Behind the Story

It wasn't until I finished reading Madeline Miller's "The Song of Achilles" that the idea for "The Shadows the Ocean Keeps" entered my mind. I was in awe of how Madeline brought to life a story that I'd long known, but yet it felt new. The details she added, the story of Patroclus - it was fresh, imaginative, yet felt accurate to the mythology I'd always enjoyed.

That sent me to thinking of some of the incredible submarine stories I'd learned as a young adult, one of which includes the USS Barb (SS-220) sending a landing party to the Japanese shore to place explosives and an improvised detonator switch onto train tracks, successfully becoming the only submarine to "sink a train".

And the Barb is where this story initially began, but it isn't where it stayed. I spent months, around six months, to be accurate, developing the story in my head. I played it through like a movie, picturing the scenes, the men, and how they moved throughout the submarine. I created backstories for my fictional characters, learning where they were from, who their families are, what they look like, and developing their personalities.

Still, I couldn't find the motivation to sit down and write. I tried once, several months ago, and it failed miserably. One chapter, and one that I have happily deleted from any records (trust me, it was not good).

Then came along Matt Dinniman's "Dungeon Crawler Carl" series. Now, hear me out... This series is incredible, but it has very little, if not nothing, to do with "The Shadows the Ocean Keeps". What it does have, though, is intricate storytelling and an audiobook narrator that brings every character to life in their own unique way.

That hooked me. It made me excited. Listening to Jeff Hays bring Matt's characters to life, hearing the distinctiveness and originality of his writing style - it was motivating in exactly the way I needed.

In less than a month, I've completed eight chapters of "The Shadows the Ocean Keeps", and I estimate I'm about 20% - 25% complete with the first draft of the manuscript. And it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Madeline Miller, Matt Dinniman, and Jeff Hays.