottom line is the uncertainty of everything, which makes this world so damn exciting!  Each day is day one for me, a rebirth.  And, each night is a closure that begs for another chapter of life to be written.
     My daily goals are – write every day, publish as often as possible and enjoy life every moment.  So, browse my website and feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or reviews you would like answered, addressed or just to let me thank you for visiting my website.
Enjoy,
Sharon

 

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