Original Fiction of the Week: Vallen

Vallen is an amazing original fiction written by winter.is.coming. In this edition of Original Fiction of the Week, we take a closer look at this wonderful story.

Give us a brief summary of Vallen.

Vallen (which is Dutch for "falling") is a story of death, both the figure and the concept. It's a story of a man named Death who reaps the souls of the dying, and it's a story of two human beings who have been incredibly affected by him. One is a girl who is alone, with Death as her only friend. The other is a young man who once met Death, and has thought ever since he'd never be happy living in this world. These two people, in the same city, taking classes at the same school, are continuously haunted by their pasts. Their lives are intertwined in more ways than they know, and yet they somehow find themselves on different paths. In the end, they're infinitely lost. And Death seems to be the only one who can guide the way.

What inspired you to write Vallen?

Recently I started studying Greek Mythology, reading books about it, both fictional and factual, and Hades has always been someone I've been curious about. In so many stories he's translated as this harsh, dark, evil god who loves death and torture and all things black. He's often the villain, and if not he's usually just a rude, cranky kind of guy. So with time I started wondering about his story, about what he would be like if he interacted with the human world more often. He has the ability to love, and he has the tendency to be fragile, but he's also been hardened by thousands of years reaping the souls of so many humans. What if he loved a girl, not in a romantic way, but in the way a writer is with a story they're passionate about? What if this girl was his sort of story? What would she be like? To me, she'd be like Katerina, the lonely girl who likes to draw.

How long have you been working on this story?

The idea of Death as a man has been in the back of my head for at least a year, but this particular story, Vallen, I only just started writing last month. It was incredibly random. It sort of just jumped on me, after thinking about it for so long, and I just sat down and wrote about Death, and Katerina, and this young man named Markus, and it was just there.

What is your favorite thing about writing Vallen?

My favorite thing is the ideas I have going through my head as the story grows. While I have very little of it posted, I have a good plot line and I know overall what's happening. The process of writing the characters, writing about their pasts, their dreams, their nightmares, their apartments, all these little things, are probably the best part of the story for me.

What is the most challenging thing about writing it?

Most definitely the hardest part is getting into the actual beginning of the story. While setting up the prologue is simple, actually writing about the people in their daily lives is very difficult. Where do I start? Do I start with breakfast, or dinner? Do I start with them talking about their life and all that's happened, or do I just jump right into it?

Have you ever experienced writer's block with this story? If so, how did you overcome it?

Writer's block has been a part of the process, that's for sure. As I said before, the actual beginning of the story is an incredible struggle. In the midst of that right now, I just open up my document and start writing about the characters as a whole. Maybe they're in art class or maybe they're sitting on the floor of their apartment thinking about life. When I get through that, I look over all the stuff I have down and see what would make the most sense to put next in the story. So far, it's been difficult, but it's just another fragment of writing any sort of story at all.

Do you write with an outline, or just wing it?

While I don't usually write outlines, I definitely have an outline in my head. I know what I want to happen, I know when it's going to happen, and I know what conflicts there are and how they get resolved. When it comes to actually getting it down on paper though, I completely wing it. The words I write are spouting out of my head like a fountain with no drain, overflowing with randomness and scraps of my mind. Usually though, that's when I write best.

Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?

When it comes to writing, if I'm inspired, all I really need is a good Pandora station and a cup of coffee or water and I'm good to go. If I have an idea I have to get onto paper that very instant, I'll write it on my hand if I have to, but usually when I write it's when I have time and can sit back and relax for a while.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

I'd like to say thank you so very much for giving my story a chance, and subscribing and recommending and everything. I'll continue to update at least once every two weeks, and I hope you like where it goes.

Special thanks to nearly witches. and C418 for editing!

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