Welcome to our interview for this month! We are with this talented author, WolfHusky88, who penned the story, Wings of Destruction and Duty.
Dark Fantasy Team: What was your inspiration for this story?
WolfHusky88: I don't think I have a specific source of inspiration (the ideas have been around for so long, I actually can't remember) but maybe old faery and folk tales? It might sound like a massive leap given that none of them show up in this story but I think reading them made me realise that stories about vengeance and revenge could actually be interesting. Other than that, I went through a phrase where I wondered why the protagonists were always so nice. More specifically how they would experience suffering yet somehow emerge ready to embrace the world once again and I think part of me just wanted to explore the consequences. Then again, that inspiration might have just come from the types of books I was reading. They might have been too cheery. Not that I don't like cheery things, we do need them.
DF: Under which circumstances and when did you start writing this story?
W: I started the first draft maybe four or five years ago? I was in middle school, the writing was horrible and I had no idea what I was doing. Then high school hit and I started to become a little more confident in how I wanted my story to turn out so I scrapped what I had and started again. Circumstances wise...I think I just used this story as a way to relax from my homework.
DF: Tell us something about your characters and their development.
W: None of them turn out really nice at the end of the story. Or at least I hope I'll have the heart to make them go that way. Aurnia struggles to shoulder the duties that have been thrust upon her, and at one point she stops caring. Which I think is great news for her because she finally finds the confidence to use her abilities as she sees fit. Orion is probably going to have to remain confused for a little bit since so much of his development revolves around discovering his family and the place he has within the group. And Lily just gets progressively meaner. It's fantastic news for me. Not so great for the other characters in the world.
DF: What was your biggest obstacle while writing this story?
W: In terms of the technicalities of writing, grammar and sentence structure has always tripped me up. I tend to find myself staring at the page, posting it and then realising that I've still messed up. That being said, I'm really grateful for all the help those in the DreamlandCommunity have given me. Everyone is always so patient and supportive and I think their help has definitely helped smooth that obstacle. Other than that, planning the story has always thrown me for a loop. I think it's because I have a habit of getting caught up on certain details and then many words later, I realise they aren't actually important. So it just slows the whole process of writing and can be quite discouraging.
DF: When and why did you start writing in Dark Fantasy? What caught your interest?
W: I think the greatest thing that caught my interest was the idea of consequence. Specifically how people's actions do spill out and impact all those around them. And I wanted to challenge myself to write something where my characters have to deal with what they have done. I really don't think there was a specific "lightbulb" moment when I started writing dark fantasy. More that as I began to write more, the subjects got a little heavier and before I knew it I had started to think about the meaner sides of magic. Of course, that doesn't mean that everything has to be dark, rather that it's important to strike a balance and acknowledge both the goods and bads.
DF: What other genres do you enjoy writing other than Dark Fantasy? How would you compare it with Dark Fantasy?
W: I really enjoy writing silly little slice of life stuff. Most of it is written from my dog's perspective and it's just there for me to poke fun at myself or be sarcastic. I definitely think it's a huge jump from dark fantasy because I highly doubt dragons throw food at a wall. But in all seriousness, I think it does provide me with a little bit of lighthearted fun if I'm a little too stressed to poke my head back into the world of dark fantasy.
DF: How was your experience in writing Dark fantasy? What do you think about it as a genre?
W: Overall it's been a good experience. I get to mess around thinking of how magic might work and what its implications may be. But as a whole I think that as genre dark fantasy is really interesting. I like the room for creativity that the fantasy element offers, and I think it gives us a nice scope to choose from. Specifically, we can touch on important subjects without having to hit too close to home (but of course there are also times when it's vital to do that). I'm also not much of a horror person, I'm a scaredy cat, but I do find it great that dark fantasy can open paths into exploring terrors and darkness. And personally I think I'm drawn to dark fantasy because it gives me that great sense of "what if."
DF: A war has occured between two mythical creatures. How would you tackle the situation?
W: I think it would honestly depend on what the mythical creatures were. If they're smaller than a horse then I might run off and yell questions from behind a rock in some strange attempt to figure out why they're fighting. Any larger and I will most likely go off, hide and then make a plan to either help them figure it out (if possible) or escape. I am sort of snack sized and don't plan on being eaten. But in all honesty, I think my reaction would be a mixture of "oh boy I want to help" and "oh no I have to run". As to how good I'll be at either of those things...that's a whole different story.
DF: What are your future plans with this book? Be it on Wattpad or in general.
W: My most immediate plan would be actually finish the book! It's slow going but I think I've finally figured out how to outline effectively or at least in a way that works for me. Fingers crossed. Past that, it's looking increasingly more likely that this book will be the first in a trilogy. I'm most likely going to upload them onto Wattpad because the community seems amazing and I really do appreciate all the support I've gotten. Beyond that I'm actually not too sure. I am going to have to do buckets of editing so I have that to look forward too!
Thank you so much, WolfHusky88, for being with us and agreeing to our interview. Check out their work, Wings of Destruction and Duty, to support our author!
- The Dark Fantasy Team
