Goal Post: Progress Through Endurance

Posted on June 6, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

So, I kind of made progress with Coven of the Gray.  Did I fully design any of the 13 members?  No.  I did choose their biome, role, and a few powers.  I managed to create an idea of the first 2 chapters as well.  Thought about going for 13 short stories, but I saw some of the coven members will be together.  So, I just put down 15 and will see what I can fill in.  Might end up being less or more.  In my mind, I’m seeing this being done similar to ‘Bedlam’ where I title each chapter and do 3-5 sections to tell part of the journey.  This allows me to create some events that don’t have a coven member involved.  So, I got somewhere with the project.

To be honest, it wasn’t as far as I thought I would get, but I also worked on aspects that I didn’t plan on.  The issue was that I was in so much pain last weekend that it was difficult to picture anything solid.  My ear infection got worse Saturday and I found out that the swelling had gone behind the eardrum.  So, the drops weren’t able to get out or something like that.  Couldn’t hear the doctor very well, but he gave me meds.  I was able to get some fresh air, which helped and pain meds got me through that.  Still, most of the weekend and early week was spent doing daily functions while in pain.  The ear is still a bit clogged and off now too.

There was a bunch of life stuff as well, which was mostly paperwork needing to be done for my son’s future.  I had waited for a week for certain entities to work with me, but games were being played.  So, I had to figure out how to do a bunch of this on my own and get it handed in.  Without going into details, this is something that will help him in the future and it takes about 1.5-2 years to set up.  The current stage takes 4-6 months once all of the paperwork is in, which is where things are becoming a problem.  I’ve done all I can, so now I have to wait.

Another aspect of the week is that my son takes the SAT this week, which is a big test that can help him with the college he’s looking at.  He’s been practicing and studying for it, so today is the today.  It actually started now, so I’m currently talking a walk in the park while I wait for the time to pick him up.  We’re going to see ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ this afternoon too.  He’s never seen any of it, but this is one of the first non-educational shows I ever saw.  Was obsessed as a kid.  So, my day is booked with parenting stuff, which means writing will be tomorrow.  I’m fine with that because all of today’s events are important.  I’ll tinker with Coven of the Gray tomorrow.

I’m still trying to figure out the summer too.  I’ll be working a few hours a day at the summer program, but my son might not be a camp counselor.  He’s too old to be a camper and none of the programs around here are affordable.  I found an online ‘do at your own pace’ art program that I could buy and set up on his Chromebook, but he only spends half the week with me.  I don’t think he’d be able to do it when he’s with his mom and the Chromebook can’t travel with him.  There’s also the issue of the schedule, which could be a disaster depending on what goes on.  This means that I don’t know how much work I can do on Darwin & the Deadlands Queen.  I might only be able to do weekends or maybe evenings, but it certainly isn’t what I thought it would be.  The art program would give my son something to do while I work on my own project though, so I’m hoping that I can set it up.

Next week is going to be a wild one.  Tuesday and Wednesday are regents, which my son has to take.  It means my students will only have half-days, but I don’t go home early.  It’s going to be really hot too.  I’m not going to expect much progress because I’m going to be tiring out fairly quickly.  I’ll be happy if I can tinker my way to all of the chapter ideas tomorrow though.  That could open the door for character creation, which then will lead to a quick ‘chapter-by-chapter’ outline.  If I’ll really lucky, I can start writing Darwin & the Deadlands Queen by the end of the month and NOT have Coven of the Gray left in the wings.  Not sure what I’ll tackle after that though as the side project.

Goals of the week?

  1. Support son through SAT today and Regents this week.
  2. Watch ‘He-Man’ with son.
  3. Work on Coven of the Gray.
  4. Stay cool and hydrated.
  5. Pokemon Go and biking to stay active.
  6. Eat smaller portions.
  7. Try to figure out a backup summer plan for my son.
  8. Get a haircut.
  9. Mentally prepare for the next round of the life event.  It’s a court thing.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Can We Not Use Violence?

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Vigilante 1– “Time for violence.”

Vigilante 2– “I don’t know about that.”

“We always commit violence at this hour.”

“Yes, but I think I’m bored of it.”

“It’s how we stop crime and save the city.”

“But we’re not getting paid for it.”

“Money isn’t our goal.”

“My bank account would agree.”

“We hurt people for justice!”

“That’s another thing I want to bring up. Our motto is kind of . . . messed up.”

“How so?”

“Well, we’re openly admitting to hurting people.  Adding justice makes it sound like we’re justifying illegal actions.”

“That would explain why the cops hate us.”

“Judges aren’t thrilled with us either because they can’t really put our enemies away.”

“At least we make the lawyers happy.”

“That’s not a good thing in this situation.”

“Fine.  How are we supposed to stop criminals without violence?”

“Ask them nicely to surrender.”

“Should I buy them a box of chocolate-covered strawberries too?”

“That’s not in the budget.”

“I was being sarcastic. Words don’t stop these people.”

“What if we scare them away without hitting them?”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“We dress up as monsters or serial killers then run at them before they can commit their crimes.  Just scream, roar, and be frightening.”

“What if they don’t run away?”

“I guess that would be problem.”

“A lot of criminals we face have guns too.”

“Well, I don’t want to be shot.”

“Then, we have to fight violence with violence.”

“There has to be another way.”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because nobody would read our story if we didn’t have action scenes.”

“Damn . . . Forgot about audience bloodlust.”

“It’s what keeps our genre going.

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Poetry Day: The Marchers of Vindervurld

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Yahoo Image Search

(Another fantastical creation.  Kind of sad too.)

Upon the marshy hollows
Their feet make a sucking plop
As purest mud
Grabs at their boots
That are moldy to the laces

Beings of all sizes
March in a sturdy mob
Fat and thin with tall and short
All decrepit to our eyes
If we even wish to look

These beings of shadow
Cloaked in their mottled rags
Will march across the land
Until a dying breath
Escapes their cracking lips

Where do they march?
Nobody knows
We never think to ask
All we do is watch them march
Until they fade from life

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Is Not Killing Weak or Strong?

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz
vash

Vash the Stampede from Trigun

Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin

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(I made this post on September 16, 2014.  I’m reposting it because it works for the question I’m going to put at the very end.)

For anyone who doesn’t know the above characters, Vash and Kenshin are from anime.  Vash is a skilled gunsman and Kenshin is a deadly samurai from the Meji Era.  Two entirely different heroes from entirely different settings.  Yet, they are the best examples of a Pacifist Hero.  Both follow codes to never kill with Vash doing it to honor a deceased loved one and Kenshin doing it to atone for his role a Manslayer during the war.  It is a key part of their stories and personality.  Their different reasons also take a new angle that I’ll get into during the list.  By the way, I know Pacifist tends to mean no conflict, but it’s the best word that I could find for this.

Now, some people might say that they’re like Batman because Batman doesn’t kill.  At least not on purpose . . . most times . . . depends on the movie.  They might actually be closer to Spider-Man and Superman here, but I’m still throwing in one major difference for these Pacifist Heroes.  Unlike American superheroes, Vash and Kenshin don’t usually go looking for trouble.  They will step in when they find trouble, handle ghosts from their past, and try to stop the problem through talking first.  Violence is shown to be a rather regrettable decision for these characters while you get the feeling that Spider-Man gets some joy out of throwing down with his enemies.  So, I would say a Pacifist Hero is one that does not kill and wants to stay out of the fight entirely.

How can you use a hero like this?

  1. DO NOT make this character a pretense jerk who thinks he/she is better than everyone because they don’t kill.  You can do this if they’re a minor character and supposed to be obnoxious, but a main hero with this path should be very casual about it.  They can try to talk others out of killing and be upset if it’s done (looking at you, Vash.), but having them preach too much hurts them as characters.
  2. Create a deep and realistic back story to the decision not to kill.  A promise to a friend can be a good start, but there should be more to that relationship.  Don’t just say ‘I refuse to kill because it is wrong’ and leave it at that.  People want main heroes to have some depth of morality.  Take a little time with this and you might even pull an enemy and/or subplot from it.
  3. You can have a Pacifist Hero be terrible in a fight.  Unlike the examples given, it is entirely reasonable to have a main hero who refuses to fight be unskilled.  This means they’re a liability in action scenes, but not everyone is a badass.  To counter this type of uselessness, give them a strong area like healing, knowledge, or anything that helps them retain their main character status.  Otherwise, readers will wonder why the capable warriors don’t ditch the main guy and finish the story on their own.
  4. Contrary to #3, you CAN make your Pacifist Hero a dangerous opponent and skilled in combat.  Just because they refuse to kill doesn’t mean they’re going to avoid learning how to defend themselves.  This brings an interesting dynamic to them because it means they have the ability to easily take a life, but still refuse to do so to their enemies.
  5. If you have a character who has lived the pacifist life since childhood and never killed then you may want to put in something that tries to break their path.  Vash is such a character and one of the goals of his enemies is to prove that his pacifist ways are worthless.  This does cause problems for him and makes him question his faith at times, which is great for character development.  You can also toy with the idea of the character either intentionally or unintentionally taking a life to throw them into a whirlwind of emotion.
  6. It can help to have a foil for this character.  Either a rival or an ally who sees no problem killing in certain situations or for kicks.  This creates a clash of beliefs and it will put the most pressure on the Pacifist Hero.  After all, how do you stop a Psycho Hero without falling into their level or making him/her an enemy?
  7. Enemies and allies from a character’s past works great for an atoning character if you go the Kenshin route.  You get to unearth more of their pre-pacifism persona and this can bring out the ‘threat’ of the old version reappearing.  You get a lot out of teasing that a hero like this will fall off the wagon and take a life.

Do you think a character who doesn’t kill their enemies is weak or strong?  I ask this because I’ve met many who think a non-killing enemy is lame and weaker than one who does kill.

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Teaser Tuesday: Oh, It’s You

Posted on June 2, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

(Looking back I still enjoy the debut of Gregorio Roman in War of Nytefall: Loyalty.)

Continue reading →

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Violent Past and Forgiveness

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Omniman from ‘Invincible”

Now, I don’t remember the character that made me wonder about this topic.  It can fall into various categories with high body counts:

  • Former supervillain
  • Hero who was a soldier
  • Monster that gains humanity
  • Serial killer who gets a second chance

To be fair, the categories can keep going.  The central point is that you have a character who lived a life of violence.  It was either before or during the story, but they reach a point where they feel remorse for their actions.  This sets them on a path of redemption, which may require some forgiveness.  The question of if they even deserve it comes up because their past actions are fairly heinous.  It doesn’t only cause the other characters to decide on forgiveness, but the audience too.

I feel like that’s where things can fall apart.  While an author can have a hero find a reason to forgive a remorseful former villain, audiences aren’t easily manipulated.  Many people, especially these days, will refuse to forgive a villain who hasn’t given a reason for why they were killing.  Soldiers who only killed other soldiers will find it easier to gain redemption than a serial killer who murdered innocent people.  Having a hero forgive them can derail the entire story too because people will see them as weak or the overall story being stretched.

A factor here is also if the audience sees the violence or simply hears about it.  If it happens prior to the story, there’s a distance that helps with garnering sympathy.  One only knows the former killer who seeks redemption instead of the person that took lives.  Even if they say they enjoyed the act at the time, we don’t get the full picture.  There isn’t a description of their face or voice reveling in the deaths.  The overall brutality of their actions are missing as well.  It becomes harder to forgive if you see all of that because you wonder if that is the real person and this one is a facade.

Forgiveness isn’t permanent either.  After all, this doesn’t mean the other characters and audience forget what happened.  Any slip can push this former killer back to the beginning because trust will be lost.  If it happens enough, they may just go back to their former habits since they feel incapable of changing.  Honestly, one can see how this would happen in real life too.  Continue making a person feel like their worst self and that’s how they’re going to be.  So, an author has to be careful in having these characters commit any level of violence.  Perhaps one can think of them as an addict who needs to avoid or minimize exposure to what they were obsessed with.

Personally, I like the idea of a killer gaining forgiveness, but there is a limit.  If they killed hundreds of people for fun then that’s a hard redemption to pull off.  While it wasn’t that big a number, Lloyd Tenay in Crossing Bedlam touched on a bit of redemption, but only with Cassidy.  To be fair, he kept killing because he was now in a world ruled by violence and nobody really remembered his crimes.  So, you can create a ‘redemption’ by having them face those who commit even greater atrocities.

Beyond that scenario, I think you do need to consider the reason for a character being so violent.  If they did it for fun or out of boredom, you aren’t going to get very far.  Forgiveness is easier if you have it be a war, survival, not knowing any better, or other situations that don’t revolve around their own enjoyment.  People will feel like they didn’t want to kill, but HAD to do it.  One can muster forgiveness for that because they come off as a victim as well.

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World Parrot Day: The Illegal Parrot Trade

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Last time I went to the Bronx Zoo, I saw a sign in the World of Birds.  It stated that for every parrot that is smuggled into the country, 10 die.  Later that day, I was looking for May holidays and saw this one.  It made me want to make a simple post with facts about the Illegal Parrot Trade:

  • The illegal parrot trade is considered the third largest black market industry behind drugs and guns.  It makes around $10 billion every year
  • Highly prized species, like the African Gray, have seen populations drop 90-99% in the wild.
  • 2,600 species of bird are illegally traded and 20% of those are parrots.
  • About 5 million bird are trafficked every year.
  • 75-80% of smuggled parrots die from stress, disease, trauma, or asphyxiation.
  • Southeast Asia, South America, and Central America are the biggest regions for illegal exports.
  • United States, Middle East, and European Union are the highest regions for illegal imports.
  • Nearly 1/3 of all 400 parrot species are at risk.
  • The Azure Spix’s Macaw is extinct in the wild due to the illegal parrot trade.
  • A study in 2007 found that 65,000-78,500 parrots were illegally traded internally in Mexico every year.  More than 75% of the birds died before reaching the buyer.
  • The above study resulted in it now being illegal to buy, sell, and trade wild parrots in Mexico.
  • The Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 protects exotic species from international trade to the USA.  It states that wild-caught birds can only be imported if done in accordance with species protection rules.
  • The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species also protects certain species from being traded.  For example, several species of macaw are not allowed to be traded.

Parrot (Any parrot since they’re fun to watch)

Posted in Animal Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Goal Post: Freakin’, Frackin’ Bacteria!!

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

 

Let’s do a quick list of maladies that hit me this school year:

  • Shot to stomach that caused digestion trouble for a week.
  • Drug-resistant staph infection that put me in hospital, required 3 weeks of wound care, and left me with both a scar AND some distention.
  • Flu without a fever.
  • Horrible Allergies
  • And . . . A DAMN EAR INFECTION!

This started Thursday morning and I struggled through work with muffled hearing and a growing pain.  I thought it was earwax buildup and used drops to help relieve it, but the drops got stuck inside.  Took a while to get them out and then off to work.  By the time I got to the doctor, I was in pain and only got more eardrops.  Those got stuck in my ear Friday morning, which didn’t help my mood.  I’m depending on ibuprofen, warm compresses, and whatever else can relieve the pain.  Needless to say, it’s going to be a wonky weekend.

I finally settled on what I’m going to use for Coven of the Gray when I design the coven members.  There’s a list of 13 needs to be functional, which I liked.  Each one can be used to craft a character who will be either the opposite or the insanely enhanced version of that factor.  For example, I think the ‘fitness’ one will be the roaming enemy who is physically pushing the hero to get stronger.  Another might sap self-esteem or whatever else is on the list.  Still, I have this weekend to put it together.  I’m putting aside the afternoons and evenings for this when I’m too out of it to do Pokemon.

My plan to get writing done on Wednesday didn’t work out.  My son and I had off from school, but he decided that he wasn’t going to play by the custody schedule.  So, he refused to leave the house.  The kid is 16 and taller than me, so there’s no way I’m getting him to go if he doesn’t want to.  I tried reasoning, offering stuff, and other venues, but he stood his ground.  All I could do that day was have him only work on practice SATs and not do anything fun.  The Nintendo controllers were hidden when I went out to take care of the lawn and get other stuff done around the house.  Still, I couldn’t do any writing since I had to go over SAT stuff with him.  The kid also ate all of the leftovers I was saving for lunches and dinners . . . How is he devouring half a fridge and not gaining weight?  I miss having that kind of metabolism.

I wouldn’t say this week was a total lack of progress.  Since I had my hands full with my son and a few online appointments then paperwork, I took the time to set up blog posts for September and October.  I know it’s really far ahead, but I want to dive into Darwin & the Deadlands Queen as soon as the school year is over at the end of June.  I have a week between end of school and start of summer session, which means I could feasibly get the first 2-3 chapters done.  I have a full week after summer session when my son is still working too, which can help me make progress.  My general goal is to get this book done by the end of 2026.  That leaves two more books in the series that I could finish in 2027, which could mean publishing is in the future.  Is it weird that I’m writing books and have no immediate publishing plans due to time and money?

This coming week is going to be a crazy one, so I don’t want to get my hopes up.  First, I have no idea if my ear issues will continue for long.  Keep feeling like I’m waiting for a bizarre pop for it to be fixed because of the pressure.  The situation could force me to take a day off if they don’t go away fast.  Second, my son has the SAT next Saturday, so we’re going to be going over test taking tactics and shore up his weak areas.  I’m hoping he does as well on the real test as he’s doing on the practice ones.  He can take one more shot at it in October if he wants, but that’s going to cut it close.  I’ll be happy if I can complete all of the characters in Coven of the Gray, but that’s pushing it.

Goals of the week?

  1. Recover from newest health issue.
  2. Help son prepare for SAT.
  3. Work on Coven of the Gray.
  4. Play Pokemon when feel up for it.  Fresh air seems to help for a bit.
  5. Watch either ‘Devil May Cry’ Season 2 or ‘Spider Noir’.
  6. Puzzle time to relax.
  7. Pre-Order Lego sets.
  8. Figure out ear wash kit when it arrives.
  9. Recover from inevitable failed attempt.
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Questions 3: Art and Mental Health

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Coming to the end of Mental Health Month, so let’s just see what people are thinking and feeling.

  1. How do you think art helps with mental health?
  2. How has art helped your mental health?
  3. Why do you think there’s a connection between creativity and mental illness?
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Poetry Day: The Living Dead

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Another poem about death . . . or life.  Sorry?)

We are mortal beings
In the grand expanse of time
Our half-blink existence
Cherished by so few
Because so many miss the point
They live to die
Believing it the goal
Aiming for heaven
For all their might
Avoiding the pits of hell
While others plan ahead
Expecting to return
We live our lives for death
Dwelling on our fate
As if understanding
Will keep the void at bay
Nothing will prevent it
So why do we live for it
Abandoning our true life
In toiling scramble for the end
A foolish waste
Of the greatest gift of all
Yet here we are
A species loving death
And ignoring the time we have

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