LadySharon, tell me your secrets to writing original pieces.

Of course. I write stories in fragments...some good, some bad. I dream in color, rendering images I can see in the recesses of my psyche. Some nights, I’ll wake up with the not-so-reliable writing muses talking to me and I capture what they’re saying to me in a notebook. I don’t begin typing on a laptop until I have a handwritten rough draft in front of me. Then, I will type the thing up and print it. Next, I read it out loud to hear how it flows, then I edit the piece extensively before I post it to the online writing groups I’m on for a look and get it critiqued. When I receive the necessary feedback, I clean the document up and post it. Finally, I send out a link to the story/poem via social media for those who are interested in my writing can read, comment and vote on it. When something of mine is well-received, I usually will write another chapter of the piece and begin the process all over again.

Usually, I allow my real life experiences to be used as a tool to gain story and poetry ideas. I was involved in an interracial relationship, so I wrote a piece on that and a dirty version of the same story. I have heard stories from my fellow writers who has had their works plagiarized, and I wrote a poem on the injustice while sitting in a humanities class I was taking at a community college. I’ve entered several contests online, where one got chosen by an editor as one of their favorites. One of my more salacious pieces I posted on one site I want to turn into a novella, but I’m being lazy on completing the story for publication. I like using writing prompts to use in a piece of writing I want to do: crime, drama and even venturing into the world of science fiction and fantasy. On a few occasions, they have helped me write stories that are in the resting phase as I type. On occasion, I even write nonfiction articles that I have yet to pitch for freelancing opportunities, putting my skills as a student journalist to practice.

I still have some fragments laying around in a notebook that are waiting for the writing muses to come dictate to me. Whenever I decide to finish writing is up to the muses and the imaginative mind I possess. On second thought, screw the muses. They’re taking too long lounging around watching bad reality television, porn, drinking and who knows what else. I would love to move into proofreading, editing and critiquing works as well. I’ll see what the future has waiting for me. I think it’s going to be a good thing that can assist me in my fledgling writing career.

I would divulge my secret to writing erotica; that's a story I have to tell another day.