Interview with Goldenwing

Interview with Goldenwing

by Nailah

“Alright, now tell me, my dear friend, what inspired your username?”

Response: It’s a bit of a story. Back before ponies, the handle I used everywhere was ‘Goldeneale,’ and indeed I still am Goldeneale outside the ponysphere. Goldeneale was the result of a very tired me trying to type ‘Goldeneagle,’ which was a reference to some lame animation on Newgrounds (you guys remember Newgrounds, right?) that young me thought was funny.

Anyways, when it came time to pick a name for my pony persona, I figured I’d just swap the ‘eale’ out for ‘wing,’ which is pretty plausible for a pony name. Generic, sure, but easy to remember and distinctive enough.

“What drew you into Mlp?”

Response: It’s just a good show. Back in the day when there weren’t even ten episodes out, I was mostly just curious about it all. There’s that initial shock of like, whoa, what the hay are all these grown dudes doing watching MLP of all things? So of course I had to check it out. It was a slow night, I had time to spare, and I told myself I’d watch three episodes before I judged.

Good thing, too, cause I totally wouldn’t have stuck with it if I stopped at two. The pilots really didn’t catch my interest too much. And after that, y’know, you just get the pony bug. Doodle ponies at school, read fics on Equestria Daily—this was before Fimfic—and load your iPod up with all the classics of the fandom like Jackleapp and Woodentoaster.

“Who is your favorite pony and why?”

Response:  Rainbow Dash, all the way. I’m big on loyalty, I’m big on awesome, and I love the irreverence with which she approaches every situation. The other ponies on my list get shuffled around some, but Rainbow’s always on top. She doesn’t leave her friends hanging.

I know you didn’t ask, but Rarity’s second. I never liked her before, but the more time you spend as an artist, the more you start to empathize with her character. Then you start taking commissions and you’re like, oh, that’s what they meant with Art of the Dress!

“Favorite episode and why?”

Response: Shucks, that’s a question. There’s so many good choices! Amending Fences, Secrets and Pies, Saddle Row Review, Perfect Pear, and I’ve got to pick one?

I guess I’d go with Amending Fences. There’s so many good little character interactions in there, and all of Twilight’s old friends are great. I love how it kinda ties up the loose end of those two ponies from episode one that basically everybody forgot about and never thought about again. Continuity! And then of course there’s the very interesting contrast between Twilight and Moondancer.

“What inspires you to write?”

Response:  What inspires me to write is the idea of inspiring others to write. I want to tell a story so good that it makes other people want to tell their own story, or possibly even write their own idea based on mine. I want people to look at my writing and go, “man, I want to do that,” and then go do it.

And then of course there’s just that urge to see your ideas come to fruition, y’know? I’ve got all these epic ideas in my head, but I just can’t hold all the details in a daydream! I’ve gotta get it down on digital paper, where I can lie back, stop worrying about what happens next, and just read it myself.

I like to tell people that they should write the story they want to read, and that’s what I do. Maybe it’s pretentious, but I love re-reading my chapters, because they’re tailor made by me to entertain myself. Not that I forget about the interests of my darling readers!

“Tell us about your favorite story, and why it inspires you to write. It doesn't have to be mlp specifically!”

Response: Well my favorite story is definitely Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I’ve got the whole series in one book, and I’ve read it over a dozen times by now. I love how I can just open it anywhere and get something good, some clever satire that subverts your expectations. And it just keeps taking on new meaning as you read. Definitely that book is a big part of who I am today.

That said, Hitchhiker’s Guide never inspired me to write. That prize I give instead to two old fics: Fallout: Equestria by Kkat and Shortskirtsandexplosions’ End of Ponies. I’m not really sure what it is about them, but ever since then I’ve been kinda stuck on that idea of stories with airships, post-apocalypse, and historical exploration. You see it in pretty much everything I write.

Fallout: Equestria is also why I try to leave room for side stories in all of my writing. I admit that when I first got into ponyfic I told myself I was gonna write the next FO:E, which was pretty bold of me! I’ve since gotten past that, but I still get a rush when people say that my writing reminds them of FO:E.

“Give us the background of the author! Tell us all about you. Well in a short summary.

Response: What can I say? I like airships, I like adventures, and I like to put kind-hearted ponies in rough situations full of airships and adventures and see what they do. I enjoy videogames and play some instruments, I host the most handsome beagle on the planet, and I have the liberty of working from home.

I cut my writing teeth on a story called Omega, which I spent five years trying to perfect and never even get through the first act. I didn’t have many readers back then, but everytime I’d look back at older chapters I’d find myself just increasingly disgusted with how I used to write, and then I just had to revise them. That was a cycle that really screwed me over, and eventually I just swore off the principle of revising chapters altogether and decided to start over with a new story.

That story was Empty Horizons. It has a lot of similar elements to Omega, but I think I like this version better.

“With Mlp coming to an end, tell us one thing you have learned from your experiences, and how it has helped you to grow?

 Response:  Friendship is magic? I mean if you want a life lesson, there’s at least fifty episodes of the show that end with an explicit aesop. I don’t see why I’d pick just one.

“Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Response: I think I’ve got a good spread here. I feel I’ve waxed a bit long on some of these questions, anyway. Am I allowed to plug things? Check out Skijarama on youtube! He’ll be doing my audiobook in a couple days, and it is tight!

Also, for those starting out, you’ve gotta stick with it! Learning to write is difficult, and learning to write well is rough. The most important thing you can do to become a better writer is to ask for serious critique, and take it without whining. Don’t take it personally and get upset when people give you advice, or you’ll stagnate and never learn.

Link to Goldenwing's fimfiction page: https://www.fimfiction.net/user/86626/Goldenwing

Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of interviewing you, you have truly been a pleasure to talk too. I hope you continue being awesome.

-Nailah.