WHEN Shannon Scott was a little girl attending Ashford Central School, she liked to hand in her assignments as epic poems.
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Now she has released her first book, See Me, a young adult novel with fantastical elements.
“The story has come from some of my own life experience,” Shan-non said.
“The main protagonist in the story, Shelly, she’s a bit difficult to get to know and a bit hard to read and it sort of is a story of her developing and, not really coming of age, but discovering her inner strength and inner power.
“That’s something I’ve had to do; constantly reinventing myself and learning who I am.
“It’s all about personal growth and self-acceptance and acceptance from others.”
Shannon always loved writing, dabbling in short stories and poems from a young age, but it wasn’t until teacher Sue Belford encouraged her interest that she realised she might have talent.
“She was a very stern woman and sort of the kind of woman who commanded respect.
“She called me to her office one day and I was a little bit worried, and she said, ‘There’s this writers workshop in Lake Keepit and I want you to go,’” Shannon recalled.
Local teachers continued to foster Shannon’s love of writing as she grew older.
That’s something I’ve had to do; constantly reinventing myself and learning who I am.
- Shannon Scott
“When I went to Macintyre, I had my English class with Steve Auld and he provided a lot of encouragement as well, particularly on the poetic side.
“He was very strong with the poetry.”
It all came together for Shannon in 2012, when a friend and fellow author urged her to write her own book.
She found the process challenging but rewarding once she found her rhythm, and couldn’t help but become attached to the characters she’d spent the next few years with.
Finishing was bittersweet.
“I felt a little bit lost because I had spent so many years with the characters and developing them and seeing them grow and they were a bit like a second family to me,” she said.
“I’ve just started writing the second book now, so it’s kind of nice to get back and connect with them again and see where their story goes now.”
Shannon’s novel is currently available on Amazon.