Hello Dreamers,
So Justin Dill at Toronto Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers, a writer support group run by TDotSpec, wanted to interview me for the next installment of a newsletter being circulated through the group. With his explicit permission, I am allowed to repost it here.
Hubris to post the transcript of an interview with me? Probably. It's in making up for the fact that I didn't have any recordings from the Launch Party I had in April. The questions I was asked then are about what is being asked of me now, so here is making up for that.
The Interview
Justin:
I noticed you named your publishing company Space Whale Dreams, a name inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. What were some of the specific sources
of inspiration for Champion of Seasons? What would you say are the benefits from drawing inspiration from multiple mediums?
Shannon:
When I initially drafted Champion of Seasons I had inspirations from Greek Mythology, most notably the webcomic Lore Olympus, which was a modern re-imaging and its first story arc involved Hades and Persephone. Many of the fantasy elements do come from Dungeons and Dragons, especially in how the world is laid out. The Kraken monster is based on the Big Octo from Legend of Zelda, Wind Waker.
Outside of fiction, there is also the influence of living in Canada that depicted the land as getting cold and snowy in winter and hot in summer – the Greeks' understanding of ‘Winter’ would have been simply a dry season when nothing grew. There is also the basic understanding of the use of faith within medieval Europe as a means to enslave the masses and force certain hierarchies and behaviours. Several readers would have picked up on the obvious feminist undertones of the story.
It had also been a few months since my father died when I wrote the initial draft. That lose fresh in my mind made me contemplate the nature of death, and how many ancient people noted this connection between life and death. Most obvious with the Greeks, where the God of Death takes the Goddess of the Spring as his bride. That juxtapose in how much of an odd couple they are does make for some good storytelling.
Lastly, if Persephone is reason behind the shift in seasons, then it can be deduced that one of her holy domains would be change. As she says in her reveal: “I am delta.” The Greek symbol of change.
Justin:
You’re well-known in our group for your exceptional drafting speed. Tell us a bit about the drafting process for Champion of Seasons. How long did the entire journey
take, from inception to publication? Were there any speed bumps along the way, so to speak?
Shannon:
Well, to draft fast involves not thinking too hard at the time on what you are writing. Some advice from business writing is simply, when you draft, freaking draft! Don’t edit, don’t check spelling, just write! Caffeine helps too. I have experimented with the Hemingway approach, which I had to abandon when I moved back to my mother’s house: she would not approve of me being chronically tipsy.
Champion of Seasons had been drafted a few years before I got around to publishing it. The process did involve outlining and writing. Typing everything out until the story was done, then going over it to make sure it makes a lick of sense. I did have it beta read by a few people and their input was considered in another round of edits.
The story would otherwise have stayed on my hard drive if not for being fired from a well-paying job in 2022. Willing to take a chance I then hired someone from Reedsy to give a professional edit of the draft and a blurb, then found someone on Etsy to do the cover art, and played with pdfs while uploading to KDP where it became a listing on Amazon.
The audiobook creation was also interesting. Again, having to edit it, then play with the files so that it would be accepted into their system, then waiting with bated breath for a human to approve the upload. They did, 10 days later.
Justin:
You frequently attend our virtual Sunday writing sprints sessions. How have those sessions benefited your overall creative process? Are there any drawbacks to having
a rigid structure to your writing sessions?
Shannon:
There is the obvious advantage that the structure forces you to write. You have the encouragement of others, and the ability to bounce ideas off eachother. Course, the rigid nature does mean also having to write even if one’s not feeling it.
Outside of the Sunday Sprints, I do use the Pomodoro method in drafting. As of late, as I have a goal of releasing three books this year, I have set word count targets in certain mouths, with my Nanowrimo target this year being 100,000 words and not the 50,000-word minimum.
Not every mouth has a target, and some are a more modest 25,000-50,000. After all, drafts need editing! Also, I like to do other things. Like stream Super Mario Maker on Twitch, some video editing, and trying to make a game, among other goals.
Justin:
It’s always tough, as a writer, to let go and put our characters out there into the wild. What was it like setting Lyn and Kora loose into the world? Do you think
you might explore further adventures of theirs in the future?
Shannon:
There is a saying: it has to ship. All I can do is make sure that the manuscript is in a state where it stands a fighting chance against every other book, video game, movie, tv-show, podcast, song, and live stream.
As for setting characters loose into the world. Well, to put it bluntly, I only build enough of the world that I can tell the story I want to tell in said world and have everything make sense. After all, stories are about people, and lore is a story within a story. So, as I make the characters navigate their reality I create more of it.
My approach to characterization and character development does go against the philosophy of many authors who feel they have to do what the characters want to do, or would do. Trying to live and advocate for and through them. A character in a work of fiction isn’t a sentient being that one needs to advocate for – it's a puppet that can behave in any fashion you want, even in ways that make no sense and go against our understanding of human nature. Maybe a little mean, but it is a freeing revelation.
As for Lyn and Kora. Well, spoilers, Lyn will be in the sequel.
Justin:
Your novel also draws inspiration from Greek mythology. What is it about ancient myths that you think people find so timeless? Are there any other mythological figures you’d like to write about, given the chance?
Shannon:
What people like about Greek Mythology is the basic fact that the Gods are people much like you or I. That and the possibility that a mere human could surpass the divine itself. The stories of the Greek Gods are human stories, involving love, hate, jealousy, redemption, and other aspects of the human condition, both good and bad. Given that Western culture has a basis in Greek and Roman culture many of the references in modern times come from the Greeks. From Nike to the Caduceus, these references are everywhere.
As for other Gods. The sequel will have other gods and divine beings. It will have a few more from Greek Mythos as well as from Biblical mythology as Christiandom is present in the world of Lyn and Kora.
But of course, why be bound by ancient mythos? Whispers of the Abyss involve Lovecraftian-inspired beings akin to gods. Quantum Songstress will have Deus Exes. As for pop culture references, it is said: “A fantastical work of fiction created a long time ago is indistinguishable from mythology.”
Additional Information
For more information on TDotSpec and Toronto Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers, here are some links for your permusement:
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