Goal Post: Treading Water and Conclusions

Posted on November 14, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

This was a busy week where I didn’t make nearly as much progress as I had hoped.  At least with writing.  I did finish chapter 7 of Darwin & the Deadland Queen, which is a title I’m still rethinking.  Might reveal too much, but it isn’t like what I’m trying to hide is a grand secret.  Anyway, I didn’t get around to chapter 8 beyond writing the opening paragraph and start the dialog.  Family came last Sunday, so I lost that day.  Veteran’s Day was when I made a little progress, but I had to stop when custody stuff came up.  That came first.

For the coming week, I’m not going to have much time to write.  This weekend is the big ‘end of season’ Pokemon event, so we’ll be switching between park and indoors for both days.  There are plenty of appointments this week as well, especially on the day I would normally use to make some progress.  So, Darwin & the Deadland Queen will have to wait until next weekend when I get my afternoons.  I got over the Act 1 hump though, so that’s a plus.  I won’t finish chapter 8 before Thanksgiving, but I’ll be happy to get through half of it.

In other news, my son and I had a blast watching ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ last Saturday.  He kept up with the subtitles enough to understand what was being said.  The movie was mostly human drama in the face of Kaiju, which is how Godzilla movies tend to go outside of Hollywood.  I like it because it makes the appearance of these monsters more impactful to the story.  We never became desensitized to Ghidorah or Godzilla, so there was always a sense of awe and danger from them.  I highly recommend this movie, but will warn you that it gets VERY loud.  Might need earplugs if you have sensitive hearing.

My son had his senior banquet on Monday, which is another night I was hoping to do some writing after errands.  It ended a little earlier than expected, so I didn’t get very far and junked what I did write.  The important part is that he had fun.  It was a good way to start what ended up being a stressful week.

So, the event that took the air out of the week was settling the custody situation I mentioned a few times.  It was reaching a point where the stress messed with my stomach pretty badly.  Without going into details, an agreement was made, so we avoided a trial.  Is it a great agreement that will make everyone happy?  Time will tell because things are always left with wiggle room for discussions, but that space can also be used for shenanigans.  We have less than a year before my son turns 18 too, so this is to get us over the finish line.  There are a bunch of guidelines and checks now, which stops us from playing games.  That’s a good thing.  It’s really going to come down to if we can work together when we don’t have lawyers, teachers, administrators, or medical professionals watching us.

This coming week is the big one before Thanksgiving.  As I said, we have a bunch of appointments in the evening. Work will have a few field trips, which should make things go quickly.  That or drain me completely because you can never tell how these outings will work out.  All I know is that I’m determined to make it to the end without letting the nagging, stress-induced health issues get to me.  It’s supposed to be kind of cold too, so Pokemon outings will be limited.  I feel bad that I barely writing now, but I guess that’s how things will be for a while.

Touching on the writing again, I am still trying to fight through feelings of no longer being good at it.  I had this going on with previous Darwin stories, but reading through them again helped me fix it up.  Same could happen with Darwin & the Deadland Queen, but it feels messy right now.  That or empty even though I’m hitting all of the plot points that I planned.  This is really boiling down to Darwin not being able to cause utter chaos and the villain not being as . . . evil.  I think that’s the word, but there is something I expected and it hasn’t turned up.  Not that the character is bad.  I like that he’s turned into a refined monster instead of a short-fused ruler.  Yet, it creates another obstacle to adding action scenes.  Maybe the long pauses between writing are also making me feel like my thoughts are disjointed.  Hard to say . . . Losing a few positive reviews on my published books probably has helped my mood.

So, what are the goals of the week?

  1. Appointments for my son.
  2. Pokemon Go event this weekend.
  3. Try to finish first section of chapter 8 in Darwin & the Deadland Queen.
  4. Tinker with outline, which should probably be 3.
  5. Make sure to get extra sleep to reach the weekend.
  6. Get the seasonal flavors at Baskin Robbins.
  7. If possible, design more ‘Coven of the Gray’ characters.
  8. Lego when I need a screen break.
  9. Double check December posts.  Maybe do a few for January.
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Jung’s Self Quarter

Posted on November 13, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Even all these years later, it’s tough to differentiate this group from the Soul one.)

Here’s the final grouping that focuses on the Self.  This does feel like it’s very close to the soul, so it can be confusing.  The difference that I can see is that there is a focus on influencing others through power in Self.  The Soul is more emotional and has a bigger internal factor.  You can tell how close the archetypes come to each other as we’ve moved along, which makes sense.  If they cover the majority of the human psyche then you’ll have some slight overlap.  Now, to complete the set.

The Jester

Motto– You only live once.

You would find comic relief characters here, but it’s more about why the Jester is being funny.  It is a way to connect to others and stave off boredom.  Even if they are on an adventure, it’s laughter that they crave and helps them learn about both themselves and others.  This can be a sign that they are immature, but also a shield to hide their fear or bring down the defenses of those around them.  A downside here is that they don’t always pay attention to lines and will cross them at times.  This means you get friction between the Jester and the more serious characters.  Their antics can be seen as wasting time and obnoxious, especially when one’s sense of humor doesn’t match the comedy.  Still, you can use these characters to defuse tense situations, which can get you out of an emotional dead end.

One of the hardest things to do is have the Jester be taken seriously by the audience.  As I said, the joking can be seen as immature even if that isn’t your intention.  Many people don’t see humor as a coping technique for stress or a way to communicate, so they will chalk the character up as childish.  This makes any serious moments hard for them to believe.  Best way to do this is to spread out the jokes and not have them be nothing more than comedy.

The Sage

Motto– The truth will set you free.

The Sage is nearly the polar opposite of the Jester even though they are both focused on the self.  Instead of humor, these characters utilize wisdom and knowledge to guide their actions and advice.  They believe the success and freedom is gained through understanding as much as possible, which can lead to them becoming fixated on certain things.  Sages don’t always have the flexibility of Jesters and Creators because they are locked on the truth and facts of a situation.  You would need to temper them or show that their biggest flaw is an inability to think outside of the box.  This is strange considering they seek freedom, but the box is a means to an end to them.  Authors have a habit of making these characters very wordy and occasionally overbearing, which shows how we perceive intellectuals.  In reality, they can be simple in explanation and easy-going without losing their ‘wise’ persona.

Many times you find the Sage as a mentor character, but they can take on various roles depending on the story.  You can even use this as a villain who dislikes anything they see as pointless or immature.  This is if you don’t find a way to balance the focus on knowledge with something else.  If the character only wants to learn and talk then you might not get very far with them in certain stories.

The Magician

Motto– I make things happen.

While it isn’t surprising that the Magician is setting out to leave a mark on the world, it might be a shocker that we have to think of this without magic.  This is only a term and doesn’t specifically mean wizards.  The Magician is very active in their power and set out to change things.  They’re one of the most proactive of the archetypes since they don’t wait for events to come to them.  Similar to the Sage, they seek knowledge and information, but they are utilizing it to change the world instead of obtaining freedom.  Think of the Magician as a catalyst for plot events because they are the ones most likely to move the ball along.  Not that they are impatient, but they will act once they see an opportunity.  It isn’t a random move either.  They usually have a plan and a goal in mind, so there is a deep focus on results and the path.

Unfortunately, Magicians can be wrong and make a mess of things.  A flaw in these characters is that they can unravel a situation by thinking they are making the correct move.  Instead, they make a mistake.  This can stem from them not being obsessed with research like the Sage and miss something or they’ve developed some arrogance.  It can even be that the villain manipulated them, which brings us to another flaw.  Magicians run a high risk of manipulating others to the point where they usurp the free will of both friends and enemies.  If they want a certain result then they may do whatever it takes to get there, which is dangerous.  It’s a good way to have a Magician fall from hero to villain as well.

The Ruler

Motto– Power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

The Ruler is out to create structure through power, but falls under Self because they tend to have a high level of arrogance.  That is unless they’re tempered by more a empathy-driven secondary.  One of the oddest things when I read up on the Ruler is that nearly everything made them sound negative.  That motto, fear of being replaced as leader, focus on control and power, and mention of a desire for everyone to listen to them.  Only one site talked about them wanting stability and pointed out that the Tyrant side of this archetype is a negative possibility.  Yet, we do see more Rulers put in as villains, inept secondaries, or obstacles to the heroes who work outside the law.  This makes it rather difficult to go into details about how to use these characters.  Personally, I think it’s more interesting to create a Ruler who seeks to create stability while remaining a beloved leader instead of going full dictator.  You can have the temptation there and they may slip, but they can show that power doesn’t always corrupt.  Authors seem to be rather obsessed with that ‘power corrupts’ thing.

One thing I can suggest with the Ruler is to have them assisted by another archetype.  It could be the Sage or the Magician or the Hero.  Maybe even the Jester or the Lover can make sure this character doesn’t go dark.  The truth is that it is fairly easy to prevent such an outcome, but we all know that people enjoy seeing characters fall.  For a Ruler, that would be losing power, being killed, or going evil.  Even though this is a possible outcome, it is fairly common and doesn’t hold the same oomph that it did years ago.

What do you think of the Self Archetypes?  How do you feel they differ from Soul?

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Poetry Day: Threat From The Other

Posted on November 12, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

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(I really don’t know what prompted this poem.  Guess it makes sense that one would be afraid of a murderer.  Honestly, I think this fear hits me more now that I work in a public school.  Kind of messed up there.)

Humans are like bubbles
Adrift on breezes
With minimal control
Extinguished with such ease
No matter how we try
No matter how we hope

 

We expect disease
To take us at some point
The dream is for old age
To snatch us in our sleep
Accidents can happen
Marked down to horrid luck

 

These are fates I fear
But not as much as one
It is one that stands so far
Beyond my hands to mold
The frailty of another’s mind
One that snaps and takes me too

 

How do you prepare for this?
Without quivering at home
Praying that a maniac
Does not bust down your door
Can we stop the unseen?
Are we fools for even trying?

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Jung’s Soul Quarter

Posted on November 11, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Definitely a powerful and challenging group to write.  Really need to capture their passion and energy.)

Here we are with the next group, which are the archetypes that fall under the ‘Soul’ category.  These characters pursue fulfillment of the spirit and all have some sense  of freedom within their core.  This may be physical, emotional, or mental freedom depending on the archetype.  As before, there is one per cardinal orientation that helps further define them.  Let’s check them out.

The Explorer

Motto– Don’t fence me in.

Being in the ‘Freedom’ orientation, the Explorer is one who sets out to evolve and discover themselves through adventure and activity.  It might not be crossing the Sahara or battling ogres, but they seek to build themselves through big experiences.  Characters under this archetype don’t always have a clear goal, so you can find them within the primary and secondary cast.  It can be a braver adventuring hero or a risk-taking partner.  You will see an exaggeration here in the area of risk-taking because the Explorer typically has a fear of boredom and becoming trapped in a rut.  This can lead to them wandering away from a quiet period in the story, which will lead to problems.  While not necessary, you typically do need them to be full of energy and curious.

Now, the Explorer can work very well as a companion for other archetypes.  It would be a secondary drive in the primary category.  For example, a Hero Explorer could be a character that sets off to be a hero through great acts.  A Lover Explorer is one that takes romantic risks.  I’ve found that this is one of the better archetypes to slide under the surface because it has a versatile level of degrees and use.

The Rebel/Outlaw

Motto– Rules are made to be broken.

Can we say anti-hero?  Thriving under the ordinal of leaving a mark on the world, the Rebel/Outlaw is what you might expect.  They act against the system either for attention or because they truly want to change the world.  Some even do it out of a grudge, which adds a level of irrationality to the archetype.  That’s rather rare because while these characters tend to be angry or negative, they usually have a clear idea of what they are doing.  You can reason with them to a point as well.  Emotions run pretty high with them and there are trust issues, especially towards those that still support or are part of the hated system.  Development here is gained by winning even the smallest battle against whatever they are rallying against.  As such, failure can result in a rise in rage or a severe crumbling of the psyche.

Aside from anti-heroes, you can get anarchist villains from this archetype too.  They are further along the negative spectrum, but they share the hatred of a system.  Unlike the former, the villains have less concern about others.  They may only want to shatter their target and don’t care about innocents.  Anti-heroes usually have some level of concern for innocents, which is what differentiates them from the villains.

The Lover

Motto– You’re the only one.

Much like the previous two, the Lover is pretty familiar to people.  It’s just as common as the Hero archetype.  Obviously, these characters seek to make connections with others and they do it through intimacy.  Not only physical, but emotional.  That’s an important part of these characters because going only for sex can make them feel two-dimensional.  Even if they are more interested in the physical side of things, you need to show the emotional or somewhat explain the lack thereof.  On the less lustful side, these characters can be very attentive and doting on those that they have connected to.  They define and evolve themselves by the love they both give and receive.  It creates a very fragile balance because going too far to one side can be detrimental.  Give too much and the Lover becomes used and possibly manipulated.  Receive too much and they can become addicted to the attention then become a manipulator.  So, you need to work both sides to keep these characters in the middle.

As with the Explorer, the Lover can work very well as a secondary.  It does possess a challenge though.  The Lover side can override the primary if the story focuses too much on it.  Basically, a romantic plot line in a non-romance story runs the risk of overshadowing everything if too much attention is given to the Lover archetype.  This might actually go back to the ‘receive too much’ issue, but this is by the author.

The Creator

Motto– If you can imagine it, it can be done.

Seeking to create some structure in the world, the Creator is probably an archetype that many of us can relate to.  After all, we write stories and seek to design some structure through them.  The funny thing is that I thought it would be under the ordinal of leaving a mark, but that’s not the main drive for artists.  It is really the act to create and legacy is secondary.  Characters can be concerned with that part, but they need to focus more on the former.  Examples of this could be an architect designing a building, someone building a boat for a race, a wizard specializing in conjuration spells, and anything else where something is being made.  Creators can be difficult to deal with since they dislike mediocrity and might pursue perfection to the point of self-destruction.  There is a high level of eccentricity and not the best social skills that can go with these characters, but that isn’t necessary.  We like to do this to enhance the sense of their imagination, but there are plenty of real-world artists who don’t stand out like awkward thumbs in society.

You can be fairly passive with this archetype.  They don’t have to be bold and out there like the Explorer, Rebel/Outlaw, and Lover.  Creators can work fairly well in low-key stories and evolve at a more mellow pace.  They don’t need to fight anyone, face a nerve-wracking challenge, or make a deep social connection.  All they need is a dream and a story arc of them pursuing it.

What are your thoughts on the Soul Archetypes?

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Teaser Tuesday: Lesson From Lost

Posted on November 10, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

This is a fun excerpt from War of Nytefall: Lost and it fits what I was looking for perfectly.  Lost is always a good source of humor.

Continue reading →

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Jung’s Ego Quartet

Posted on November 9, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Here’s the first grouping.  Feel like this one is what I gravitate to more than the others.)

You can see examples of each one in the above picture, which I’m going to attach to each of the posts.  This one is going to be about the 4 Ego Archetypes, which are Innocent, Everyman, Hero, and Caregiver.  As you can see each one is in a different cardinal section, which helps further divide them.  Now, I’m going to do my best to give my own take on this in terms of writing.  Will it be perfect?  No, but I’m hoping to get clear points across and help people in the character creation.

The Innocent

Motto– Free to be you and me.

The Innocent falls into the ‘Freedom’ cardinal, which is a desire for paradise.  These are characters that want safety and are scared of doing something wrong.  They might have a severe fear of punishment, but also a naivete that allows them to be led into unwittingly going against their own desire.  Innocents can be overbearingly optimistic and some readers will find them annoying because they will continue smiling even when bad things are happening.  Many authors use them as obnoxious side characters that are destined to be broken over the course of the story.  Still, there is strength in an unwavering positive attitude if written correctly.  It can even be their greatest weapon.

Reason for this one being under ego is because they are fueled by ego.  It is their personal belief that there is good in everyone that drives them.

The Everyman (Also Called ‘The Orphan’)

Motto– All men and women are created equal.

The Everyman is part of the ‘Social’ cardinal, so they have a focus on connecting to other characters.  They want to belong and fear being left out, which can also turn into a fear of standing out.  Unwilling heroes can fall into this category even though they may have to eventually change to another archetype.  An interesting aspect of the Everyman is that due to wanting to be part of a group, they have a high risk of losing their individuality.  This can be a character who is taken over by a belief system that causes harm to them or others.  You might think these characters are weak, but they do have a strength in that they tend to be very grounded.  Unlike the Innocent, they aren’t as positive and have a level of standards.  That possibility of brainwashing isn’t as easy to do as you would think because the groups they join needs to attract them.

Now, I mention ‘The Orphan’ here, which is an alternative and darker version.  These are characters who have been emotionally and/or mentally betrayed.  A sense of abandonment is here to some extent. Characters want someone to take over their life or at least guide them to a better one.  Failure to connect creates more disappointment, which can turn them into an angry and manipulative character.  Personally, I’m not a fan of this being called ‘The Orphan’ because of the connotation.  I would call it ‘The Outcast’, which would be the Everyman’s shadow.  Both want to connect, but one is still trying for good while the other is using the connections to lash out.

The Hero

Motto–  Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

This is probably the archetype that everyone can imagine fairly easily.  The Hero is the character who sets out to leave a mark on the world.  You see them in mythology and modern tales, each one sharing the same courageous core.  This archetype actually has a fear of being afraid, which can lead to arrogance and reckless behavior.  You get a variety of ego here though.  Some characters will acknowledge their limits then work within those or seek to extend them.  Others continue on as if they are perfect, which is asking for trouble.  Even if you knock a Hero down a few pegs, they continue marching on or find an alternate route.  Don’t think I really have to say more about this one since it’s the clearest of the 12 Archetypes.

The Caregiver

Motto–  Love your neighbor as yourself

The Caregiver is part of the ‘Order’ cardinal, which is why they are focused on protecting other people.  It isn’t always the same level.  Some characters will want to defend all they see while others have a single charge that they are focused on.  Martyrs are fairly common here.  While the Everyman has empathy, the Caregiver is even more so.  The former senses the emotions in regards to their own state while the latter feels the emotions of others to know how to react.  Seeing pain and sadness will drive them to fix the problem.  Sacrifice is not uncommon for these characters, which can make them very powerful.

The downsides here are that they can be easy to manipulate or cross a line in their desire to protect.  A villain can force a Caregiver to work for them by taking hostages.  It’s not a great plan since it falls apart once the people are hurt or the Caregiver finds a way to free them.  Still, this is a commonly used weakness.  The crossing of a line is when you have a villainous Caregiver.  They are determined to protect someone to the point where they are hurting other people.  Best example that I can think of is the version of Mister Freeze who was trying to help his cryogenically frozen wife.  He was doing evil deeds to protect and revive her.  Villains like this can be turned hero if their charge is rescued from a situation or convinces them to change their ways.  On the other hand, they can also go full berserker if the one they protect is killed.

What do you think of the Ego types?

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An Overview of Jung’s Archetypes

Posted on November 8, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Years ago, I did a week-long theme on Jung’s Archetypes.  I feel like it should be revisited since it can help authors.  At least on some level.  Going to break them down into 3 categories after this intro.)

This coming week, I’m going to make three posts about Carl Jung’s Archetypes.  I will be taking the 12 and discussing them under the 3 categories of Ego, Soul, and Self.  Now . . . I think I missed something.  Oh yeah!  People might not have any idea what this is, especially since I can’t call myself even close to an expert.  I really stumbled onto this and remembered hearing a little during my psychology classes in college.  That’s why I’m doing this post to help people get an idea of what I’m going to discuss on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

First, this site has a great amount of information and I will be using it to help me formulate my posts.

I’m going to talk about how these archetypes help with writing characters, which brings up the idea that understanding psychology can aid fiction authors.  This sounds like a no-brainer, but not everyone thinks this.  The more you understand the human mind, the more varied and deep your characters will be.  It doesn’t have to be a thorough understanding, but learn enough to prevent yourself from birthing only two-dimensional beings.  Carl Jung’s archetypes alone can be very helpful, which is why I’m going to do my best to introduce them throughout the week.

Archetypes are originals, typical examples, or recurrent themes that can be identified, but we’re going to look at the second one more.  Jung found 12 archetypes that cover the full range of human motivations and everyone has a dominant.  He believed that the psyche can be defined by these and the 12 have been analyzed to great extent.  Each one has a weakness, strength, something they seek, fears, and talents much like how we look at zodiac signs.  There are various divisions for the archetypes as well, but I’ve seen two very common ones:

  1. Ego, Self, and Soul is one of them, which I will touch on throughout the week.  The 4 in each category share the same focus in what to fuel.  It’s very similar on the surface to Id, Ego, and Super Ego, which shows the connection between Jung and Freud as you see in the picture above.
  2. The other is 4 orientations that focus on what the archetypes desire.  They either seek to leave a mark on the world, provide structure, connect to others, or seek utter freedom.  You can already tell how this can be used to forge characters both good and evil.

Going back to the point about each person having a dominant archetype, this doesn’t mean that you only use one for a character.  They can have multiple ones with a single being at the core.  This gives them multiple facets and the person may even change as they progress through the story.  It is for this reason that an author using Jung’s work to help in their writing needs to understand and look into all of the categories.  Cherry-picking here will prevent you from getting the full picture and leave out some very valuable pieces of the human psyche.  We might not like all 12 archetypes, but that might be because there are those that are opposite of our own personality.  This is when we have to step out of our heads and be neutral.

What are the 12 Archetypes?  (Ego 1-4, Soul 5-8, Self 9-12)

  1. The Innocent
  2. The Everyman
  3. The Hero
  4. The Caregiver
  5. The Explorer
  6. The Rebel
  7. The Lover
  8. The Creator/Artist (All of us probably know this one to some extent.)
  9. The Jester
  10. The Sage
  11. The Magician
  12. The Ruler

As I look over these, I can see that they are fairly basic and straightforward at times.  Each one has a motto that I’m going to share since they’re very clear.  The bluntness of some of these makes it clear why you need to mix them up.  If someone was solely a Ruler who believes in power then that’s a bland villain.  Combine a Ruler with a Caregiver to get a benevolent leader.  There does seem to be polar opposites here at times and they show how the human psyche is designed to be balanced.  You need one archetype to temper another even if it’s not as pronounced.

Well, this is only an overview to get people ready.  I don’t want to go into too many details and leave myself nothing for the week.  Hope people check out that site, which I’m going to mention again HERE.

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Goal Post: Stop The Carousel Because I Need a Nap

Posted on November 7, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

I didn’t finish chapter 7 of Darwin & the Deadland Queen.  I tried, but Halloween was busier than expected.  I only managed to get the first section and second one started with all the distractions.  Sunday became a wash when my son decided to do his college applications, which required me to be ready for questions.  Hard to write and make sense of things when I have to keep handing over my credit card for fees.  It wasn’t until Wednesday that I managed to finish section 2, but the rest of the week was crazy busy with work and parenting.

Plus side, I will get to write today, tomorrow, and Wednesday.  So, I will have a shot at finishing chapter 7 and starting chapter 8.  This is an important transition because it moves from Act 1 to Act 2.  It’s a difficult book because of all the long breaks I’ve had to take on top of the low action opportunities.  Due to the plot, I can’t throw one action scene in after another.  I need them to work for what I’m doing and Darwin is trying hard not to be destructive this time around.  The next book will make up for it with a bunch of epic battles, but that doesn’t help me here.  I am looking forward to ending one plotline here and moving on to the next step.  If I’m lucky, I might get halfway through chapter 8 before next weekend when I won’t have any time to write.

I can’t say that I’m upset about losing writing time since the distractions during the week were for good causes.  My son had some important appointments, which I had to bring him to.  One of them gave me time to start designing the Coven of the Gray members and I’ll get to do that again this week.  The other distractions were training for work.  One was planned, mandatory, and virtual, so I was home for it.  That doesn’t mean I can write, but it meant I was comfortable.  The rest of that day was movie and lunch with my son then bringing in dinner for us and my mom.

A second training was something I tracked down and chose to do because I felt it was a necessity.  I won’t go into any details, but I found that I should get some extra certifications to help with my job.  I’m only a teaching assistant, but I’ve found that there are areas I should expand on.  Getting my Masters then teaching certification is expensive and I’m going to have my son to put through college.  For me, I want to expand my skill set even if it doesn’t mean I get to be a teacher.  Honestly, I would much rather a job where I have more one-on-one interactions with students instead of being the sole person in charge of 20-30.  I like being able to create a solid bond to help students navigate growing up.  So, I took this training to make myself better at some first aid situations.  Sure, I couldn’t finish chapter 7, but this was important.

The custody stuff is still on-going and I keep hoping I can say things are improving.  It could be in some way, but it’s hard to tell.  This situation has been chaotic and combative for a long time.  As I said, it’s been wearing on me to the point where it’s hard to get my mind out of the situation.  Designing three of the coven members this week was almost like pulling a tree out of the ground.  The information was there in my head, but it was so hard to drag it out and effectively describe it.  This happens when I’m writing too and it comes down to me going through emotional hell for so long.  Makes me wonder if I’ll heal and return to what I was creatively-speaking once the situation is resolved.

With that being said, this coming week is going to focus a lot on my son’s senior events and the custody stuff.  My writing will get attention this weekend and Veteran’s Day since I’m off.  Next weekend is the big end of season Pokemon event, so I won’t expect to get any writing done then.  It’s supposed to be cold, so we’re getting out our thermals, cleaning our thermoses, and stocking up on hot cocoa.  Thankfully, we don’t think we’ll have to be out for the whole day, so we can take a lunch break and maybe end it at the mall if we want to keep going.  I’ll admit that I’m nervous because this was the event that resulted in me getting hospitalized with a nasty staph infection last year.  I mean, I doubt it could happen again, but we’re going to be more careful.  Maybe I should try to turn the last 8 years into a story since crazy stuff keeps happening to me.

Goals of the week:

  1. See ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ today with my son.
  2. Write more Darwin & the Deadland Queen.
  3. Work on ‘Coven of the Gray’.
  4. Lego time if I need a screen break.
  5. Reduce caloric intake.
  6. Increase walking or biking.
  7. Improve sleeping.
  8. Start looking at Hannukah presents.
  9. Think about when this went from a goal list to a chore list.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

A Variety of Closures

Posted on November 6, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Originally posted on November 11, 2017. A good list to keep in mind when I get back to ensemble stories.)

 I’ve said in previous posts that one of the most important parts of concluding a series is creating closure. You need to bring things to an end, which isn’t as easy as some people think.  In fact, one of the reasons it can be so tough is because you have a variety of closure types to choose from.  It depends a lot on what you’re going for, but even planning doesn’t alleviate all the pressure.  So, what are the types?

  1. Classic Good Ending– All of the good guys get what they wanted and all of the bad guys got what they deserved.  It’s the oldest type of closure in the book.  Nothing messy and no risk of people feeling it’s a downer.  Though, you might get called out for being weak and unoriginal.
  2. Classic Bad Ending– I’m not sure how long it took for someone to write the first story where the bad guys win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the second type of closure ever made.  All of the bad guys get what they wanted and all of the good guys get nothing they deserved.  Darkness reigns and you leave the audience feeling a little down.  You might also get a few angry readers who feel like they just wasted their time investing in characters that were destined to lose.
  3. One Stage Ends, Another Begins–  This one is more complicated and works best when you’re going to start a new series with the same characters.  The first adventure ends with a sense of closure and the heroes move on.  Some of them head off into the sunset in search of the next adventure like how Mad Max finishes his adventure and leaves right after. Other times the hero might retire and be brought back for a new quest that is remotely connected.  Another twist on this one is when the villain finds a way to return and battle a new batch of heroes.  This one certainly has more variety than 1 and 2.
  4. Everyone Dies!–  Not a positive one since it means you wipe everyone out, which may even include the villain.  Basically, you decimate the entire cast and leave no question about it being over.
  5. The Sacrifice– It’s rather self-explanatory and requires a build up.  At the very least some foreshadowing.  This is when a hero, either main or supporting, ends the series by making a sacrifice.  Now, I’m putting this one in a separate category because it is not always an obvious choice.  There’s is a big difference between Spock sacrificing himself to save the ship and Gollum inadvertently sacrificing himself to destroy the One Ring.  Both acts bring an end to the overall quest, but the motivations are much different and require that you make it work for the character in question.
  6. Failure in Victory– Hard to explain this one.  Basically, the heroes succeed in their quest, but find that doing so actually makes the world worse.  Maybe killing that dragon cleared the path for a demon that feared it.  Perhaps choosing one love interest results in a life of misery before divorce.  The protagonists do get what they want, but then it’s revealed that it isn’t as good as they expected.
  7. Trauma– Another easy one to figure out.  The heroes win, but they aren’t coming out in one piece.  It could be that they are in a coma, missing some body parts, amnesia, or any number of possible afflictions.  You still get closure with the heroes winning, but it comes with a major downside.  It brings into question if some quests are worth taking if you don’t come out intact or even get to reap the rewards.
  8. Mixed Bag–  This works for ensemble casts where every character gets a different type of closure.  Some live happily ever after, others die in the finale, and then you have those that are in-between.  By that, I mean some live, but not happily ever after.  This is a tough one to pull off if every character has fans.  Nobody wants their favorite to get the bad ending, but you can’t always rationalize everyone surviving.  Especially if the final part is a big battle.
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Poetry Day: Those Who Divide

Posted on November 5, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(I mean, he does divide, but not how the poem means it.)

(The world has too many of these types.  One of the worst parts is when they get you to believe that those who truly want unity are the real dividers.)

They are the ones with voice

Born with a power

To influence and talk

Expected to lead us

Into the better world

But they always fall

Swallowed by the sins

Pride and greed

Vanity and wrath

They are twisted

By society’s pull

Their voices turn to evil

Spouting hate and fear

Causing friends to fight

And families to splinter

Neighbors become enemies

They ignore their damage

Seeing only the faithful

The ones bowing at their feet

This praise is tainted

Grown from ignorance and terror

Yet it is not enough

Drunk off power from their voice

They become the great dividers

Crying for action

And hurling childish insults

At this who don’t agree

Blindly building a void

A pit of animosity

Between our fellow man

Until the pit is all we see

And their putrid voices

Are all we hear

Posted in Poems | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments