Daniel Song,

Author of Rescue

 

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background.

My name's Daniel.  I grew up in New York.  I'm 22.  I've got some college under my belt, and I'm a database administrator.  At heart I'm an artist, and I like to draw as well as write.

What inspired you to start writing?

There were times when I just found myself wanting to inspire people with my words.  Writing is also a means of expression that seems to come naturally to me.  I like the idea that people would be inspired by my work in general.  What inspired me to write in the end just seems to be the simple urge to do so. My hands get "The Twitch" and I just have to draw or write something.

Who is one of your favorite authors?

 Terry Pratchet.

What are some of your favorite books?

 "The Truth"  

Give us a one sentence description of your winning story.

 It's about an orc who tries to rescue a human woman, being held captive by a bunch of evil orcs, but makes a bit of a clumsy entrance, gaining the attention of the evil orcs, and giving the woman an opportunity to escape on her own.  It was inspired by a character I'd made for the World of Warcraft MMORPG.

Besides writing, what are some of your hobbies or interests? 

 I like to draw, play World of Warcraft, listen to music, watch movies, nothing out of the ordinary.  Oh yeah, I like winning writing contests :)

Are you a gamer? Any favorite games?

 I'd say I'm a gamer.  WoW is definitely top notch.  I like playing "Day of Defeat," "WarcraftIII: The Frozen Throne," and a few others who's names I can't think of at the moment.

What is your favorite type of music?  

Um...hard to say.  I like a lot of things.  Jason Hayes makes some pretty interesting classical.  It sounds like he blends some technology in with instrumentals and vocals.  Regardless of whether or not that's true, I really like the way it sounds.  I find it works perfectly when playing WoW.

I like Rock, Madona (don't really know her genre by name), Jameroquai(I think they call his music Trip-hop).  I guess I like a lot of experimental music; the music where people try new things.  Of course, I only like it when it works :)

 I like powerful, loud, dramatic music.  The "Montegues and the Capulets" is a delightfully dark piece in my view.  "Liberi Fatali" which was composed for the "Final Fantasy VIII" intro song.  

 How long have you been writing?

 I've been writing on and off for a few years at least.  Not really sure of an exact number.  

 What kind of stories do you most enjoy writing?  

 I like serious with a side of good humor.  I like tastefulness.  I guess with me it's all about the interaction between the characters, and the characters themselves.

When you sit down to write a story, do you know where you are going or do you "see where the pen takes you"?  

 I believe I see where the pen takes me for the most part.  I've usually got an idea, and the simple urge to write something.  I just wing it, and then edit the piece repeatedly.  It's never really done, but, there's a point when I can say, "Okay this is a good stopping point."

What has been your biggest learning tool or experience as far as writing is concerned?

 Hrm.  Reading other people's works and humankind in general.  A good story combined with what I call "True human interaction" hits people right in the hearts.  It's not too hard to lose people in a particularly complex plot, but regardless of story, people will always understand human interaction on some base level.  Good movies work.  I love watching a good story in action with good characters.

Is there anything else you would like to add? (something interesting about yourself or an interesting experience you've had)

 Yes I would actually.  I wanted to thank Jason for setting this contest up.  I think it was a really good idea and I hope he does more things like it.  On a more personal level, I didn't think I would win, but now that I have won, I have more confidence in my writing ability.  How many people submitted entries?  How many entries did you get total?  I'm actually motivated to write more, and if Jason ever needs or wants some more material, feel free to look my way :)  This contest was an experience in itself.  Thanks.