Tell us about yourself
My name is Shanna Dodd. I’m 50 years old, divorced and
homeschooling my daughter. I live in Louisiana. I’ve been writing my entire
life. As a child, I was the one making up outrageous stories, full of
adventures. I’m an avid reader who tends to hoard books...and cats. I’m trying
to write a book at present. Actually write the entire book. I have a habit of
coming up with the idea, plotting the storyline, creating the maps and so forth
but once I have figured out the ending I lose interest. This time I’m writing
without all the intricate planning, just letting the plot and characters lead
me.
Tell me about your blog(s), name(s), what
does it mean to you?
I’ve been a regular journal keeper for most of my life. The
blank page was my closest friend and confidant. With my first blog, I tended to
write as I had written in my journals. Much too personal for public
consumption. I heard about NaPoWriMo and NaNoWriMo. I had attempted NaNoWriMo
but the timing was horrible – a death in the family. Then came NaPoWriMo and I
was fairly successful with that goal. I was invited to Promising Poets and
started a poetry blog through these sites. I don’t post all the poetry I write
but a good bit and it has been well-received. Here is the link: http://shannadodd.wordpress.com/
From that came this site, Bluebell Books Twitter Club, I don’t
always have time to write for this one but I do truly enjoy it when I am able.
The input is always a great boon to my fragile writer’s ego. Later, I
started two different political blogs. The first, Revolution, was sparked by my
anger at a phone call made to my mother by a local Republican politician. He
scared her. This blog mainly concentrates on the budget crisis.
The link is http://unclesamshrugged.blogspot.com/
The next one is called A Feminist Perspective. I have only one
entry. I like to do so much research for these blogs so that I have facts to
support my opinion that they are extremely labor intensive and time-consuming.
Until recently, I was caring for my elderly mother so my time was extremely
limited.
The link for this blog is http://bentcompass.blogspot.com/.
Recently, and the most active of my sites, is a website I
created called Savory Riches. The link is http://savorousriches.weebly.com/.
It is devoted to cooking, the experience of cooking and recipes, of course.
There is a blog where I basically ramble a bit about my life from the
perspective of the cook in the family. There are, or will be, funny anecdotes
from my own cooking disasters. All recipes are my own or my mother’s and have
been cooked by me and reviewed by the sternest of critics – my children.
When have you started blogging?
My very first blog, which has since been deleted, was started in
about 2006.
What's the theme(s) of your blog(s)? What
do you write most? poetry, fiction or novel, or short stories?
I answered about the themes above. I write mainly personal
essays and poetry. I have just started exploring short stories and flash
fiction. I am working on a novel at present.
What are the inspirations of your
writing?
It depends on what I’m writing. Poetry is almost always the
attempt to create an image of an emotion or a snapshot of nature. Occasionally,
there is a story quality to the poem. One of my goals is to create a modern
epic poem.
Short stories and flash fiction I have written through your
prompts at Bluebell. It was successful to the point that I search for other
prompts.
The personal essays are always opinion pieces concerning
politics, religion, philosophy, and so forth. I am very opinionated and am at
my most eloquent when expressing my opinion in writing.
You are involved with Bluebell Books
Short Story Slam writing challenge? How do you feel about it so far? What's the
benefits of it?
I adore the short story slam! It not only gives me the perfect
excuse to write when there are other things I should be doing but the response
has always been positive. I would welcome constructive criticism but either
your readers are very forgiving or I’ve been lucky. I get a thrill checking the
stats after a post and reading the comments. At first, I didn’t respond to the
comments because I didn’t know what to say. I was so awed that anyone would
read what I had written that I was speechless. It has increased my confidence
in my writing ability tremendously. I strive to improve my craft because the
response is so positive. And I would say that it inspires me to write other
things that might possibly prove lucrative at some point.
Do you have a favorite blogging friend(s)
to share? Tell us about his/her blog link and the writing in it!
I really don’t know other bloggers. I know a few writers but
they read blogs and teach writers. They write for themselves. I would love it
if there were an online writers’ group.
Do you have a favorite book or author?
I have favorite books and authors. I have very eclectic taste in
literature and reading material. Two of favorites are Lonesome Dove by Larry
McMurtry and The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. I’ve read everything by Stephen
King and Laurell K Hamilton. I just finished the Game of Thrones series, at
least up to the latest installment. Highly recommend. It feels a little like
Sophie’s Choice here.
What's your writing plans in the near
future?
I plan to finish my book. I plan to contribute regularly to my
blogs and my website. I hope to get a job writing or be able to make a living
writing freelance.
1 comment:
powerful responses.
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