Sean Minogue on writing and the subconscious, and reconciling high culture and pop culture

Sean Minogue has written for theatre, film, and television. His debut novel, Terminal Solstice, is available now from Turnstone Press. Sean’s acclaimed play, Prodigals, is also available from Latitude 46 Publishing. His writing has appeared in ARC Poetry Magazine, Lithub, Maudlin House, The Globe and Mail, Full Stop, and elsewhere. Sean lives in Toronto. Here is Sean Minogue on writing and the subconscious, what his writing practice looks like, and how his 'why am I here?' phase is influencing his reading.

Author Sean Minogue. Photo by Selina Whittaker

The evolution of a writer's creative problem-solving

OCW: What life experiences have shaped your writing style?

SM: I grew up without much connection to what might be called “high culture.” My teenage brain was formed by In Living Color (TV series), Metal Gear Solid (online game), and Fat Wreck Chords (a record label). In those years, most of my creative energy went into playing guitar in bands that appeared on stages in union hall basements and downtown bars.

When I left my home in northern Ontario, I entered a post-secondary world that felt pretty foreign to me. I struggled to adopt an academic lens on books and culture. It wasn’t a great fit. But university opened up whole new avenues of creative expression I never would have encountered otherwise. Art and theory became much more accessible once I had some guidance for how to engage with them. I’ve been trying to reconcile these worlds ever since, and I think that probably shows up in my writing.

OCW: Has your writing evolved over the years? If so, how?

SM: I hope so! I’ve written for a bunch of mediums that each require a different approach, whether it’s theatre, cartoons, poetry, or fiction.

My creative problem-solving improves each time I find a way to face-plant during the writing process. There’s always an ‘a-ha’ moment – sometimes it’s ‘oh no’ – and that challenges me to rethink how I should tell that story. I’m becoming more confident in my ability to draft, tear down, and rebuild my writing.

The cover of Terminal Solstice by Sean Minogue, and published by Turnstone Press

In my 20s, I thought first drafts were fragile things that had to be protected to keep them interesting. I loved their messiness and honesty (I still do!) and considered extensive revisions as a way to drain the fun out of a story. Learning how to write for more production-oriented mediums like theatre, film, and TV helped me appreciate how a story can (usually) get stronger through the revision process.

Sean Minogue on writing and the subconscious

OCW: Can you trace any common themes across your writing?

SM: Yes and no. I know they’re there, but I try not to think about them too much.

I think there’s a weird wisdom working away in the subconscious, like a community of Fraggles. I don’t want to spook them by getting too close to what’s happening down there. I just trust that the issues important to me will surface as I go. Right now, my writing process is a playful accident. My first drafts throw a bunch of thematic balls up in the air and I seem to always catch the same ones when I start revising.

OCW: Which authors and/or types of books do you like to read?

SM: Lately, I’m reading a lot of Irish writers (currently: John McGahern) and counter-narratives about the history of Canada (currently: Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life).

I’m deep into my ‘why am I here?’ phase of life and have been trying to untangle the threads that have led to the home and identity I’ve got today.

Balancing daily edits with story rebuilds

OCW: Do you edit as you write, or write and edit later?

SM: Both. Every time I sit down to write, I give myself a running start by lightly editing what I’ve written earlier before adding anything new. It’s a way of getting my hands back into the project. Once I’ve got a draft complete, I’ll do a proper edit and try to zoom out to see the story better. That will inevitably lead to finding gaps or awkward sections that I’ll need to cut. Then I’ll start the rebuilding process and repeat until things feel right.