June 23, 2007
Today teen culture expert and author, Shannon (Kubiak) Primicerio shares advice about writing and following your heart.
Suzie: Do you meet very many teens who want to write? What is your advice to to them.
Shannon: I meet (or hear from via email) many teens who want to write. And with the recent advent of blogs and MySpace, many of them do write.
I encourage all aspiring writers to write a little bit every day, and to read books on writing. I also encourage them to take notes while they read and jot down things they like or dislike about other authors.
More detailed writing advice can be found on my website.
Suzie: I saw your book in Wal Mart the other day. That means that it has crossed over into the general market. How exciting is it that your books reach so many?
Shannon: This is really exciting! I always hear that my books are in Wal-Mart, but no one I know ever sees them. I find it thrilling that my books have crossed over into the general market because that means more and more people are being exposed to God’s truth.
In the Matthew 28:19-20 (also known as The Great Commission) we are all instructed to “make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all things that [Jesus has] commanded…” For me, writing and speaking are my ways of fulfilling The Great Commission so it always thrills me when the audience I am exposed to grows. Every person I reach gets me closer to reaching all nations.
Suzie: What’s the hardest thing about writing?
Shannon: I have two answers to this question. First, one of the hardest things about writing is finding the balance between working toward a deadline and tending to other things. When I am working on a tight deadline my house is usually a mess, we eat take out for dinner and my email gets neglected.
When I am not on a tight deadline I am easily distracted by all of the other things I need to do like go to the grocery store, run on the elliptical machine, write in my journal instead of writing my book, etc…
Working from home in complicated because you’re always home but you aren’t fully there. It’s like living two lives but only having time for one. Second, my brain works a lot faster than my fingers so it can be difficult to capture everything I am thinking on paper. I work with outlines to help keep me structured and I usually keep a blank sheet of paper near my computer so I can jot down thoughts I want to come back to later in the chapter or the book. It always amazes me when I think about how each of my books once started as a blank page on my computer screen and actually turned out to be something that actually makes sense.
Suzie: Tell us about your latest book.
Shannon: This is a tricky question. I’ve had four new books release in the last three months. So I’ll briefly tell you about each of them. In March my husband and I released our first joint project entitled “Life. Now.”
It’s targeted at twenty-somethings and is about getting from where you are to where you want to go in life…and doing it now. In the book we tackle the ten obstacles that threaten to derail your dreams. A few of them are: fear, debt, the need for approval and a lack of motivation. You can visit our separate website for that book at www.yourmomentisnow.com
Earlier this month I released my first three-book Bible study series. It’s a set of character studies each focusing on an obscure girl in the Bible who encountered some of the same situations teen girls face today. Miriam, Hagar and Leah all dealt with jealous girls, a competitive spirit and a longing to be loved and to fit in. Each of their stories is told in detail over six weeks in this series. I use the Scripture text, quizzes and journaling activities to really focus on the parallels between their stories and ours. I am very excited about them. You can read excerpts from each book on my Being a Girl website.
Suzie: What are you writing right now?
Shannon: This is the first time in four years that I haven’t been under contract for a new project. So I am working on several proposals (both for teens and twenty-somethings) for my agent to shop around. Hopefully I will have a better answer to this question in the near future.
Suzie: Okay, now a random question. What is your favorite color?
Shannon: Pink. Although I just dyed my hair red, so I can’t really wear pink anymore. Bummer!
Suzie: Thanks, Shannon. I feel like I’ve made a new friend now that I’ve talked with you. Thank you for hanging out with us at Real Teen Faith.
Shannon: Thanks for having me!
Suzie and Shannon are two of several authors who write for teens who blog together at Girls, God, Good Life.
Jade/Debbie says:
AWESOME! I heard that the Divine Dance was a GREAT book. And I LOVE Ms. Primicerio’s work!
your friend,
Jade/Debbie