(A fun parade of fae. I forgot the inspiration of it, but I think it comes from a really old story I used to read as a kid. It wasn’t pixies though. Think it was animals.)
Deep within the Grimjaw Forest
At the stroke of dawn
As the light beats on the dewdrops
Tiny forms take flight
Preparing for the work ahead
All have roles to play
Ferrying light to the shadows
Red-winged Brattins dart
Gorks whirl with bodies clad in fur
Clearing dust left by night
The Pixian cleaning crew toils
Until they tire out
Wings of sapphire and amber
Beat the morning air
The noble Tzarkas have arrived
To bloom the flowers
And awaken the early songs
Of sparrows and wrens
Others join the Pixian crew
Lazy, pink Sindels
Sneering at the hyper Flyntiks
Wingless Hults on foot
Silver Minjits and purple Karks
Each to play a part
Viewing from her throne of birchwood
Crystal wings spread wide
The high queen pixie sits alone
Forced to merely watch
Overseer of her people
Who toil beneath her
The Pixian Parade plays on
Work turns into fun
Lasting until the sun goes down
And a scream cuts through
Time of pixies ends for the day
Banshees rule the night
There seems to be a sense that a true artist is drunk, drugged, or nucking futs. It’s almost as if there is a grand tradition of self-destructive and mentally abusive behavior within artists. Edgar Allan Poe is a great example. He was an amazing author, but he is depicted as mentally unstable and drunk. Whether this is true or an exaggeration is beside the point here. The point is that it feels like this has become the ‘norm’ in many people’s minds.
I’ve been like this in that I make jokes that I’d be a successful author if I drank more or if I was institutionalized, but this usually said in jest or to get startled expressions. I have no intention of entering the bottle or signing up to get put into a straitjacket. I’d still be writing, but I wouldn’t be the same. Sure, I have bouts with depression that can be crippling at times, but that doesn’t mean an artist has to be tortured. I know many artists who are the epitome of sane and they’re still successful. Sadly, I also know a lot of people who see me as an artist and take it upon themselves to ‘protect’ me from the trade. They see my writing as a hobby that shouldn’t be taken seriously or a path that will only lead to pain and self-destruction. I don’t believe I’ve ever done anything to earn this mentality, but they still watch me for signs of a alcoholism or mental instability. True, I’m in therapy alongside my wife right now and I was in therapy for feeling like I was about to snap and kill someone in high school. Yet, the fact that I’ve always been aware of my mindset and limits should be a signal that I’m fully capable of controlling my inner demons, vampires, orcs, and whatever other critters are lurking in my head.
I’ve wondered if the mentality steams from the way an artist thinks. Personally, I don’t think the way non-artists think and that causes an odd barrier. I can’t get excited about math and computers, but I will go on like a man possessed about writing. I look at situations and try to stare down the road for possible problems instead of handling the here and now. My side of a debate tends to be more than the simple ‘I’m for it/I’m against it’ mentality that many people have. I talk about things that are beyond the physical world, artistic vision, and other things that someone who isn’t artistic considers odd. Yet, I don’t really think this is enough to brand me as a candidate for any number of mental illnesses and an inevitable self-destruction.
So, where does the idea that an artist is tortured and unhinged come from?
Summer break has started, which means I have to decide on what I’m going to do for the next two months. Life has been chaotic since January though, which means all of this is in the ‘hope’ category. Still dealing with that life event too, so I don’t think I can make any big plans:
Time with son when possible.
Start writing Darwin & the Deadland Queen.
Work summer school.
Enjoy Pokemon Go-Fest.
Take daily walks.
Remember to use sunscreen and hydrate this time.
Work on outlines for future stories.
Jigsaw puzzles for screen break.
If possible: Take a trip somewhere with my son.
Set up September blog posts. Think about the October theme since ‘Monster Maker’ isn’t an option. Might repost Windemere Monster posts.
Catch up on sleep when possible.
Addition: Custody situation and all of its fallout, which will probably affect the previous items.
There are about 100 species of lemur and they all live on Madagascar. This is the 4th largest island in the world and is about the size of France. Still, being the only location for ALL 100-ish species of lemur seems odd. Right? Well, not really.
Around 50 million years ago, lemurs began evolving on Madagascar, which did not have any predators to threaten them. Their main predator, the fossa, did not arrive for another 30 million years. This situation allowed the lemurs to spread across the island and fill a wide variety of niches. Each group evolved adaptations needed to survive in whatever biome they called home. This resulted in each one having a unique diet, appearance, and general habits. For example, some lemurs are nocturnal while others are diurnal.
You can see the five families above, but here is how they differ-
Daubentoniidae– This is the Aye-Aye, which is nocturnal and uses a long finger to get insects out of trees. (1 species)
Lemuridae– These are the diurnal ‘true lemur’s, which include ring-tails, ruffed, and brown. They are called ‘true lemurs’ because they are considered the most typical and recognizable species. In other words, the most popular. (21 species)
Indriidae– The largest lemurs such as Indri and Sifaka. These are known to be big leapers. (19 species)
Cheirogaleidae– These are the mouse and dwarf lemurs, which are small and nocturnal. Due to their size, they are completely arboreal (live in trees) unlike the larger species that can go on the ground. (42 species)
Lepilemuridae– Called the medium-sized ‘sportive lemurs’, which are nocturnal and lack upper incisors. They get the name from being able to leap up to 13 feet and take a ‘boxing stance’ when threatened. (26 species)
This is why I could never comfortably do a post on lemurs because there are so many. I could never find a category that would fit in a post. That’s fine though because the overall situation with lemurs is just as interesting. Every species has a niche in their environment instead of overlapping. They are a species that came to Madagascar and filled all of nature’s holes instead of destroying the place. Now, they are perfectly part of the overall enviroment.
As of yesterday, the 25-26 school year is done. I survived, which isn’t as much of a joke as it would normally be. The health scare in November/December wasn’t school-related, but it falls in the time period. So does the flu, nasty ear infection, retirement of my car, and the current custody situation. I don’t think I had a single month without something wild going on. Still, I’m vertical and functional. Well, I probably functional when this post goes live, but I might still be lying in bed.
With the summer starting, I’m getting my mind ready to write Darwin & the Deadland Queen. I was going to start this weekend, but I’m both drained and I have my son. I want to get him set up with his summer art lesson program and do various life skills activities that I was saving for Monday. That doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore Darwin’s adventures since I should look over the finale of Darwin & the Joy Path before diving into the next book. I want to read the outline again as well. A weekend of prep might not be a bad thing and I’ll start writing on Monday. My hope is to get the prologue and chapter 1 done before summer school starts in a week. The art lessons for my son will probably keep him busy while I write, so I might even get into chapter 2.
Another issue I have to consider before I write the next book is if I’m going to keep the current final book. To explain, this was originally a trilogy taking place 10 years after the original finale. I turned it into a single book, but now I feel like the whole concept of a war between slumberlords is anticlimactic. It also takes a little of Darwin’s uniqueness away, so I’m leaning towards ditching. This means I have a cast of characters with no home, so I might have to rewrite Darwin & the Nightmare Lord to include them. There are many options, but I’m still questioning if eliminating the final book to stick with the original finale is a good idea. I have a weekend to think about it.
Coven of the Gray is going to get a little attention, but I might utilize it more as something to work on while I’m waiting for students to arrive. With summer school, there aren’t as many people, so it’s easier to find a place to sit and design a character in peace. I do want to get the outline done to reach that point. This could result in me getting this project planned out before the end of summer school. Part of me is already wondering if I should pick the next idea that needs fleshing out. Deciding between the thief story or the sport one, but both of us those are giving me headaches. I have a weird one called ‘Lions of Trune’ and the ‘Wraith Slayers’. The notebook has all of my ‘organization stories’ where a group of people are working towards a goal, but they aren’t adventurers.
This week isn’t going to be all relaxation. I do have a few appointments. A big one is Wednesday, which is the next court date. That has me nervous and I know I still have to prep some things. Doubt I’m going to do any book writing that day. I’ll be too stressed to think like Darwin. Unsure if my son will be with me on that day too, so all of that is up in the air. Maybe I should play it all by ear because the stress might make it hard for me to do any writing . . . Huh.
Honestly, I think I might be okay. Looking back, I finished Darwin & the Joy Path in February. That was after the Disney Trip debacle, so I was working on it while stressing about that situation. It means I was writing it while I was recovering from the hospital stay, which involved painkillers and needing an entire day to write a single section. I should have faith that my mind will fall back into place once I have a weekend of rest. The situations that are stressing me aren’t out of my control, but I’ve done all I can at this point.
(Guess I had a lot of fantasy poems in the ‘T’ section.)
They live in fear
In the jungles of Serdune
Thriving on the floor
Among the moldy leaves
Always with their tall eye
Scanning the limbs above
Thousands thrive
United for survival
Against the one they hate
The ones who fed on hundreds
Snatching from above
Known only as the Kur
Years had passed
Since the Kur attacked
Pushed from the trees
By an amazing hunger
Feasting on friends
And family
The Phiocrytes remember
Sounds of laughter
Among the cracking bones
The celebration of the Kur
Over the strewn remains
Insulting the fallen prey
The Kur became their monsters
Full of hate and bile
Beasts reveling in pain
Unable to be civil
A grotesque apparition
Evolving to a demon
One day their time had come
As a crashing struck their nerves
They saw the bulbous form
Shattering branches
As it tumbled to the ground
Landing in a heap
They knew it was a Kur
Phantom of their dreams
Etched into their mind
Forcing hate to boil
Blind to the whimpering
Of their badly injured foe
Welcome to where you would normally find whatever you’re looking for before hitting the beach. Unfortunately, the owner doesn’t really go to the beach. He inherited the store and is trying to keep it going. So, he isn’t sure what people want when heading to such a popular destination. Umbrellas, towels, swimsuits, sunscreen, radios, and maybe something to keep crabs away? Either way, we don’t have much on the shelves, which is a disaster.
Another character who had limited page time until the end was Baron Arthuru Kernaghan. This was a fun scene from Charms of the Feykin, which allowed me to give me more to do than glower and shout orders.
Legends of Windemere 