[FINISHED] Winter 2023 Awards

Interview with Olvaaarrdd

BEST SHORT STORY

Shatterstar and Other Cataclysms by Olvaaarrdd

What inspired you to write short stories like the ones in Shatterstar?

I was inspired to write the Shatterstar stories by the "Grand Gesture" story. That's the first one that existed since my now-wife asked for a salamander, so that story was my delivery method. After that, I just thought it'd be cool to write stories with my friends as protagonist (some named, some renamed), because I spent so much time writing stories but didn't have a means to share them. So I wrote to my favorite people and tossed ideas around with them and figured out what animals/entities they most embodied. It was the most fun I'd had with any writing activity so I stuck with the format of turning live muses into creatures.

That's super interesting. We often hear writers say they base some of their characters off of real people in their lives - it definitely pays off! Speaking of "Grand Gesture," how did you come up with some of the worldbuilding and scenarios in your stories, from shell societies in "Shatterstar" to planetary love in "Drift" and many more? Do you world-build at all or is it just personifying research? What do you focus on/look for?

Generally, I had it in my head that I was going to do animals. But while tossing around ideas, I realized that animal-living can be pretty apocalyptic because they have no agency over the planet. So that's when I started leaning hard into the apocalypse and darkness angles. I'm writing about people I know, though, so I want happy endings. So that informs my world-building. 1) A person I admire 2) the most annoying possible thing that could happen to them 3) a hopeful resolution.

For "Shatterstar", I did a lot of research on black tortoise biology. I do a lot of research on basic biology and living habits. I don't intend to use everything, I just research until I know the basics and come across really cool fun-facts to use in the world-building. The durability and tunnels were all I actually used, just ratcheted up into the supernatural.

For "Drift", I didn't know Pluto was largely red. So I used those descriptions to give it an uncommon theme.

Generally, I build off details that I like without any explanation. So then my descriptions can have personality without me trying so hard or overworking it.

It's impressive that you can create such detailed worlds with only basic research! Final question: What advice would you give writers interested in or currently dabbling in short story prose?

For me, the main guidance I operate by is: simplify everything—and exaggerate your favorite thing.

We don't have the space to explain or build-out everything, so I personally use a very straightforward plot/event and a fairly generic world with strong base descriptions. I make sure everything is super easy to remember.

Bc I have a distinct speech pattern, I almost always choose to exaggerate voice and character. My shorts are mostly character studies anyway.

Everyone's favorite thing is different, though, so whatever that is to you, exploit it very unapologetically and dramatically. This is just my method of leaning into my strengths haha