This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Sarah Lark writes historical sagas. Her latest book, Island of a Thousand Springs, is set in London in 1732 and tells the story of Nora Reed, the beautiful daughter of a merchant, who falls passionately in love with her father’s clerk Simon. Despite their very different circumstances, the two dream of a future together on a Caribbean island – until tragedy strikes, and Nora is left grieving for her first love. Here, Sarah tells us more about her writing and journey to publication.
Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?
I write in the afternoon, and care for my horses and ride in the morning. While I am out with the horses I think about the book I am actually writing, and how the story will go on. Then, at about three o’clock in the afternoon I switch the computer on, answer my e-mails and after that I start to write. Normally I do ten pages a day, which takes more or less until 8 o’clock.
When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?
I sometimes use people I know – normally as inspiration for the bad characters. But I change their view and their behaviour completely. Up till now none of them have ever been recognized.
What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It has everything: love and hate and secrets and spirituality. And she was a wonderful writer, I loved her style.
What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?
Both of them. I first write an exposé, so the plot is standing, before I start writing. But then I dive in, and sometimes I change a lot. Normally there aren’t any drafts. I write the story down, read it again to correct it, then I have some test-readers, who tell me their opinion. I maybe make some changes, and that is it.
What was your journey to being a published author?
I always wanted to write, I wrote my first poem before I knew all the letters of the ABC. At school I wrote satirical texts about my teachers and romantic stories – and I told everybody that I would be a professional writer when I grew up. At last I studied to be a teacher, but I had not even a little bit of talent for the job. So I gave it up and started to work for a public relations agency. I also wrote for reviews about horses – and that at last helped me to publication!
An editor called me and asked me, if I could write a riding manual for children. The book was a great success, and I was asked to write more, and so I started with fiction and non-fiction for horsey girls, but also non-fiction for adults about looking after horses, breeding them, working with them and so on. I also wrote a biography of Ada Cole, the founder of the ILPH, and I always looked for a publisher for historic novels. The first ones, published under my real name, were not really successful – I was too famous for being a ‘horse-expert’. So when we started with landscape novels, we changed my name to ‘Sarah Lark’, and everything went well.What do you think is the biggest myth about being a novelist?
The thing with the ‘writer’s block’. I never had one, and I never heard of an author who had these problems. If you have imagination, you will never lose it.
What advice can you give to our readers who want to write a novel of their own?
Find a good agent.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am writing the last part of another trilogy set in New Zealand in the late 19th century. Again it will be a big family saga.
Thanks, Sarah!