Category Archives: Thoughts

7 Tips for When You Get an Idea During Bedtime

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

We’ve all been there.  Just as your head hits the pillow, an idea pops up.  Maybe it’s something new or maybe it’s the solution to a story you couldn’t figure out.  Either way, you’re in a dark room and starting … Continue reading →

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Pieces of a Book: Chapters and Scenes

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

I’m a big Planner.  From Legends of Windemere to Life & Times of Ichabod Brooks, I set things up before I really get started.  I look at this as a first draft in a way because it helps me lock in main … Continue reading →

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The Importance of City Guards in Fantasy

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Whenever a city turns up in a fantasy story, these people will be there.  Either as background, battle fodder, or momentary obstacles, the guards are around in some fashion.  We tend to overlook them unless we need some unexpected corpses … Continue reading →

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Bringing a Sword to a Gun Fight

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

I won’t be surprised if the title brings up a debate, but that’s not going to be what this is about.  I’m more interested in why the ancient weapons seem to pop up in modern stories.  How often have we … Continue reading →

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Fictional Vigilantes: When The Law Is Optional

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

I wonder if I’ve ever written a real vigilante, but I don’t think I have.  Windemere has laws, but adventuring is allowed and that covers a lot of the same ground.  One could say the champions aren’t vigilantes because they … Continue reading →

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The Challenge of Putting Mental Illness in Fiction

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Not sure this will be a long post because this is a delicate topic that everyone seems to have a different opinion on.  Using various mental illnesses is common in fiction.  Many of us can name at least one story … Continue reading →

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Discussion: What Do You Think of the Rise in Celebrity Authors?

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

I was going to post a picture of celebrity authors here, but I figure I’d rather promote my own stuff. Anyway, I’ve noticed how often a celebrity shows up with a book that rockets to the top of the bestseller … Continue reading →

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Is There More to the Crazy Characters?

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

People who have been following my blog or read my books may have noticed that there’s one type of character that I really enjoy writing.  This is the ‘crazy’ character who can be either a hero or a villain.  The … Continue reading →

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Touching on Sensitive Subjects: How Do You Do It?

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Way back in Legends of Windemere, I touched on a few sensitive topics such as torture and rape.  I didn’t go too deep on the second one, but it was there thanks to Stephen Kernaghan being a sick, evil bastard.  Not really … Continue reading →

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Types of Silly Stories: I’m Shirley Not an Expert Here

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

So, I’ve been sitting here trying to think of different types of ‘silly’ stories and I keep coming up with movies.  That being the only thing I can think of, I don’t know if I’m going to have a really … Continue reading →

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