[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Welcome to who’s on fourth where we interview one member of the yeah write community and the interview will publish the fourth Monday of each month. Next in the series features Arden of Arden Ruth Writes interviewing Shannon of About that Writing thing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]
yeah write on yeah write: Arden interviews Shannon
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Last summer, Shannon from About that Writing thing first joined us here at yeah write. Her philosophy in writing is simple.
Just write.
Two words that we all should follow each and every day, right?
Shannon was looking for a place to play and push herself to write every day. Yeah write was able to give her that space and she found herself looking forward to reading other’s work as well. As for any virgins out there waiting to jump into our challenges, Shannon’s advice to you mirrors her philosophy on writing:
Just write the thing. Don’t get too bogged down in it. Just write it.
As for the different challenges, you can usually find Shannon at the fiction|poetry challenge which opens every Tuesday.
Generally speaking fiction is my jam. I really love flash fiction and playing with the form.
The editors love Shannon’s writing as well:[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]What I love about Shannon’s writing, overall, is her distinctive and consistent voice. She’s not afraid to break a few rules to express herself, but she does it mindfully. Even in dialogue-heavy stories, you can easily tell which character is speaking without her having to constantly flag dialogue with “Jem said” “Anna said” etc., which lets her write stories that have a driving urgency and few interruptions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”22649″ alignment=”right” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”thumbnail” style=”vc_box_circle”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”grey” align=”align_center”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]In response to Shannon’s yeah write #197 editor’s pick, Meg stated:
Shannon’s narrative voice doesn’t succumb to brutality, which makes the character three dimensional, maybe even tender. At the heart of the story is a sense of regret that is never fully owned: “My voice is softer than it usually is. In the dark I can be gentle and sweet.” This brittle, pained flash of fiction is unflinching in its detail and POV. I couldn’t look away.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”22653″ alignment=”right” style=”vc_box_circle” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”thumbnail”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” align=”align_center”][vc_column_text]Shannon started writing at a pretty young age.
I wrote my first story when I was about 8 years old for a school event called Young Authors Day. It was a little book I wrote and illustrated and then it was laminated and bound.
As for her blog, About that Writing thing, she doesn’t necessarily have any long term goals for it. Well… sort of.
I like having a space where I can talk about the business, craft, post fiction, etc. Actually, I lied. I do have a small goal. I really enjoy being very raw about my experiences as things go along. It’s important to me because when I was just starting out I always felt so alone in going through things in the writing business, and it’s deeply valuable to me to be transparent and a resource someone can look at and say, wow I thought it was just me.
When Shannon isn’t writing, you can find her doing any number of things. She is a self-proclaimed promiscuous reader. You can currently find her nose stuck in one of these:
- Birth of a Nation by Rashid Darden
- The Sexy Part of the Bible by Kola Boof
- Gone Girl by by Gillian Flynn
Shannon also enjoys crocheting, writing book reviews and anything to do with hair and makeup, but she also loves research so you can find her online a lot of the time, researching the randomness inside her own mind. I think a lot of writers can relate to that!
Thank you Shannon for letting us get to know you a little better here at yeah write. We are so happy to have you in our community! Make sure you follow Shannon’s blog, About that Writing thing. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter and support her through Patreon.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” align=”align_center”][vc_column_text]Oh, you want more? Well here are five things you never knew about Shannon:
- She is a HUGE horror nerd. She can talk about horror for days and days.
- She is a very twitchy, flappy, nervous person. She’s pretty absurd and a walking cartoon.
- She is an Aging Goth.
- Her favorite kids book is Everybody Poops.
- She really loves bats. She thinks they are the sweetest, flying, kittypuppy things ever. When she’s sad she watches bat videos on youtube.
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Are you ready for the yeah write #219 weekly writing challenges opening this week? We hope so! Your badges await in the sidebar. Grab the code, paste into the text or HTML view of your post, then submit your post to the grids for a little friendly competition. We’re glad you’re here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
