Shaun Beck Future New York Times Bestseller Introduction
Personal Photo
Welcome to my blog for this Mythology class. My name is Shaun Beck. I am currently pursuing a degree in Professional Writing through Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications. My current plan is to receive my Bachelor’s degree in the field of Professional Writing. I am an LGBTQ Christian male who is an advocate for LGBT people, and I am also working to change the way that people view homosexuality within the church and outside of the church. Too often there is a stigma that surrounds gay men. This stigma is one of a sexual nature and portrays gay men and women as purely sexual beings that have no love. My goal as an author is to write romance novels that represent LGBT relationships in a positive light. This positive light is to portray them in a way that true love becomes evident within the relationships in my novels. I currently have a personal website that caters to my work as an author which I will link below.
As an author, I read and write a lot. It is hard to claim a favorite book, movie or anything really as I enjoy many things. However, my favorite book genres are classics, romance, and Christian self-help books. One book I recently read is titled “Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays vs. Christian Debate” by Justin Lee. This book is a memoir that details the life of Justin Lee of the Gay Christian Network (GCN). I have enjoyed other books that deal with the same topic such as “God and the Gay Christian” by Matthew Vines which I am currently working through for another class this semester. My music tastes are very different; I enjoy pop, classical, jazz, Christian, rock and many more genres.
My career goals are to be able to write material such as self-help books and novels that help to further the gay Christian way of life. My other goal is to finish writing my first gay romance novel and hopefully get it published. This work is a lot to do, but I enjoy it. I also write advice for LGBTQ+ people and spiritual guidance on my main website. This world needs a light, and after many years of struggling with my faith and my sexuality, I have a heart for the other people who are like me in the world. My favorite place as mentioned before is Estes Park, Colorado. I look forward to seeing more of the world when I get out of school. I am currently dating a fantastic guy and am excited to see where that leads as well. I enjoy the Kingdom Hearts game series probably way too much. I hope that this semester will be eventful and will be full of surprises and lots of opportunities to improve my writing and to improve my readership.
Thanks,
As an author, I read and write a lot. It is hard to claim a favorite book, movie or anything really as I enjoy many things. However, my favorite book genres are classics, romance, and Christian self-help books. One book I recently read is titled “Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays vs. Christian Debate” by Justin Lee. This book is a memoir that details the life of Justin Lee of the Gay Christian Network (GCN). I have enjoyed other books that deal with the same topic such as “God and the Gay Christian” by Matthew Vines which I am currently working through for another class this semester. My music tastes are very different; I enjoy pop, classical, jazz, Christian, rock and many more genres.
My career goals are to be able to write material such as self-help books and novels that help to further the gay Christian way of life. My other goal is to finish writing my first gay romance novel and hopefully get it published. This work is a lot to do, but I enjoy it. I also write advice for LGBTQ+ people and spiritual guidance on my main website. This world needs a light, and after many years of struggling with my faith and my sexuality, I have a heart for the other people who are like me in the world. My favorite place as mentioned before is Estes Park, Colorado. I look forward to seeing more of the world when I get out of school. I am currently dating a fantastic guy and am excited to see where that leads as well. I enjoy the Kingdom Hearts game series probably way too much. I hope that this semester will be eventful and will be full of surprises and lots of opportunities to improve my writing and to improve my readership.
Thanks,
Hey Shaun,
ReplyDeleteIt was great to read through your introduction post. I think it is very interesting that you are pursuing degree in professional writing. I do not believe that I have met anyone with this major, so it is always great to read about the many different majors on campus. I think your passion for writing is commendable, and I look forward to reading your work throughout the course. Best of luck this semester.
-Andy
Hey Shaun!
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty incredible to be able to reconcile being gay with your faith, especially in a society which seems to consider the two to be mutually exclusive. I took a look through your personal website, and I have to say that I'm excited to see what you'll be writing this semester. I think it's likely that you'll have some interesting takes.
Also, here's to hoping we don't get another three year delay on Kingdom Hearts 3. One more might just kill my roommate.
-Gage R.
A big yes to future bestselling authors, Shaun! I'll be able to say "hey, I knew him back when..." -- if this class can be a step on that path, I say YAY. And I didn't realize you were a professional writing major: that is one of the coolest majors at OU, so much good stuff going on. I hope this class can be a nice, low-stress, freewheeling way to play with all kinds of writing just to see what happens! And how great that you have already tapped into the power of the Internet with your own website. Blogging and web publishing have been so productive for me (getting published, getting this nifty job teaching online), which is why I want so much for students in these classes to learn those skills too. A little web publishing knowledge can go a long way, and it can all help connect you with the audience you want to reach, sometimes even audiences you never imagined reaching. WRITE ON! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Shaun!
ReplyDeleteI think your life goals are really admirable. I definitely agree that there needs to be more mainstream LGBTQ romances! I may not personally have struggled with my sexuality and faith but there are so many people who do. I really admire that you want to reconcile these and help others do that too! I wish you all the best and can't wait to read what you write this semester!
Shaun,
ReplyDeleteI believe you are fighting an extremely hard battle right now for a whole community that is misunderstood and overlooked. To chose to do such a thing, especially in a Church community is really commendable. I love how one of your goals is to write a self-help book intended for the Christian gay community. Taking a class like this can really help with practicing story telling. Good Luck with everything.
Hello, Shaun!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I love that you are working to change the way some Christians view LGBTQ+ people and that you are working towards writing romance novels featuring LGBTQ+ characters, and self-help books! I think your work is really important and I enjoy your writing style very much! I look forward to seeing what all you write the rest of the semster! Good luck with all of your writing and with this course--great work!
Hi Shaun! I am so pumped that you're into resolving issues between the LGBTQ+ community and communities of faith... As a fellow LGBT person, I've always felt really uncomfortable in church settings, and while I'm not personally religious, so it doesn't matter that much to me, I can see the damage that homophobia does to folks who do want to participate in organized religion!
ReplyDeleteI also LOVE the fact that you want to write gay romance books that aren't hyper-sexualized. That is so important. I'm using a similar theme for my storybook, so feel free to check it out!
Hello Shaun,
ReplyDeleteThat is super cool that your major is Professional Writing! I have considered being a writer every once in awhile, but I have never really had a great story to tell. Writers have so much power. They get to create entire worlds and societies that are however they would like them to be. It's great that you already have been motivated enough to create you own blog, so I am sure you will be able to use all those skills you picked up on this class!
Hello, Shaun!
ReplyDeleteLet me start off by saying that I admire your confidence! I am sure that you will be able to become a New York Times Bestseller! I always like meeting, if you can call this that, new people that are pursuing a degree that involves any type of writing. It is always nice to meet people on the opposite end of the spectrum!
Hi Shaun,
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever had the opportunity to visit your page before. I am also in Gaylord but in the Creative Media Production Major. It's so cool to meet other Gaylord students and hear about how their studies are going. Professional Writing is such a cool major and I have plenty of friends who are also in that major and absolutely love it. Goo luck on the little bit of semester you have left. Can't wait to read more of your stories.
Hey there Shaun,
ReplyDeleteIt was very nice to read through your introduction post. I is actually very interesting that you are pursuing a degree in professional writing, as I can tell you are very passionate about writing even through your introduction post. I do not think I have ever met someone with that degree actually! Best of luck this semester!
Shaun, it was really great getting to know you some through your introduction post. I think it is so cool that we are able to interact even though we are in two separate classes (I'm in Indian Epics). I think it is cool that having an online class like this allows us to do that. Again, it was great getting to know you some and the best of luck to you on your future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteHey Shaun,
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting degree path. I imagine you will have lots of different opportunities in the future with your chosen major. It was difficult for me to get into this class at first, since it has been a while since I've had to do any creative writing but for you it was probably what you're used to. Good luck with this class and the rest of your classes this semester!
-Elyse
Hi Shaun!
ReplyDeleteIt was so good to meet you and learn more about what you are really passionate about! I can definitely see your motivations and dedication to this cause, and I personally find it really inspiring. I love how vocal you are with your own beliefs and I wish more people were like you! Your major is really interesting, and I can't wait to see how your career will take off in the future! Best of luck! :)
-Moriah C.
Hey Shaun,
ReplyDeleteIt was really good to get to know about you and it seems you have such a kind heart. I believe if we had more people like you in the world we would live in a much better place. I also found your degree path very interesting and I am hoping that it works out well for you (I am sure that it will). I also really enjoyed reading some of your stories so great job on that and keep doing what you are doing.
Hi Shaun!
ReplyDeleteI thinks it's awesome how passionate you are about reading and writing. I love when people can appreciate other's creativity and also are excited to share their own creativity with the world. I'm excited for others when I hear they want to write. Unfortunately, the dream of being an author is not a common one. I wish you the best of luck and I'll be looking for your name on book shelves in the near future.
Hey Shaun,
ReplyDeleteI loved your title to your intro. I can't wait to see your name on bookshelves. I'm not really a storyteller but this class is opening my mind to the idea more and more. I really enjoy reading your stories because of the messages they carry.
Best of luck with the rest of the semester.
Hi Shaun!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that I've had the opportunity to visit your blog this semester. I am so happy I stumbled upon it in these last few weeks of the semester. I just want to take a minute to tell you how incredible I think it is that you are working so hard to bring proper representation and understanding to the church. It's incredible! I am also a student in Gaylord College but am a Creative Media Production major in the writing track. I love my major and think it is so cool that you decided to pursue a Professional Writing degree. Can't wait to read you NYT bestsellers in the future! I know I'll be seeing them on shelves across the world in no time.
Hey Shaun!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Corona (from the Indian Epics class) and I think that you are awesome! I love that you are in tune with yourself and that you know what you want to accomplish. I, myself, am pansexual and so I love the message you wish to spread. Also, I love Estes Park as well. I went a few summers ago and absolutely fell in love with it. I love your writing and I think you are great! Have a fantastic rest of your semester!
Hey Shaun,
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've been able to meet you this semester yet, but it has been really cool to be able to do that now! I think professional writing is a super cool and underrated program here at OU, and I wish you every possible success! My friend Maddie Roper is a professional writing major, and I know that it is really tough just from seeing her work through stuff and finish up her capstone! Good luck with finals!
Hey howdy again Shaun,
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that I did not get linked to your work earlier in the semester. From your bio I would have known that I would get a lot of enjoyment and interest out of your stories! Here we are in our last dead week ever. I hope that your journey here at OU pursiing writing has been fulfilling and are able to take away a lot of lessons and inspiration. Cheers!
Hey there Shaun!
ReplyDeleteIt was great getting to know you and reading more about your life and goals! I've enjoyed reading your project and stories, so it's nice to hear more about you as a person as well. I think it's great that you've found such a specific niche that you want to explore, and spreading love and unity is such an awesome thing to contribute to. It's been great to learn more about you!
Best,
Kate
Hi Shaun!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I love that you are working towards to change the stigma for Christians in the LGBTQ community. I really enjoyed reading your Introduction and getting to know you a little better. I think it's really wonderful that are you in the Professional Writing industry, I think you are really going to make an impact. Good luck to you and keep spreading love!
Hello Shaun,
ReplyDeleteWow, as a professional writing major, this class is right up your alley. Unlike you, I have had very little experience writing. Especially creative writing such as in this class, I hope you enjoyed the class as much as I did. Is also nice to see that you are very passionate about LGBTQ and that you are trying to change the world for the better!