Cody Shrum

My name is Cody Shrum and I'm a writer, teacher, and gym manager based out of Kansas City. In addition to those things, I'm also a huge nerd: rock music, Batman, comics in general, and I collect more books than I can keep up with. I also spend as much time as I can with my wife, Kylee, and our dogs, Zeus and Phoebe.

Question 1: What inspired you to start writing?

My dad was an Avid Sci-fi/Fantasy reader, accruing boxes and boxes of books that I started to read as a kid, and the centrality of storytelling in my childhood made me want to concoct my own stories and be a writer like all those authors he loved, who I came to love, too.

Question 2: What have you written that you're the most proud of?

My favorite story of mine is from my MFA thesis, a ridiculous yarn about a small town with a Batman problem, published last year by Identity Theory, titled "The Batman of Perry County." This is a story where I think I unlocked my true writing voice and publishing the story let me know that maybe I'm okay at this writing thing (it was nominated for a Pushchart).

Question 3: What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

I don't plot or plan until I'm partway into my story. I like to let the words take me, let my subconscious tinker and build things. I usually start with a character at least partly based on myself or some aspect of myself, and let their voice start developing. The story I'm working on now begins with a couple watching their neighbor cut down a tree, and the neighbor is an idiot, and the tree falls directly on his house. So I place them in this position, and now what happens? At what point does the neighbor come over and intrude in their lives and how does all of this affect the couple and my protagonist? My subconscious knows better than my planning mind does.

Question 4: What is your kryptonite as a writer?

Procrastination. More often than not, I try to plan my writing for the mornings, but the problem is that I really enjoy sleep and I battle with my groggy morning self constantly.

Question 5: Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?

Often! It can't be music with words, though, I've found. My go-to is the band Explosions in the Sky. Their stuff is instrumental and feels provocative and writerly.

Question 6: What do you think is the best way to improve writing skills?

Read widely--Faulkner said it best. Some people are writing snobs who only read "the best" writing but I feel that you also need to get a healthy dose of mediocre writing and writing across different genres. You get to see cool things authors are doing, techniques that work or fall flat, trends across books, and you see things that let you know you can also get away with them. You see what works and doesn't work.

Question 7: As a writer, what would you choose as your internal animal?

Snorlax? See above struggles with writing in the morning.

Question 8: What do the words “literary success” mean to you? How do you picture it?

Having a life where writing and publishing are sustainable. These things take time, effort, and focus, so it's all about prioritizing it and making sure they don't fall by the wayside. But I picture myself in the future hopefully teaching creative writing and literature somewhere, writing and publishing as often as I can. Oh, and being published by Taco Bell Quarterly wouldn't hurt.

Question 9: Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?

My wife, Kylee, bar none. She reads a lot of my stuff at multiple stages in the process and while writing, particularly literary writing, isn't her thing, she's very supportive and gives me the best advice, shares my work on her socials, etc. Get yourself an amazing partner like that, if you can find one.

Question 10: How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

I have a short story collection manuscript that I'm working on getting published, and a post-apocalyptic small-town-Kansas novel that I'm working on, both of which excite me but neither are published yet so are they books? I'm currently most excited about the novel in-progress.