Ask the Author: Glen Sharp
Answered Questions (6)
Glen Sharp
With my short, failed career as a professional boxer, I was intrigued by Pat Jordan's account of his struggles as a minor league baseball player in "A False Spring." Our paths were similar in several ways, including earning English degrees and become writers, and I wanted to tell my story, too.
But I was also impressed with the writing of Richard Rodriguez, especially his "Hunger of Memory," and knew that the relationship I had with my father would need to be an elemental part of the story. Like Rodriguez, I had a father for whom it was important that his children had all the educational opportunities that were not available to him. Rodriguez embraced what his father made possible, but I rebelled against it. In both cases, though, the gift of education brought unintended consequences. Rodriguez wrote eloquently about his father, and I tried to do so as well.
Finally, I have to mention the influence of Norman Maclean. I wrote my master's thesis on "A River Runs Through It," but "Young Men and Fire" is equally unforgettable. Maclean saw tragedy in what most would only see as catastrophe, at the same time detailing both the science of firefighting and the heroic qualities of smokejumpers. While investigating the horror of the Mann Gulch fire, he also examines his own young adulthood and explores the elements of storytelling.
These three writers were foremost in my mind as I wrote "Punching from the Shadows." I wanted to tell a story of athletic failure, of the timeless and universal struggle between father and son, and of both the mechanics and the meaning of boxing.
But I was also impressed with the writing of Richard Rodriguez, especially his "Hunger of Memory," and knew that the relationship I had with my father would need to be an elemental part of the story. Like Rodriguez, I had a father for whom it was important that his children had all the educational opportunities that were not available to him. Rodriguez embraced what his father made possible, but I rebelled against it. In both cases, though, the gift of education brought unintended consequences. Rodriguez wrote eloquently about his father, and I tried to do so as well.
Finally, I have to mention the influence of Norman Maclean. I wrote my master's thesis on "A River Runs Through It," but "Young Men and Fire" is equally unforgettable. Maclean saw tragedy in what most would only see as catastrophe, at the same time detailing both the science of firefighting and the heroic qualities of smokejumpers. While investigating the horror of the Mann Gulch fire, he also examines his own young adulthood and explores the elements of storytelling.
These three writers were foremost in my mind as I wrote "Punching from the Shadows." I wanted to tell a story of athletic failure, of the timeless and universal struggle between father and son, and of both the mechanics and the meaning of boxing.
Glen Sharp
I usually put off the inspiration to write as long as I can, holding the idea in gestation, I guess, until it can wait no longer. When I become more miserable not writing than I know I will be writing, it is time to start.
Glen Sharp
I don't like to talk much about what I am writing or planning to write, for I worry that talking dissipates the energy I need to tell the story. But I worked in the old -fashioned full service gas stations for 11 years, and think I have something to say about a way of life that is now gone. I have spent years training myself to be a fiction writer, but am re-considering that since writing the book about boxing. It could be that I am here to tell the plain truth, and so am re-writing the draft of a novel into a nonfiction piece, but one that hopefully has the story elements of a novel.
Glen Sharp
I hardly feel qualified to answer this question. I am not a prolific writer - having written only two books - and am still learning myself. There is nothing romantic about writing; it is just pure hard work. A writer-friend told me the other day that writing is the hardest work he has ever done that doesn't involve holding a shovel or an axe. I agree with that thought completely.
Glen Sharp
I love literature, and being a part of that world (at least I consider myself to be a part of this world) is a great gift. I am so thankful to be able to read, for having so many wonderful books to read, and for being able to contribute something that others might appreciate reading themselves.
Glen Sharp
I don't have experience with writer's block. With a full-time job, family obligations, other responsibilities, and the reading and research I do for potential writing projects, there is not a lot of time left in the day for writing anyway. I usually write when I can no longer put the idea of writing off any longer. Writing is not relaxing for me - it is just hard work. I write early in the morning to get it out of the way for the day because if I don't I feel guilty all day for not doing my duty.
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