I was a 'learn by doing' writer - I never took any formal writing classes. So it took a long time to figure things out and find my voice. Sara Zarr classfigurefind Change image and share on social
I don't want to pretend like I'm some intellectual person who understands Flannery O'Connor. Sara Zarr connorflanneryintellectual Change image and share on social
I grew up in San Francisco in the 1970s. We were part of a church that belonged to the California Jesus movement. Sara Zarr 1970sbelongcalifornia Change image and share on social
I wanted to be free to write the way I wanted to write, and my impression of Christian publishing, at least in fiction, was that there wasn't room for what I wanted to write. Sara Zarr christianfictionfree Change image and share on social
I'm not really a plot writer - I'm more interested in the characters and sort of small events that propel the story forward. Sara Zarr charactereventforward Change image and share on social
We write in ways that, we generally hope, reflect real life, or at least look familiar to humans. And in life, recurring themes are a recurring theme. We never quite conquer a pet vice or a relationship pattern or a communication habit. We're haunted by our particular demons. Sara Zarr communicationconquerdemon share on social
I do have a little bit more confidence in - or at least familiarity with - my process. For example, when it feels like it's going badly or that I'm lost, I know I'll eventually find my way because I've been through it before. But writing itself is still hard. Sara Zarr badlybiteconfidence share on social
Is it good, bad, or neutral to recognize thematic patterns in your own work? When it comes to recurring themes, I'm of the mind that knowledge is probably not power, at least in terms of the work. Sara Zarr badgoodknowledge Change image and share on social
I tend to describe recurring themes as being part of a writer's DNA - something so deeply embedded in us that even we don't notice it until we've written three or four books. Sara Zarr bookdeeplydescribe Change image and share on social
I always felt that church is where I'm going to find my community and people to live my life with. Sara Zarr churchcommunityfelt Change image and share on social
