HW #2 Kez Sharrow
What are your strengths?
As a writer, one strength is the ability to write fast-paced fantasy adventures with engaging relationships and fun magical creatures. As a person, my strengths are perseverance and a strong drive to learn.
What are you the best in your world at?
Nothing yet, but I aim to write Christian fantasy adventures featuring mythical creatures, that delight between-culture teens.
Why do readers pick other authors over you?
Because they know them. I’m unpublished and unknown.
What do you do that exhausts you?
Thinking about posting on social media. I fear Facebook like some people are scared of spiders.
What are your unfair advantages?
Because of my day job as a life coach, I get a front row seat to people’s change journeys and just how differently each individual perceives and processes life. I think this helps me create authentic characters who grow and change in believable ways.
What gives you the authority to write on the subject you’re writing on?
My imagination, faith, and the thought I’ve put into building the world, characters and story.
What gives you the authority to explore the themes in your writing
In Dragon Ripples I explore the tension between submission to duty and stepping up to destiny, something I’ve wrestled with personally.
Who is your target reader?
A highschool-aged third culture kid who likes exciting fantasy stories and wants to grow in her faith.
What does your target reader read currently?
Leigh Bardugo’s YA fantasy, Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater, Laini Taylor
How is your target reader different from other readers?
She doesn’t really fit in to any culture and feels like no one really gets her. She loves to escape into new worlds with fun magical creatures, and read about relatable characters crossing cultures (with a little romance mixed in). She also wants to grow spiritually and hates having to choose between exciting stories and ones that are good for her.
Why does your target reader read books?
To escape from boring/painful ordinary life to an exciting story (that sits within a Christian worldview). To find “friends” in books she loves and relates to, and to journey with them.
How can you thrill your target reader?
With relatable culture-crossing characters on exciting adventures in magical worlds filled with fun mythical creatures. With stories that help them experience God in fresh ways.
What do readers like about you?
My beta readers like that the stories engage them and move along at a clip. They like the sea dragons. They like seeing spiritual realities in new ways.
What are the themes and topics that come up?
I don’t have enough feedback yet to recognize themes. I’m unpublished.
What does my brand let my readers say about themselves?
I love dragons AND God. There are heroic quests, unique journeys and discoveries awaiting those who live between cultures.
What tribe does this brand give me access to?
Fantasy-loving TCK teens who want to grow spiritually?
Who are your outsiders?
People who don’t like dragons (or fantasy in general). People who are opposed to Christian themes in novels.
What is the promise you are making your readers?
An exciting adventure, in a world of magical creatures, that will uplift and encourage them.
What comes to mind when people think of you?
Wide-eyed, empathetic, optimistic, loves fruitcake.
What is the empathy you have for your readers?
As a person of confused culture who has lived mostly outside my birth culture, I have a tenderness for people (especially young people) who are uprooted, transplanted, or grow up between cultures.
Find a website that makes it about them, and brainstorm how you would change that website to make it about the website visitor. What are two things you would change?
My own website www.kezsharrow.com still falls into this category. I need to invite more into the experience, relationship, community, but am not sure exactly how. Maybe write something at the top that describes the story experience for the reader, or at least tropes. Perhaps also making the button for the reader magnet more obvious and with a better invitation on it? I’m open to others’ suggestions too. 😊
To stand out, we must shock/surprise/delight Broca on a regular basis. How have you, or how are you going to, shock/surprise/delight Broca during the next three days?
Ideally, I’ll do this in combination with the above. will try to use language in unexpected, playful ways.
What is different, unique, quirky, surprising about you that can/does define you as a person? How are you organically compelling?
I have no idea. I love durian and find the smell of stinky tofu oddly comforting, but these hardly define me as a person. I’ve lived 25 years in China, and that’s left its mark on me, but I’m not sure it makes me organically compelling
In what areas do you need to give yourself permission to be you?
It’s okay to go slow, learn a lot and take small steps in the scary social media spaces. It’s okay to not really fit in to any culture; I’m writing for others who don’t fit.
In what two areas are you going to focus on where you’ll make your content surprising/entertaining/provocative/engaging?
1. Website
2. Newsletters (especially headings)