For the next segment of interviews from our July 2022 Worldbuilding Short Fiction Contest, we’re interviewing our Young Author 1st Place Winner, Shadonovic!
In our last contest, we had wonderful submissions from young writers under the age of eighteen. We were so impressed with the talent of our top three winners, and we know you will be too. It is exciting to see such young talent emerging on our platform, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
Young Shadonovic, who is still in high school, created an immersive apocalyptic world full of terror, destruction, and invading aliens. Throw in a dash of magic, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a great science fantasy story!
In case you missed it, here are the winners of the contest, complete with links to their stories!
The Hell of Hashvan
After vicious, seemingly invincible aliens invade his peaceful world of Hashvan, young Gabriel is searching for signs of human life in the desolate, apocalyptic wasteland he now calls home. As a necromancer, he can reanimate humans and bring them back to life. In his search for corpses, however, he finds Cassie, an elemental “stonelian” magician that controls earth elements. Together with their unique powers, they set out to defeat the invaders and reclaim their home.
Author Biography
Shadonovic is a young Canadian-Korean author with a love for literature. He's been writing ever since he was ten but developed his passion for doing so when he was twelve. Though his career is set to be one in STEM, he intends to attempt publishing a book or two to share his love of writing with the world.
Author Interview
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
You are a young author still in high school. At what age did you start writing?
I started writing when I was twelve, though I only attempted to write a novel when I turned fourteen.
Who are the biggest influences on your writing and why?
John Flanagan, Jim Butcher, and Stephen King. All three are beautiful at worldbuilding, though at varying levels with varying skill sets, though I suppose the majority of the influence they have on me is rather subtle to the point where I myself don’t even notice.
You are already a traditionally and self-published author before even finishing high school! If you had any advice for other young writers out there who want to get their work published, what would it be?
Publishing your work isn’t the biggest thing that should come to mind with writing. You publish to gain exposure and attention, but you should be happy with your book before you do any of that. Make sure you’re pleased with what you’ve made and take your time when writing. Don’t rush and it’ll all fall into place.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
The possibility of self-improvement. I look at how I communicate and my talents, and I realise that there are pitifully few of the latter. Creativity and writing are both aspects of my life that manage to make themselves both a hobby and an enjoyable lifestyle, and I draw inspiration from the fact that I can present myself in a way that is entertaining and pleasant, as everything I write has a little piece of me within it.
As you’re heading into college in the next couple of years, do you plan on majoring in writing? Do you see writing as a lifetime career or more of a hobby?
I would love to major in writing, but it’s not a stable career. Many fabulous authors have gone unnoticed and their books left untouched on the shelves of a store. I will be taking writing electives in college yet I plan to write off the side of my desk. If my novels explode and are popular, I will transition into writing being my career, but until I get confirmation that I could live a sustainable life as an author I’m hesitant to run down that path.
Besides your winning story, “The Hell of Hashvan”, tell us about the WIP you have on Fictionate.Me. Do you find it helpful to get feedback as you write, and does it change your plot/outline at all based on that feedback?
My current work, Gratsinmorn, is a novel that I have been tinkering with for quite a long time. Though the first draft of the book only took me a week to write, I have been steadily and slowly developing the novel's characters along with their backstories and arcs. Creating and carefully tweaking the intertwined backstories of different OCs has taken me well over four years. I wrote the novel in two weeks, published the book on Fictionate, then decided I wanted to rewrite it due to how many errors I saw and the fact that I didn't include much of the world I had in mind. I generally find feedback beneficial though I've noticed some of the feedback I tend to receive is nitpicking or biased. However, feedback will often change the way that I write though the plot/outline almost always remains the way I envision it due to my plans for what I intend to be a three-book series.
You created an incredibly visceral apocalyptic world in your winning story, “The Hell of Hashvan”. What are some of your tips for young authors looking to improve their worldbuilding?
As previously stated, taking your time is the biggest key to success. However, there is more. When creating a world, it is vital that one looks into what you want as a result first. What do you want to have explained by the end? What thoughts and takeaways do you want your readers to close your book with? Lengthy descriptions with dragging exposition and difficult vocabulary aren’t the keys to success; the way the world is shaped will be what decides a good novel. And most of all, don’t stray from your vision. If you have an insight into what you want your novel to be, write it down! Your vision is a part of yourself, and writing is, in my humble opinion, an extension of ourselves and our personalities. You’re putting yourself out there in a novel, so put the best version of yourself that you can through your steady and clear writing.
As a student, how do you find time to work on your fiction? How do you balance school and your budding author career?
I simply write when I feel inspired. If I have homework, I generally finish it in time to allow for one to two hours of writing a day. I balance the work I have to do with the writing I want to do, sometimes sacrificing gaming or reading to do so, and everything falls into place.
Just for fun! Please list your favorite:
Books: I enjoy Ranger's Apprentice due to the way that Flanagan bridges the gap between fiction and fact in his renditions of medieval history. Intertwining the history of the countries and their traditions with the intricacies of a fictional novel is a difficult task yet he performs it brilliantly.
Codex Alera is just simply brilliant. Jim Butcher made a fantastic and fantastical world that involves several new concepts such as Furycrafting with a magic system that made complete sense and is understandable. He mixes angst with joy with action with a lack of boring lore dumps that make the series so much more enjoyable.
Harry Potter is just a child's dream, and I read it when I was indeed a child. It's one of my favourite books from childhood due to the depth in which Rowling went into exploring the world while still giving hints about other parts. Though I have my own criticisms of the magic system she created, I cannot deny that I loved the series.
Films: I have a feeling many would agree that my love of Lord of the Rings needs no reason, yet I think it's worth noting just how brilliant it was. The novels themselves were fantastic and brought me into the world Tolkien imagined, yet Peter Jackson managed to bring that fantasy into a visual setting with expert precision and managed to capture some of the very best of Tolkien's masterful work.
Star Wars is just generally such an entertaining and classic series of films that makes up my entire childhood. A system of power that is logical and steady, build-ups to the fight scenes through understandable and in-depth yet entertaining lore, and just plain awesome lightsaber duels.
Shows: Battlestar Galactica is just so fun. Most of it IS boring drama and talking, yet the fight scenes are made so much sweeter as a result of it. The concept is amazing and the entire series is well constructed.
Video games: Halo is a game that I will love forever. The Halo early franchise is classic and beautifully done, with entertaining gameplay and a well-crafted storyline. The lore behind Halo is phenomenal and I will never get over the incredible naval battles that are held between Covenant and Humanity or Banished and Humanity. I've played each of the campaigns several times over and I will do so again when I have the time.
Minecraft and Skyrim are my favourite sandbox games, just because of how much that can be done and how much fun they can be with friends.
Fortnite remains my favourite third-person shooter due to the fun I can have with my friends. Though playing alone is boring and arduous, playing with a group of friends is just downright hilarious and I have many fond memories of Victory Royales with "the boys".
Thanks to Shadonovic for taking the time to interview with us, and be sure to check out his story right here on Fictionate!
Also, check out my colleague Jillian’s interviews with our Grand Prize winners!
Author Interview: Tracy Pitts, Winner of the Worldbuilding Short Fiction Contest
Author Interview: Stargazing with Hannah Greer
Author Interview: Worldbuilding with J.P. Raison
Author Interview: Kate Seger, Prolific Multi-Award Winner
Be sure to tune in next week for our 2nd Place Young Author Winner, sixteen-year-old Sabrina Li!
Head to our socials to learn more about the rest of our July 2022 Contest anthology contributors.
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