Why Writers Should Watch “Adult World”

Announcements: 

The latest poem in my Wattpad poetry series has been added! Share, like, and comment for your chance to be mentioned during my next YouTube video. This week’s poem is titled – The Affair – and here are the opening lines:

I fell in love with childhood,

he wore a red cape

made of polyester plaid,

There are a few spoilers in my latest interview with Read to Write Stories, including what The Odyssey has to do with the sequel and why certain elements of the book were mentioned in very subtle ways, so I hope you check it out by clicking the link.  I even talk a little about November Snow and how much my writing has changed in seven years, but – again – I’ll leave that up for you to read about.

But that wasn’t my ONLY interview I did. On Life of a Young Adult Writer, I talked about my personal life, the sequel, Death Before Daylight, and writing advice. When asked how I create believable characters, my first piece of advice was to stop thinking of them as characters, but you can read the entire conversation by clicking the link!

Finally, Real Rad Reads reviewed Minutes Before Sunset, stating, “Whenever I read a really good book, and something amazing happens, I find myself compelled to shout the author’s name out of excitement. Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave) and Susan Ee (Angelfall) have been some recent authors included in my repertoire for this, and Shannon’s name was added to the mix just last week after I read Minutes Before Sunset. In other words, I enjoyed this book.” Check out why she enjoyed Minutes Before Sunset by clicking the link! (And click here to check out Minutes Before Sunset on Amazon – only $3.89)

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Why Writers Should Watch “Adult World”

Every now and then, I stumble across a movie MADE for writers. Last time, I wrote Why Writers Should Watch “Authors Anonymous” and now I am here to explain why you should also watch “Adult World” – especially if you are a poet.

Here is the IMDB synopsis:

Amy, a naive college graduate who believes she’s destined to be a great poet, begrudgingly accepts a job at a sex shop while she pursues a mentorship with reclusive writer Rat Billings.

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Amy is played by Emma Roberts, and although I am a HUGE fan of American Horror Story, I’ve never really been a fan of hers. The presence of Evan Peters convinced me to watch it, and I must admit – I enjoyed Emma Roberts a lot in this role, so I must take this moment to praise her for that. In fact, I enjoyed every bit of this movie. It’s charming, hilarious, and very relatable to a young writer’s journey.

We see a budding writer’s obsession with the famous – in this case, Sylvia Plath – and we see the melodramatics of someone trying to force drama in order to be the stereotypical “writing is misery” cliché, which – as good timing has it – I’ve written about recently (click the link). But we also see someone trying to find themselves, fighting to follow their dreams, and unexpectedly making a connection with a fantastically talented poet they’ve always loved, only to realize that role model may not be who they hoped they were.

On the surface, Adult World might seem like it is simply about writing, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about finding yourself and learning how to live so that you can write better each and every time you pick up a pen.

John Cusack is also a genius, and I hope sharing my favorite line that his character speaks might convince you to try this writer’s movie out on a rainy night.

“If you want to make art, you have to fail. And so, the hardest job is to fail better.”

Adult World is a perfect reminder of that.

~SAT