Interview Sharon Woods

by

W. J. Calabrese

W.J.C.: Tell us a little about your book, Killing Time, and its main character, Angelica ‘Jelly’ Ryan.

Sharon: Killing Time is set in a small town in southwestern Oklahoma in the year 1963. Jelly is having a hard time deciding what to do with the rest of her life, now that she’s grown. She is a senior in high school. Her father doesn’t believe girls should go to college, which was always Jelly’s dream. Jelly grows up quickly when she becomes pregnant and her husband volunteers for Viet Nam. She finds her best friends are the older women in her neighborhood that congregate and ‘visit’ each evening. At first these visits bore her, but as time passes she hears their secrets and she learns from them. She is definitely not bored.

W.J.C.: What kind of book is Killing Time, and what kind of reader is likely to enjoy it most?

Sharon: Killing Time is general fiction. It’s a funny and inspirational book with lots of great characters. I hope everyone will enjoy it…I feel sure that any woman that lived before ‘the pill’ will relate to it.

W.J.C.: Is Killing Time your first novel?

Sharon: Really it isn’t. My first book was rejected and it is now in rewrites for the third time. I don’t mind because I’ve learned so much during the editing phase of Killing Time, I’m sure I can do a better job on the rewrites armed with that knowledge. Also I feel it is a fun and unusual plot and I think it’s worth the effort. I wrote Killing Time just to see if I could write in third person. It wrote itself for 130 pages but I struggled to finish it.

W.J.C.: When did you first get the urge to write? Was there anyone that gave you significant encouragement, early on? Later on?

Sharon: I’ve always loved to write and I’ve been told (she said modestly) I write a great letter. Writing a story was easy but the thought of writing a book blew my mind. I didn’t know where to start. I have a friend here in Chandler by the name of Anna Myers. She is a published author of Young Adult books. After she read some of my stories in the Did You Hear section of The Daily Oklahoman, an Oklahoma City paper, she began urging me to write a book. She offered to help but I was hesitant knowing how busy she was between writing and teaching. When she retired from teaching, I took her up on her offer and she put me on track. After I wrote my first book and Killing Time was near completion, I took a romance writing class at a nearby Vo-Tech. Marilyn Grall was the instructor and she introduced me to Lorraine Stephens. All these people have been wonderful to help, teach, and give encouragement when I need it.

W.J.C.: Here comes the “chicken and the egg question.” What comes first for you, the idea for a main character, or the idea for a story premise/plot?

Sharon: Hmm…well, I had a really hard time coming up with a plot for my first book. I just wanted to write about growing up in a small town. I thought it was wonderful because I did it but I still couldn’t come up with an interesting plot. When the plot started forming in my brain, I started changing it but when I started writing, it decided which way it would go. Now--Killing Time. I only started as an experiment but I fell in love with my characters and I let them decide the plot.

W.J.C.: Do you develop a plot outline before you write, or do you depend on the characters to help you take the story where it has to go?

Sharon: That’s a wonderful question! You see I’m on my third book now and after this writing class I decided I would do it the orderly way and make an outline, name all my characters, decide which chapter I would make this or that happen. When I started writing the story I changed it on the third page and all my organizational skills went out the door! So I guess the answer to your question is: I let the characters tell me how to write my books.

W.J.C.: Do you write on a set schedule? Every day? At the same time each day?

Sharon: Yes I do try to write every day that I can. I get irritated when I have to stop and do laundry or housework or any of the other duties we have to do. I love to write early in the morning. At first my husband didn’t understand this but now he is used to finding me at the computer when he comes for his morning coffee.

W.J.C.: What are you working on now? Do you have any other books coming out in the near future?

Sharon: I’m working on the rewrites of Too Small For A Gate. It’s a really fun book with some historical fiction in it. Since it was written first it was really a mess and I’m doing total rewrites on it this time. Also I’m working, or was working before the rewrites, on a third book. Its title is Icey May and it is loosely based on an event that happened in the small town where I grew up. I’m hopeful I can do justice to this subject. It is hard to write an entertaining book about such a powerful subject but I am having fun trying.

W.J.C.: If you could give aspiring novelists one piece of advice, what would it be?

Sharon: Talk to your friends and listen to what they say. They all have such fascinating lives and you can make their stories into yours. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to ask for help and admit, “I don’t know.” Most people are willing to help. Don’t give up--if you have a story you like then chances are someone else will like it too. Develop a tough skin, criticism isn’t fun but you will get it--so learn from it instead of resenting it.