Something exciting in the world of my newsletter: a free fantasy short story as a thank-you gift for subscribers! Stone Grown is set in the greater world of my latest fantasy novel Seeker of the Lost Song and its sequel-in-progress. It’s historically-inspired, character-driven, and draws on Finnish and Filipino folklore and customs.
///Note: A slightly more detailed version of this post first appeared in my monthly newsletter, Deadmedia. Join us here if you want earlier access to posts like this one – or to read Stone Grown yourself! ///
My existing community helped me choose to write a story as a new subscriber gift, and I’m so happy with the choice. It feels life-affirming to have something created and out there in the world within a few months. In a way it reminds me of my old zine days. It’s also my first short story in four years, and it’s great to get back to my roots in that way too.
I have to thank my friend Katie Li for her self-guided short story writing course. Katie is a super-prolific, multifaceted, generous writer. She’s one of my inspirations, always considering ways to deepen her relationship to writing and creativity, and coming up with thought-provoking and unique ideas to do just that. You might remember that she interviewed me about The Quiet is Loud. Even though we did it via email, I felt her insight, her thoughtfulness, as vibrantly as if we’d been face-to-face.
So when it was time to write Stone Grown, I knew that Katie’s course would be perfect. From Song to Story helps writers create a short story inspired by a song, from idea generation to completed work. You form an intimate understanding of all components of the song to build an intricate foundation for a story. It’s honestly like no other writing course I’ve ever done. Its 45 exercises delve deep. My resulting short story is in conversation with my chosen song, but its characters and theme carry the thread in their own unique way.
So what song did I choose, you might be wondering? Some of you may not be surprised to learn that I turned to someone I find a different sort of creative connection with.
“Cuckoo Cocoon” by Genesis
Yes that’s right, I’m back on my Peter Gabriel bullshit. I wanted to choose something from Genesis’ last Gabriel album, “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” specifically because he wrote all its lyrics. I’ll share the lyrics of Cuckoo Cocoon here, but if you’re like me and skip the songs in The Lord of the Rings, don’t worry – this one’s short (and if you want to listen, you can do so here).
Wrapped up in some powdered wool-I guess I’m losing touch.
Don’t tell me I’m dying, ’cause I ain’t changed that much.
The only sound is water drops, I wonder where the hell I am,
Some kind of jam?
Cuckoo cocoon have I come to, too soon for you?
There’s nothing I can recognize; this is nowhere that I’ve known.
With no sign of life at all, I guess that I’m alone,
And I feel so secure that I know this can’t be real but I feel good.
Cuckoo cocoon have I come to too soon for you?
I wonder if I’m a prisoner locked up in some Brooklyn jail
Or some sort of Jonah shut up inside the whale.
No-I’m still Rael and I’m stuck in some kind of cave,
What could’ve saved me?
Cuckoo cocoon have I come to too soon for you?
I also wanted to use this song because it’s from a concept album with a somewhat linear story. This came in handy as I was able to draw on the song that comes after this, as well as the stage of life Gabriel was in during its writing. He left Genesis after this album’s release, and even during its recording the cracks were showing in the band. He said in 2007 of the album’s tour: “The hotel was part of rock’n’roll culture and I realised, ‘I’m part of this machinery and I don’t feel this is where I should be or who I am’. I could feel the pressure mounting and I had to punch my way through it.”
I can’t overstate how perfectly this sentiment showed up in the song and in Stone Grown. It’s on the surface as Kivikas wakes up under an enchantment that feels wrong but also comfortable. It’s woven throughout the themes, the characters, in more conceptual ways.
And, look, you’ll have to excuse what is possibly the most fangirl behaviour I’ve ever exhibited but: writing this story based on the song also helped me feel more connected to Peter Gabriel. At least, in the creative sense. The song is full of imagery that speaks directly to the exact internal conflict he was going through about his own artistic needs. But it’s also just a fucking cool song even divorced from that context. These facts helped me get even deeper into the story, giving myself permission to explore what’s driving my own life at the moment.
History & folklore story inspirations
Here’s a quick rundown of some of Stone Grown’s historical & folklore inspirations:
- Turku Castle* in the medieval period, under Swedish rule. Specifically:
- The labyrinth carved into the wall in the Ladies’ Parlour to trap evil spirits
- The Scriptorium
- Tuonela, the Finnish land of the dead, and its associated characters
- Pre-colonial Filipino death rituals
*I visited Turku Castle in 2015 – read about it here!