Interview with Donny Winter

Such is that of the world of fan fiction. Such is also fan fiction writer Donny Winter. Creator of Kaiju Galaxy forums and a kaiju fan who's specialty is the world of fan fiction from every corner of the English-speaking internet. He is now finishing up his latest manifesto, "Mothra and Godzilla: Future Destiny", part of a trilogy of stories. "Future Destiny" is approximately 220 pages long and is already getting positive feedback. I got a change to interview with acclaimed author. This is what I found out...

Glad to have you on the blog Donny!

Thank you for having me!

So, let's talk about Kaiju Galaxy as of late. How has the forum been?

Oh the forum has been as delightful as it's always been. We have many activities going on, so people are satisfied!

Could you explain your passion for fan creations?

Well some may have heard me mention something to this regard before, but I sincerely feel that the creations wrought by kaiju fans are the heart and soul of the fandom right now since no movies are being produced. Not to mention, it really puts perspective on people's talents and allows them to improve themselves.

What is your new fan fic, Mothra and Godzilla: Future Destiny, about?

Well it would take me forever to describe what it is about, since it is a continuation of the other stories in my series. Technically "Future Destiny" is an alternate reality story that takes place about 4 years in the future from my current time line (around 2012). Most of the plot revolves around a group of humans with special Psychic gifts that allow them to protect the world along side of various Kaiju like Mothra, Godzilla, etc. This story; however, takes those characters to a whole new level---and really develops them. Which a lot of kaiju fan fiction and movies do not have...actual developed characters that people can identify with.

What were some influences on your writing?

Well a lot of things influence my writing. My friends really inspire me a lot...which is one of the main reasons why both them and myself are the characters. Plus a lot of music also influences my writing...many Kaiju Movie Soundtracks, Star Trek soundtracks....Lord of the Rings...so many things! I also get a lot of inspiration from other stories whether it be in TV series' like Charmed or the actual Godzilla/Mothra movies. But probably the main influence is my passion for writing, it has really allowed me to get this far.

What are some "dropped concepts" for the story?

Well...let me think. I can't really remember any specific concepts that I dropped....the only significant change I've made is that I've spread this story out over the course of a Trilogy. Originally it was supposed to be only two books; however, if I would have stuck with that plan the first book would be around 500+ pages in length...which would take me forever to finish.

How long has it taken you to write this 220+ page story?

So far...almost 2 years...in fact it will be 2 years this November.

Is there a sequel/prequel planned for this story?

Like stated before, this story was split into a Trilogy, so yes, there will be 2 sequels. And any story that came before this one are technically the prequels. Hence the concept of a "series".

How much hype is there for this story on other message boards?

Mainly just Kaijuphile and Kaiju Galaxy, I don't really post my fan fiction on any other kaiju message board---granted I probably should. So far there's been a lot of hype here on Kaiju Galaxy regarding this new epic.

You actually have close relations to other fans, like wolfprincess2007 AKA Mrs. Sahra. If they have, how have friends like this and other friends influenced your writing?

Well like I said before, my friends always inspire my work. I just love taking their personalities
and putting them into writing...into their own actual characters. People like Cyndi and Sahra are two main examples of this.

What is your next project?

My next project will be to start working on Book II!

Youtube fans Deadzilla and NickJownz have made films which actually while not looking as good, can be just as good as an actual kaiju film. With the help of creative film making and use of
Bandai figures, how good are the chances of fans getting a film adaptation?

Well the likeliness is pretty low since I don't have the materials to create an actual film adaptation. The best I can do is just film the characters! After the characters are main focal point of this epic.

You filmed a trailer for the film using your youtube account xMysticMothx. Could you give us some behind the scenes information about this trailer?

Actually, we (Sahra, Cyndi, and I) have filmed 3 movies up to date. There really isn't any impressive behind the scenes knowledge, aside from the fact that we all contributed to them.
How has the response to the fan fic been?

Initially I thought it would get poor response due to the gigantic amount of character development; however, the response has been increasingly positive!

Can you give any tips, information, or last words to our readers and to aspiring writers?

Probably the most important tip I can give to our readers and aspiring writers is to never give up on your talent. It doesn't matter if it is writing, art, etc, it is all important. Keep up the wonderful work!

Thanks for the Interview!