Volunteer Spotlight: Chloe Brown
The Mighty Pens would be nothing without our volunteers. We wanted to make sure everyone got the recognition they deserve. Each week, we’ll be spotlighting one or more of our volunteers and they can tell you in their own words a little bit about them and why they are a part of the Mighty Pens team.
It’s the last week of November, which means we are down to our last couple of volunteers to celebrate! Yes, we’re disappointed, too. We love bragging on our volunteers every week!
Next up is Chloe Brown (she/her)! You can learn more about her and what she’s up to on Twitter @ChloeNicole2020.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I am a freshman studying Graphic Design at Wichita State University in Kansas. I was design editor for my high school’s yearbook staff and also enjoyed writing student features for the yearbook. In my free time, I like reading, playing the flute, and spending time with my dogs.
Q: Tell us about your pets!
A: My family has two incredibly cute dogs – a French bulldog and Boston Terrier.
Q: What are you currently reading/watching? What was your last 5 star read?
A: I love the romance genre – for books, I read a lot of YA and for movies, I am currently getting in the Christmas spirit with Hallmark.
Q: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A: I enjoyed writing on the yearbook staff in high school, but I have not written anything outside of journalism or essays for school. With non-novel writing and with my design work, though, I try to plan at least a rough idea, but I guess I would say I am more a pantser. In the design world, I like to let my creativity run wild, but sometimes it fights with my inner editor.
Q: What’s your favorite writing snack or beverage?
A: I do not usually snack when writing, but my favorite snack is probably peanut butter and chocolate trail mix.
Q: What’s in your ears while you write?
A: I like silence to focus.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about writing? Least favorite?
A: My favorite thing about writing is the final outcome. I am focused throughout the process and dislike my critical internal editor, but when it is done, I can appreciate the work and feel proud and accomplished. With journalism, I liked meeting new people, and although I was nervous and awkward sometimes, I thought hearing others’ stories was always interesting.
Q: Have you participated in NaNoWriMo before? Have you won? Are you participating this year?
A: I am not participating in NaNoWriMo, but my sister Courtney is and told me about the opportunity to volunteer with the Mighty Pens to create graphics for social media posts.
Q: Are you a Mighty Pens vet or a newcomer? Why did you decide to become a volunteer?
A: This is my first year volunteering. I decided to volunteer because as a graphic design major, I wanted experience designing graphics for a campaign and the Mighty Pens is a great organization that I wanted to support.
Q: What’s your favorite part about the Mighty Pens?
A: My favorite part of the Mighty Pens is how not only do they encourage writers through NaNoWriMo, but they go further and raise money to support a worthy cause, this year, Every Mother Counts. The Mighty Pens is an inspiring and welcoming community and even though I am not working on a novel like the participants and most volunteers, I feel connected to this amazing group.
Q: Do you have a special connection to Every Mother Counts? Or just like raising money for a good cause?
When I learned about EMC and situations like Susan Dennard’s, I thought about how blessed I am. As a triplet, I feel incredibly grateful to experience a healthy life with my mother and siblings since births of multiples can be risky and complicated. I appreciate health care workers and organizations like EMC that work to improve safety during pregnancies and childbirths.
