Inside The Indie Author: A Conversation with Donny Winter

Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym, and why or why not?

I suppose one could argue that I already write using a pseudonym. My actual name is Donald Winter; however, in the professional world, I go by “Donny Winter.” I just feel it fits me more. I have thought about creating a new pseudonym if I were to go into fiction writing again. We shall see what happens!

What is your “go-to” method for working through or around writer’s block?

Creating a space for myself that’s free of distraction and re-visiting the work of my favorite authors helps. Sometimes I must do a combination of both – writer’s block can be triggered by an array of different things, so sometimes it requires us to look directly at the source. We must ask ourselves “where is this writer’s block coming from” and/or “why is this writer’s block happening?”

From your perspective, what are the most important elements of good writing?

 In the context of poetry, since that’s my primary writing area – I’d say that the elements of good writing reflects these three things in no particular order: (1) it should ideally be accessible for the audience emotionally, (2) it should have perspective, meaning, the poem should have a conscious understanding of the world within which it exists, and (3) it should be YOUR story. Our writing is an extension of our histories as individuals, so what we produce should be informed by that and ultimately honor our own voices. 

What comes first – the location, the plot, or the characters – and why?

For poetry, I’d say none of the three. The first thing that comes first in my poetry could be a word, a message, an image, or even a theme. Poetry can often be fragmentary in its early drafting stages; however, one of those four items will manifest itself first. Whichever one does, I’ll steer in that direction. Oftentimes for me, it’s either a theme or image. Then, I build a message onto it.

What are your least favorite and most favorite things about publishing a book?

My least favorite thing is having to market my own work. Oftentimes, working with publishers with tight budgets, you may have to take responsibility of creating your own marketing materials. It’s a great skill to have but in our society, we’re conditioned to feel a certain sense of shame over promoting our work. I’ve gotten past that for the most part; however, it still crops up sometimes. My favorite thing about publishing a book would be reader response. I love seeing readers react, write reviews, and share their impressions. Writing builds a bridge between author and audience, which I find incredibly intimate.

What is a significant way your book changed from the first to the final draft?

I’m currently working on a collection of poems called Solarpunk Suburbia. Initially, the main change it experienced was that I had planned on it just being a chapbook (a short book of poems). However, I went through a creative boom this past year and decided to expand it into a full-length collection. As a result, I had to revisit the structure and progression of the book. Writing a book of poems is what I would imagine a musician goes through when assembling an album of music – there’s usually intention behind the order in which songs are listed in an album, I feel that’s the same with poetry.

What was the inspiration for your most recent book?

Casting Seeds (Alien Buddha Press, 2022) was my recent book. The inspiration behind it was my Grandma Winter. As she taught me the importance of kindness and empathy, she also taught me all things gardening. I juxtaposed her mentoring in those areas as crucial guideposts for how I’ve grown as a person.

What is a “darling” you’ve killed in a book that you’d like to resurrect in a future book?

Sadly, I don’t think I can answer this since I write poems. I don’t really have characters I’ve killed off. However, in my second book of poems Feats of Alchemy (Alien Buddha Press, 2021), there is a fictional character I created named Solus Arcane. They’re a cyborg and I’d love to bring them back in a future release.

Where are your most productive writing spaces, and what elements are important about that space to keep you focused on writing.

My own cozy office or outside are two of my favorite writing spaces. I especially love the latter – as a nature poet, being outside inspires me the most. We often overlook all the small details in the world. Writing outside helps me hone my sensory details and celebrate what we take for granted.

If you were to give one of your side characters a novella of their own, who would it be, and why do you think they need their own story?

I’m not going to lie – I’ve considered writing a piece of fiction for Solus Arcane as a bit of an extension of the universe I created for Feats of Alchemy. I think they need their own story because the collection of poems leaves a lot of interpretation for the audience.

What risks have you taken with your writing that made the book better?

In poetry, the first biggest risk I’ve taken is being vulnerable. It’s scary to be vulnerable to your audience; however, once you do, that makes that bridge I mentioned earlier far stronger. The second risk would be experimentation. I get bored very easily as a writer, so, you’ll see I switch things up a lot. My first book, Carbon Footprint (ABP, 2020) was very focused on weaving together nature and identity. My second, Feats of Alchemy was more cerebral, pop cultural, and cyberpunk inspired. Whereas my recent, Casting Seeds was a collection entirely written in tanka form. Most of my poetry is free verse – so that was a change for me. I feel that the risk in demonstrating versatility has paid off.

What’s the best monetary investment you’ve ever made with regard to your writing practice?

Business cards! I love having a business card with a good ol’ QR code on it for people to find my stuff. My next investment is to buy a table runner. I need to stop up my pop-up marketing game.

When you first began writing, what was a common procrastination trap you encountered, and how did you overcome it?

The internet. It’s such a distraction. I overcome it by putting my device in airplane mode and/or handwriting. Does it always work? No. Yet, it certainly helps.

What is your writing software of choice, and what is its best feature?

Google Docs. The best feature is being able to carry your work everywhere with you virtually. It also helps you with tracking edits!

Do characters’ names come immediately to you?  Do you add them in a final draft?  Where do you find names, and how do you make a final decision about the names you’ll use?

On the rare occasion I do write characters, I do think of their names immediately. They just strike me. Sometimes I may do research on names; however, not often.

Tell us the title of one of your favorite novels, and why this book is a favorite.

My favorite novel is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I think a lot of my reasoning is pure nostalgia. It was one of the first novels I’ve ever absorbed as a child, and I think it encapsulates my love of nature and world building. Tolkien has set the entire stage for fantasy writing and poetry as we know it today, in my opinion.

Think of the title of a hugely popular novel.  What is one major thing you would change about the book?

I just recently read Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. However, I would probably make the LGBTQ+ representation a little more accurate. I think the book salvages itself midway through; however, the first half of the book, the representation seemed a bit larger than life and unrealistic. I think as the characters developed though, the representation felt easier to relate with as an LGBTQ+ individual.

What are you reading right now?

Oh goodness. I’m reading a lot. I’m reading The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon – one of my favorite LGBTQ+ poets from the World War 1 era. I’m also reading the comic series Mothra: Queen of the Monsters by Matt Frank and Sophie Campbell – one of my favorite stories! Lastly, I just started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. It’s pretty good so far!

If you could take on the identity of a character in one of your favorite books for twenty-four hours and retain the memory of that experience, which character would you choose?  Tell us the title, author, character name, and why you would want to be that character.

I would be Radagast the Brown from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings legendarium. He’s a forest-dwelling, animal-adoring wizard. As a shameless tree-hugger, he is who I envision myself as often because he’s eccentric, besties with Gandalf, and just loves nature. Totally me.

If you could save five books from being destroyed in the apocalypse, what books would you choose, and why?

Dare I say – Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings legendarium? That consists of 4-5 books. Losing those would be cataclysmic in my opinion.

Tell us a little something about your current WIP.  When do you expect it to be released?

I’m working on my book of poems Solarpunk Suburbia, another book of poems I won’t reveal quite yet, and I’m working on a poem for another Godzilla-focused comic book release. For the book I noted above, I’m going to be shopping it around to publishers sometime around the summer. Hopefully it gets picked up!

What are the titles and genres of each book you’ve written?

1. Carbon Footprint (poetry)

2. Feats of Alchemy (poetry)

3. Casting Seeds (poetry)

4. “In the Shadow of a God” from Godzilla: 70th Anthology, (comic book story, poetry)

How can readers find you?  Website, social media, amazon author page… share all the links!

You can find me on almost any social media platform under Donny Winter. However, it’ll be easiest to find my stuff via donnywinter.com and my linktree: linktree.com/donnywinter.