At Havok, we love stories and the people who write them. What better way to celebrate both than by hearing from our talented authors on what sparked the idea of their stories? It’s like peering into the mind of genius. (You know, that would make for an interesting story…)
Without further ado, here is this month’s Story Behind the Story.
On Jewel Thief by J.L. Ender
On Transmutation by Michael Dolan
Part of the spark for “Transmutation” came from figuring out how to interpret April’s reform theme. I liked the idea of reforming in terms of character—like a convict reforming their ways to catch another criminal. But I also thought it could be fun to explore the idea of physically reforming something. Medieval alchemy seemed like an intriguing way to blend these because I could both a) explore its preoccupation with transforming things into something else (often gold) and b) use that interest in gold to give a character a criminal history. In fact, transmutation is the term alchemists used to refer to the process of turning base metals into gold, though now it more generally means anything changing into another form. So it seemed like the perfect title for this story!
On Wanderer by Justin Mynheir
I formed a concept for a book with an almost Philip K. Dick type of ending a couple of years ago. I suspect that the whole “lone hermit in the apocalypse” narrative appealed to my angsty teenage sensibilities at the time. I stowed it among my maybe pile of ideas in the ocean that is my brain and decided that the story content was too bare for a novel. That brought me here, slapping the pieces together for the flash fiction piece it has since become.
On Rendering by L.G. McCary
“Rendering” originated in a scene from an unfinished novel where two characters were arguing about their favorite soap opera: Holo-Girl. One character desperately wanted Enid to date Theo while the other preferred another character you don’t see in the short story. I ultimately cut the scene, but that tiny mention of a fictional television show took on a life of its own long after I stopped working on that novel. Enid and Theo have been arguing and going on adventures in my head for almost ten years, so they were more than happy to come out and play!
NOW YOU: Is there a story you’ve read on Havok where you wondering what sparked it? Tell us which one so we can find out for you!
I love Rory Story Cubes too! I use them sometimes as prompts to just do some quick writing to get my mind going. :)
So fun to catch these glimpses into the minds of the authors behind the stories! Thanks for sharing, everyone!