Video Transcript (computer generated - may contain errors)

Sara Gentry: Welcome writers. I am so happy to have Deborah Ann Lucas here with me. Welcome, Deborah.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Thank you. Thank you for having me, Sara.

Sara Gentry: And I have known Deborah for a fairly long time, and I know her to be incredibly well read and thoughtful about writing, and so writers, I wanted to have Deborah on today to talk about a really important topic that we're going to dive into here in just a minute. But writers, let me introduce you just a bit. So after a lifetime of physical, emotional, and financial challenges, Deborah's superpower is persevering through difficult times. A certified book coach in fiction and memoir. She works with women to find the confidence and clarity to draw from their personal struggles the stories they want to tell. Deborah has completed 2 memoirs and 2 novels based on her life experiences with art, spirituality, and the horses that inspire her. Dance While the Fire Burns: a memoir of family identity, and dreams will be released in 2025. She and her husband live on a 20-acre farm in North Central Illinois with 2 horses, a German shepherd, and a gray cat. And writers. If you didn't catch quite from the bio, the reason why Deborah is here is because she is going to talk to us about persevering in our writing, even when the going gets tough. So let's just dive right in. Shall we?

Deborah Ann Lucas: Let's go.

Sara Gentry: Okay. So I think it's fair to say that all writers at some point are gonna face difficult times, because we are all humans. And we know that the human condition is going to include a certain amount of challenges and suffering. And some, unfortunately, will face circumstances that are even more challenging than others. But everyone has to go through tough times. So what kind of challenges do you see as being particularly difficult for writers?

Deborah Ann Lucas: I've had a fair, wide variety of challenges, so I can kind of speak from my own experience. The 1st one that came to mind was a family illness or death, because it really pulls you out of your life and disrupts everything. Not only, you know, in terms of your physical presence, but also your emotional mental states. The next one, I think, would be acute illness of your own including medications that can disrupt your ability to think clearly. Yeah, I went through that with my knee replacement infection, and I was in the hospital in rehab for a month the 1st time, and chronic illness is another one where people and I know a lot of writers who kind of talk about this a lot on social media about the constant pain, anxiety, depression, and it seems that writing is impossible, and it may be for a period of time. But there's lots of inspiration out there for people that overcome it. Financial issues can cause a lot of stress and require you to work and make you attend, keep you from attending conferences and workshops and things like that. And that can really suck your creativity out of you.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, especially when you're having to worry about, I mean the added stress of not knowing if you can pay the rent or afford your grocery bill that month, and things like that. It's really hard to write, especially creative writing. When you're coming from a place of stress and uncertainty, because it's it's harder to be more free in your creative work during that time. And, I mean, you've alluded to the illnesses, I mean energy, too, just like all of these things that you mentioned really sap a person's overall energy. You mentioned the medications with perhaps mental messing with like mental.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Brain, fog.

Sara Gentry: And things like that. But I mean, some can also just make you flat out tired where you're, you're sleeping all the time, and you have to rest and things like that. So, yeah, those are all incredibly difficult, but there are some writers who, unfortunately, like, maybe they're going to be dealing with these things long term, and they still want to be able to write. And so there's a difference between having, you know, like the flu for a week and having to to take a break. And then there's a difference between maybe having to embrace what normal, whatever that is for you. What a normal situation is gonna look like, and having to adapt around that. So I don't know if you have any thoughts around any of that.

Deborah Ann Lucas: I do. There's lots of things you can do. I think the 1st thing you need to do is accept your situation. And then you become a problem solver and then and then you look for ways to relaunch your writing practice when you can. But you've got to be kind to yourself until you do. And just, you know, believe that you know if this is your passion. You feel like you have to write something you're compelled to write that you will come back to it, and just and just hang on to that thought, even though you don't believe it right now. You know it's your mantra. I believe I can do this. Yeah, and then, if you really are struggling with getting back. You can ask, you know why or why not. Why am I not writing right now? And maybe even drill on it. Reconnect with your passion. So what is it that you love in life? Write about that. Or if you're really, you know, compelled to write about your family or this story about this. You know, girl, that had to deal with this robot, you know you can. Really, it's great getting lost in that kind of a fantasy. Be sure to make a place to write a place and dedicated, even if it's just a little section of a desk somewhere, or or maybe even just a laptop computer. And you chair that you go to to write all the time. Schedule it, put it on your your calendar, and even if it's 10 min, you know little bits, and one of the best things that I found being able to establish a writing practice, especially when I'm struggling with it, is that I've trained my partner. I've explained to him time and time again until he got it. That this is my work and that it deserves respect. And so when I'm working, don't disturb me unless it's an emergency. And he's gotten to the point where he's so good about it that if I'm working through a meal he'll bring me a family. So it's possible, it's really great. Let's see, reward yourself even for the littlest things. If you sit down and write for 5 min, 10 min, reward yourself. That you’re a writer. Don't let go of it. I got a few more. Should I keep doing.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think that writers will appreciate any kind of help they can get from someone who's been there.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Okay. Find positive triggers. So one of the things that helps me when I can't get back into my book is, you know, you gotta hold the story in your head, even if you haven't written any of it. You kind of got to be in that story in order to write it well, or even to just outline it, or do the blueprint and so one of the things I like to do is that I read my own writing right before I go to sleep just on my phone and and then I go to sleep, and I dream about it, and I wake up ready to write, believe it or not. And if you don't have something you want to read of your own, pick your favorite writer, and they will often inspire you. So yeah, keep a notebook or a notepad at hand at all times, and get into the habit of using them, you know, hang on to those glimpses of ideas, even though you don't have the brain power or the time or the focus to act on it right now. Keep track of it, you know, and then organize.

Sara Gentry: Yeah.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Biggest, hardest one, but if you keep at it you'll make you know small progress. So yeah.

Sara Gentry: I know that it can be difficult. For writers at various stages of life, whether it's illness challenges or maybe even like a stage of life. I can speak from the experience of being a mom of young children and things like that, where there are certain phases of life where the energy is just very, very low, and during those times it's so toxic to compare. Compare your output, your work schedule, like, fill in the blank anything. Compare that with someone else who is not dealing with the same kinds of challenges that you are dealing with. So I would also contend writers that you just put the blinders on and focus on yourself, but what you're doing and instead of trying to live up to somebody else's expectation. But I don't know if you have any experience with that, too, Deborah.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Oh, yeah, well, and one of the challenges is getting older, I'm 74, and so my memory is not as great as I used to be, and since I write from my life often, memoir, that can be challenging. But I find that when I get into the writing process. If I trust it, it will come. And if I can't find the word that I put a Tk and I come back and figure it out later. Yeah. And you're right about the the everyone has their own practice. So somebody writes every day, you don't have to write every day. If you're thinking about your book you're writing. I really think that us taking time to contemplate to give us a space where we don't have a lot of the craziness going on, even if it's 5 or 10 min to just think about our book. That's part of your writing practice.

Sara Gentry: Yeah. But then you also can't have the expectation that you're going to crank out a novel every 6 months like. So that's the other thing. Writers like stay in the work and be diligent. However, you can do that for you and your life, but then don't expect the output to match people who are able to spend more time, more energy, more resources.

Deborah Ann Lucas: One of my favorite examples is one of my favorite writers is Anthony Doerr. All the Light We Cannot See, and he has a lot of short chapters, and I saw an interview once, and he said, The reason is because I was teaching full time. I had a family. I didn't have a lot of time to write, and so, when I could grab a half an hour to write, I would write, you know, a page or whatever, and then that would become a chapter. And then, you know, it was a week later, or whenever I would write the next one, and I think it took him 10 years if I my memory serves me, and he won. Not only is the best selling, but it's a pulitzer prize winning book. So and a movie was made of it.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, yeah, that's a great example. I think sometimes we overlook the amount of progress we can make in small steps. Because over time those small steps become big steps. Yeah, absolutely okay. But sometimes. I mean, you've mentioned times in your life where you've been in the hospital and whatnot. Sometimes, maybe we need to take a break. I mean, we. We encourage people to stay in their writing as best they can, but sometimes it's probably the healthy thing to do is stepping aside or putting the work aside for a bit. So how? How can writers maybe feel released to do that? We don't want people feeling guilty for taking care of themselves.

Deborah Ann Lucas: I think if they believe that they will go back to it somehow. Some way they will find a way to go back to it that can relieve the guilt. And there are numerous examples like, for instance, people worry because they start having, you know, family problems with their caretaker. You know of their parents, and they're already old, and they think I'll never get this done before I die. And there are so many examples of people writing and publishing, even for the 1st time in their seventies and eighties right now. And so it's not too late. You'll get there. If you don't give up, that's all you have to do, the guilt is just say I'm not going to give up. Yeah, this is gonna take a while. Okay, I won't touch my book for a year. You kind of know my story back in 2020 kind of when the all the pandemic started I had a plan, big plans. It was my 70th birthday, and I got color for the 1st time in my hair. And I I was gonna finish my memoir and publish and do all these things right. And that's when I got my leg infection. And it was, actually, it's been 5 years of in and out of the hospital I've had. I'm looking at maybe my 6th surgery coming up and it really, at times I get down about the fact that I I feel like I've missed my opportunity. You know I've missed it, you know I the the train went by, and I missed it on the last, the last car gone but then I just kind of kick myself in the rear end and say, “Deborah, you’ll figure it out. Yeah, you've done it before, you know.” Once I even took my laptop into the ER and was doing in the ER in a wheelchair, because you wait a long time in the ER so you don't have to do that, but I just find a way. You'll figure it out.

Sara Gentry: Oh, gosh! I feel like that is just the perfect way to show the writers what I know about Deborah, and why she is talking about perseverance because she really has been through the wringer and does not give up. I love it. I love it so. There are going to be some writers here who are definitely resonating with this message here that you're sharing with us, and I know that they're going to want to connect with you. So how can we do that online?

Deborah Ann Lucas: You can go to my website, which is deborahannlucas.com and sign up for my newsletter, and there's a contact in there that you can contact me with? It's basic. Or you can just send me an email at contact at deborahannlucas.com. You can read some of my writing on Substack, also under Deborah Ann Lucas, although the story is Down the Long Lane because I lived down, I'm kind of more fortunate than a lot of people. I've worked really hard to get here. But I live in the country. I've created this really sanctuary space for me, and that's my backyard. So I'm really lucky cause I can get away from the noise of the city and everything. So it, it helps me to to write and to heal

Sara Gentry: Yeah. Can you say that? Handle again? Sorry.

Deborah Ann Lucas: leafriverwriter. This is a town I live in leaf like on a tree river writer. And if you put that into Google, you'll find me that way, too. Also, I'm an artist which I didn't mention before I started writing. I've got 2 degrees in art. So I'm kind of you know. They say, do one thing, and I'm not very good at that. I don't take that advice, but I found a way to integrate my writing in my art. So I'm hoping to put something out that people will be able to see. And of course it's centered around horses because horses helped me heal. They taught me how to breathe.

Sara Gentry: No, I love that. And writers I subscribe to Deborah's Newsletter, and she's always sharing things about writing, but also about your life on the farm and with your horses and with your art. So it's a lovely way to get to know Deborah, but also to connect with her over writing and living, and all the things so.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Not long, but it's got a lot of good pictures in it, and it's only once a month.

Sara Gentry: There we go. Yes, absolutely all right. Well, Deborah, I just want to thank you so much for your time and for sharing your personal experience here. I know that's going to help a lot of writers who are also going through difficult times. So.

Deborah Ann Lucas: The other thing is, I am also a book coach. So I have some opportunities for that that I think we'll just put in the notes, but what I’m gonna do is offer a discount on one of my packages for anybody that subscribes to this program, because it's a great program. This Novel Kickoff and yeah, get in contact with me. And if I'll do whatever I can to find ways to support you, I've got more on my list that I didn't go over so.

Sara Gentry: Thank you so much. That's incredibly gracious. And so writers will have information and all the links for Deborah in the show notes. And Deborah, just thank you so much for your time.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Thank you for doing this, Sara. You're a great service to writers.

Sara Gentry: Thank you. Alright writers, thanks for joining us, and we'll catch you next time. Bye.

Deborah Ann Lucas: Bye!