Frequently Asked Questions
As I meet and talk with people, I often
get asked similar questions. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to
post my answers to the most common ones on my website so you can all
read them. If you have any other questions you would like to ask me,
send an e-mail and after responding to you, I just may add
them to the list!
When
and why did you first start writing?
My earliest memory of writing a poem is
when I was riding on the bus in junior high. I must have been eleven or
twelve years old, and I was writing the poem, “A Planet Full of Pain,”
on a piece of notebook paper with a pencil. A little bit of trivia, I
entered that poem in the poetry competition at the state fair a year or
two later and won first place. But at that age, writing poetry was a
way to get my emotions and feelings out that were otherwise unexpressed
except for my journal. It was a dark time for me and I needed the
outlet. Topics included my pain, a person who was a light for me at the
time, and perseverance.
Over the years,
poetry continued to be a
creative outlet for my thoughts and a way to talk back and forth with
God. Some of the poems I write are from my point of view and some are
from His. Others I just have fun with. I think there is something
inside each of us that loves to create and writing poetry has come to be
that imaginative place for me.
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Why do you write poetry in particular?
When I was in high school, I used to dream about being able to walk into
a bookstore and find my book. In fact, my senior project was, “The
Qualities of a Writer and How to Become One.” However, I could never
quite picture what the book was about. I imagined it would be some kind
of devotional or something else along the lines of what Max Lucado
writes. It never occurred to me that it be would be poetry or an
advent devotional. Though I
love writing essays and papers in general, I have never
collected them into a book or used them as a jumping off point for a
larger idea. IStill, poetry has been fun to
write, I have a talent for it, and people love to read it. I call my
style, “poetry for the people” in that you don’t have to analyze it for
hours to understand it. Reading through the poem once, the words will
touch you and inspire your heart. One of the comments I hear the
most is how people who usually don’t like poetry like my poetry because
it is accessible and enjoyable to read. Besides, if I don’t keep
writing poetry, I become frustrated and things look dim. I think it is
an internal drive God placed within me so I would keep writing.
I also love poetry because you can put so much emotion, truth, and a
visionary view of God into a short amount of words. Poetry
has a strange way of being able to get at the heart of a matter, to help
you see things you’ve never seen before and to reflect back parts of
yourself you never knew were there. Poetry is like the quintessential
self: compact yet overflowing with the love and grace of God.
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What training have you had in poetry
writing?
Besides the usual poetry curriculum of
any American child growing up in the school system, I took “Introduction
to Poetry” and “Poetry Writing” as an undergraduate at Oregon State
University. The professor, a talented poet herself, taught me the basic
building blocks of poetry, gave me some wonderful suggestions for my own
writing, and helped me hone my poetic skills. The poems I wrote in that
class, “Rain,” “Forest of Broken Dreams,” and “Urquhart Castle,” are
published in the first book. Sometime I would like to go back down to
Corvallis and thank that professor for what she taught me.
I have also learned a lot by reading other people’s
poems. The more one reads, the better writer one becomes. I find out
what I like, what I do not like, and my inner sense of rhythm becomes
better at picking meters out.
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How did you get started running your own publishing company?
For years, I had many of my friends and family telling me I
should publish as they wanted to read more of my writing than what I
could give out in a sheet or two of poetry. So, during the winter of
2001-2002, I collected and typed into my computer all of my poems from
across the years that I could possibly find. It was quite a project!
In fact, because of that time-period, I have turned into an excellent
typist. I then put all of the poems in date order and saved them in one
document split into chapters based on when I wrote them. I
printed up three copies and circulated them amongst those who were
interested in reading the poems. I called it “Journeys of the Heart”
and the people who read it really liked it. I still have a copy
of this early work in my files.
Then the following summer, I was attending the Salem Art
Fair and checking out the poetry books at the author’s table. Three
circulating copies of my own work were not enough and I wanted to see
what forms other people put their work into. One set of books I saw
looked very appealing and I struck up a conversation with their author,
Dolores Dahl. She asked me about my writing and I asked her how she
published her own books. It was such a cool idea! I cannot put it any
other way than to say we hit it off right from the start. After talking for several minutes, we
traded phone numbers and planned for me to come down to visit her in
Lebanon. At the time, she had published ten books, now over
fifteen, and
had a lot of experience to share with me. When I visited her, she shared valuable information such as where to get an
ISBN number, where to send off to register with the Library of Congress,
how to register the company with the government, what she did for
illustrations, and who she had lay out her books. She made it sound so
doable and what is more, she believed in me and knew I could do it. In
fact, the first time we met, she predicted I would be there at the
author's table with my book the next year.
Over the next couple of months, that meeting was followed by
several phone calls and another visit or two as I worked on putting
together the first book. Dolores was wonderful in answering all of my
questions and encouraging me when I became frustrated. At the same
time, God brought people into my life who also believed in me and who
were willing to put insane amounts of time into the project along with
me: my graphic artist and friend, Rebekah Borah, and my illustrator and
friend, Richard McConochie. Between the three of us, we published the
first book in four and a half months. Two thirds of the poems came out
of “Journeys of the Heart” and I wrote the other third while we worked
on producing the book. The first printing sold out in three months and I had
to go back to produce more copies! And, just as Dolores
predicted, the next year, I was at the author’s table selling my books.
Six years later, I still see and talk with Dolores, both as
friends and as someone whom I can go to for advice about the books. I
am so grateful to God for bringing her into my life and for bringing the
countless others who have supported me along the way. Without the
people God has brought around me, I would still be circulating those
three copies. Thank you all for everything you have done to support
this company.
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How did
you get the money to pay for the first printing?
The answer to this question is a wonderful example of how
sometimes God gives us the answers we need before we know the
questions. Ever since I was a junior in college at OSU in
1999, I knew a Celtic singer named Heather Alexander. Although she
already had produced three CD’s, she didn’t have the capital to produce
the fourth her fans had been clamoring for so she asked them if they
would be willing to buy the CD first so she could have the money to
produce it. Her audiences clamored back with a resounding “Yes!”
and after a lot of work, she delivered the new CD’s and sold the extras.
As I
faced a similar problem in producing the books, I decided to try her
idea out. I collected all of my friend’s and family’s e-mails and
sent out a mailing explaining my idea and asked them if they would buy
the book beforehand so I would have the money to print them. I was
stunned at the response as people started placing orders in droves.
With some of my own money added to their generous orders, I went to
print for the first time with a run of a hundred and fifty copies.
The money I made from selling the extra copies was
enough to go to print again and thus the books came to be.
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What do you do with the money you make?
Many people have asked me if the money I make from the books
pays my bills. It does not. I don’t use any of the money for personal
use. All the money goes right back into my business accounts and I use
that money to print more copies of the books, pay for the ISBN numbers and copyright
fees, and more recently, to buy Adobe Creative Suite so I can produce the books on my own computer. I believe the
business is God’s, I just get to enjoy taking care of it. Besides, it
is good business practice to invest your profits back into the business to
develop and expand it. Spirit Water Publications is now
self-supporting, meaning it pays for itself and I am overjoyed with that
fact.
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What is poetry writing like for you? Does it just come
to you or do you have to work at it?
If you ever ask a writer why they write, you will find many of them
answer you with how they have to write. At some point, it was no
longer a want, but became a need. That is how it is for me. When I am
struggling inwardly, it is often because I haven’t been writing. When I
write, I feel as if I am writing, dancing, and painting all at the same
time. There is a lot of creative movement in conveying what is inward
in an outward way.
Sometimes, I struggle over every word in
that movement. I write, rewrite, and rewrite again. When I write with
paper and pencil, my drafts can be quite odd looking and I am the only
one who can read it with all of the changes made. My tattered thesaurus
which I finally had to replace, and my rhyming dictionary (a poet’s best
friend), stand as testimonials to how often I go in search of that
“perfect word”. Times like that can be great exercise though and they
hone my skills as a writer and my intuitive sense of rhythm and
phrasing.
At other times, I feel like I am
transcribing the words God gives me, one right
after another. Once in a while, I will ask Him about a line as it is
not what I had in mind, or the poem goes down a lane I had not
intended to explore. In those moments I hear His voice telling me to
just write it down and then the next line soon follows on its heels. I
remember one night while working on the second book, I had been
struggling for some weeks with the words of various phrases and getting
frustrated, I looked up at God and asked Him why He had not been giving
me lines like He used to. In reply, He asked me if I would let Him take
over my hand, the one holding the pen. I said yes, and I sensed Him
place His hand over mine. What followed is one of the most mystical
experiences I have ever had. I wrote exactly what I felt led to
for over two and half pages. I originally thought it would be
great material for the book, I could use some poetic license and publish
it. Reading back over it though, I sensed it needed to be
published as is, that these particular pieces were to be left untouched. This experience, though, is rare. Usually poetry writing for me
is a lot of work but very rewarding.
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From
where do you get your inspiration?
The inspiration for the poems and
devotionals comes in many forms. Many of the poems are based on
conversations or times spent with the people around me. Others I take
from things I see, observations I make, or things I learn from the world
around me. They are not the big moments, but the small ones such as
being given a bracelet from Africa, an overheard comment at the fair, or
a leaf falling from a tree. I also love expanding on an idea or line I
hear in a song. At other times I want to say something to someone and
am unable to, or I want to express something I have learned but don’t
know how but in words. It is then I will often turn to poetry to
express those things. The more I write poetry, the more things strike
me as inspiring. Sometimes I will write down those ideas and keep a
list of them to refer back to later when I need inspiration.
Another practice of mine is to open up my writing times in prayer
to God to ask Him what He wants to say. Those times tend to be the
fun ones as He and I then work on the wording together. I like it when
He gives me a line and I argue with Him because that is not what I had
in mind or the poem goes somewhere I was not expecting, but He
firmly says, “Just write it.” I say “Okay,” and I have never once
regretted it. One of my most popular poems in fact is from an argument
with Him. I was sitting in my college biology class thinking about
graduating, terrified of what was to come, and I heard Him speak. I
quickly turned to a fresh page in my notebook and wrote what He said
followed by my response. Back and forth we argued as I
transcribed the discussion. After class, I showed it to my biology
teacher who really liked it, then later on, I typed it up, and two years
after that, I included the argument in the book Learning to Fly.
Ever since, I have heard many people mention that poem specifically as
one that gave voice to their own arguments with God and made them come
face to face with what they knew they had to do. It amazes me how much
people are touched by the poetry I write, particularly the painful ones.
Poetry writing is like riding the tail of a comet for
a time. You did not begin the poem and you will not end it. You simply
get to enjoy it for a time then let it go on to take up a life of its
own, then you lie back and watch it streak across the sky. You never
know where the comet will go once it is released from your hands.
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Why are you coming out with a 2nd edition of the 1st
book, Learning to Fly?
When I wrote the first book, I had just started
Spirit Water Publications and was learning all of the ins and outs of
writing a book, designing the cover, and publishing it for
distribution. By the time I wrote and published the second book three
years later, my knowledge had been greatly expanded. Thus, there is
quite a bit of difference between the two books and the second looks
much more professional. Now that I am sold out of the first
book, I want to take the opportunity to go back to the design board so I
can do all the things I have been dreaming of. This includes a new cover
in full color, a second introduction, a new illustration for the fist
chapter, and a larger format vertically and horizontally, among several
other changes. There will also be at least eight new poems inserted
throughout, and many of the older poems will be formatted differently.
In addition to all the blatant changes,
there will also be smaller ones within the poems themselves as
Learning to Fly finally comes under an editor’s eyes. Ryan and
Laurie Canney have graciously volunteered to edit the manuscript. The first manuscript has
already been delivered and I am looking forward to hearing what
they have to say. I am immensely proud of the book as it stands. It has
meant a great to deal to a lot of people. I just want to take the
time to make the good even better.
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Why are you adding new material to the 1st
book?
If you have a copy of the original book,
look at the pages right before a chapter break. There are two pages I
left completely blank in the first two printings. I am now going back
and writing new poems to fit into those spaces such as “Seeing Through
Another’s Eyes” and “Flowers Never Die”.
The other reason I am adding new material
is because of the larger book size, I have some additional room I did not
have before on several pages that as of now, have only one poem. I
thought it would be fun to create some additional material for those
spaces such as the poem “Voice of the Tide”. For me, it is also just
pure fun to write and it is even better when I know they are being
published very soon.
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What are
some of your favorite poems you have written?
Answering this question is like picking a
favorite child, I cannot pick one poem over another as my favorite, they
are all incredibly precious to me. The ones that do stick out in my
mind, though, are usually because of the person or experience I connect
with them. For example, “Smile-Maker” and “What is Art,” are both based
off times spent with a friend of mine. She has brought so much
joy to my life and has helped me see things in a new and deeper way,
that when I read these poems, I think of her. Other poems
such as “Study of a Portrait” and “Carried in Prayer” are special to me
because of the experience around them or how someone reacted to the
words when they read the poem. Yet others such as “Tapping Time,” “Beat
of Change,” or “Draining Days,” are special because of how they have
touched the lives of others.
Often, I will go back and reread the
books, and frequently, I myself am touched as God once again
speaks to me in new ways through words I had written years
before, having no idea how those words would touch me years later. That
is why it is hard to have favorites; all of the poems are alive and
vibrant in and of themselves.
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How old are you?
Yes, this really is a frequently asked question.
In fact, it's probably the most frequently asked one. I am
currently twenty-nine years old and have been running this company since
I was twenty-two. One of my favorite memories on this subject is when
I met a lady at a workshop. Since you had to sign-up ahead of
time, I checked in by giving my name to the woman at the check-in table.
She looked up
at me with shock running up and down her face and asked, “You’re
Sarah Hoggatt?” Not knowing where her question was going, I confirmed I
was, and still surprised, she said amazedly, “I thought you would be so
much older!” I replied I was twenty-six, and she exclaimed, “You look
nineteen!” As it turned out, she had recognized my name from
reading my second book, In His Eyes, and assumed I would be
decades older than the twenty-six I really was. A shock to her
system I would imagine! Along these same lines, another fun one
was when I was told at a recent craft show, "You are too young to write
this!" (Holding up one of the poems) "How do you know this?"
The first experience still makes me laugh, the second still makes me
think.
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Do all
of the poems you write get published in your books?
No, not all of the poems I write get published. When I
compiled the first book, there were many poems not included because I
didn’t think they were good enough. Many of them were written when I
was in junior high and I still had a lot to learn. Other reasons I
don’t publish some of them as an adult is because they are too personal
to put into print, they are too specific about situations I am dealing
with, are too emotionally revealing, or could hurt some of the people
who read them. These I keep in my private folders and go back to reread
on occasion as they help guide me by clearing my head so I can
write ones that are publishable and worth your time to read. Also, sometimes I just need to write
something for me without having to think about how it will look on the
printed page.
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How did you find your illustrators?
Richard McConochie and I met among the bookshelves of the
Valley Library at Oregon State University in the summer of 2000 when we were
both working there.
Besides enjoying the free bagels from the coffee shop where he also worked
and the occasional lemonades he would bring to the circulation staff on
warm days, we enjoyed discussing art and the depths of life. After
graduation, we were at a pub in Salem where he drew a
sketch of me which I later put in a frame. When
I was thinking about illustrating the book, I saw that picture, called
Richard, and asked him if he would be interested in producing drawings
to go along with the poems. He said he would be so we started meeting
at the Beanery in Corvallis on a regular basis as it was a good half-way
point between Eugene and Salem to go over the sketches and new ideas.
Richard was a huge help and support as he also helped me split up the
chapters and come up with a title, and then do it all over again when
the first title no longer seemed to work. Through it all, he was a
staunch support, a good friend, and a superb illustrator.
Three years later when I was ready to illustrate the second
book, Richard was in the masters program for architecture at the
University of Oregon and couldn’t spare the time to do the second. So,
sitting on the dock with my feet in the Willamette river, which I
jokingly called my office, I telephoned several people I knew and asked
if they knew of anyone who would be interested in the project. One
friend, Mona, gave me several names to call and one of them was ClaraLee Esther. Although we had never met, she was enthusiastic from
the get-go. An hour or
two later, she was at my house showing me her very impressive portfolio
and after further showing her what I had in mind, she wanted to head
straight home and get to work. That enthusiasm turned out to be a
wonderful blessing as she had six weeks to draw eighty-four
illustrations. I am still amazed at her artistic ability and have
promised to give her more than six weeks for the third poetry book.
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What is your book, "Encountering the Holy"?
"Encountering the Holy" was first published in
November of 2006 as an advent devotional. Originally written for
one church as a part of my Christian Ministries internship at seminary, it was
actually published by three: Silverton Friends Church, Reedwood Friends
Church, and
Salem First Free Methodist. Other copies were sold to people who
knew I was writing it. The reason it wasn't advertised that first
year was because
of the manner of the book, there is a devotion for each day of advent
and I wanted to sell them before Advent started and I didn't have a lot
of time. Now they are being sold along with the first two poetry
books. Anytime you would like a copy, no matter what time of the
year, just send me an e-mail and I will get you one. They are $4 each
including shipping.
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What are
some of your next projects?
I am
currently working on writing poetry for the third poetry book as well as
going to bazaars and book signings to sell the Advent Devotional and the
second poetry book as well as the matted poetry and photography. On the side, I
am renovating the first
book. After having learned so much in the publishing business, I have
been longing to bring the book back to the drawing board so I can
recreate it into what I know the book can look like. I am currently
working on writing the additional poems that will go into it, designing
the cover, changing the fonts and page numbering, and talking with my
editors about the changes they think should be made. One of the things
I have learned from writing these books is that it makes a world of
difference to have a team of people who love the book project and who
enjoy working on it working along side of me.
Another project I have been working on is building a new product line of
photography. I saved up the money I made from typesetting a book
and editing theses to buy a Nikon D40X, Single Reflex Lens Camera and
now you can often see me looking for a
good photo opportunity. Four of these photos are already
professionally framed and up for sale. I am also working on
putting some of the photographs onto cards and will matt several others
before the next bazaar season. (A webpage for the photography will be
published soon.)
I am also working as a free lance editor on the books and papers of others.
It seems as soon as I finish one project, another project comes my way! I
enjoy this type of work and it's making me a better writer. It is
also fun to get to talk about writing with other authors and then send
along their corrected manuscripts. Soon, I will have another
manuscript of my own. I am sure that will be fun too.
In addition to my own creative ventures, I have been selected to join an
International Editorial Board for the Quaker Youth Book Project run by
the organization, "Quakers United in Publishing". There are nine
young adults on the board from places such as Kenya, Bolivia, Great
Britain, Canada, and the U.S. In late April of 2008 we all
flew out to Greensboro, North Carolina to meet each other and start
our work and will be meeting here in Oregon this coming April in 2009. I am thrilled to get to
be working on this project and reading the creative writings of others. Below is
the description of the project which I took from our
website.
The Quaker Youth Book
Project of QUIP will feature short
non-fiction prose, poetry and visual art by
international young Quakers ages 15-30 from all
branches of the Religious Society of Friends,
including programmed, unprogrammed, conservative
and evangelical traditions, from meetings and
churches affiliated with Friends United Meeting
(FUM), Friends General Conference (FGC),
Evangelical Friends International (EFI),
Conservative yearly meetings and independent
yearly meetings.
The writing and art included
will focus on the personal spiritual
experiences, beliefs, and identities of
contemporary young Friends. QUIP envisions a
book that will spark discussion and dialogue,
speak to and lift up the growing youth movement
in Quakerism, and act as a catalyst for
transformation within the Religious Society of
Friends.
The project will be guided by
an Editorial Board of Friends ages 15-30 from
all branches of the Society, with oversight and
support from QUIP members and officers. The
Editorial Board will shape the recruitment of
submissions, select writing and art for
inclusion in the book, develop section headings,
choose the title of the book, and help with
outreach and promotion of the project once it is
published. Each Editorial Board member will play
an important role in recruiting writing and art
from teenage and young adult Friends in their
home yearly meeting or region.
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Are you writing a fourth book?
Of course!
I am also working on the second
edition of the first book . It seems between every book I write, I
learn so much about writing, myself, and God, and I am looking
forward to taking up the pen again and telling you about it.
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Do you
ever do poetry readings or speaking engagements?
Speaking at events and retreats is one
of the things I am passionate about and it has become more and
more a part of my life as I've gotten older. Some of the events
have included retreats, panels, women's teas, Sunday School classes,
youth groups, college groups, and group homes. If you are interested in having me come to your group, send me
an e-mail with what you have in mind and we can talk about it.
As for poetry readings, I have attended and taken part in
various ones including churches, a friend's CD release party where he asked me to bring my books
and read, and other assorted events. I have often been asked to
include some of my writing whenever I have other speaking engagements as
well.
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