Category Archives: Thoughts

Sometimes You Just Need a Silly Story

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

With all of the serious stories out there, one has to wonder if there’s still a place for some silliness.  I’m not talking about a story that throws in puns and sight gags, but one that sets out to be … Continue reading →

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Writing During the Summer . . . With Kids

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

The previous summers weren’t like this one.  My son would have school to make sure he didn’t have any regression.  He was eligible for it this summer too, but we had already signed him up for a half-day program that … Continue reading →

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Turn the Wild Dial Up to 20

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Quest of the Brokenhearted has a lot of battles because a major plot point is the Lacarsis tournament.  This means I had to make the action scenes a central focus of at least one scene per non-opener/closure chapter.  I couldn’t … Continue reading →

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When Your Characters are Monsters

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

In most stories, monsters are nothing more than deadly obstacles that have to be overcome to continue on.  They typically don’t have lines, much in the way of personality, or a very long lifespan.  Monsters earn attention by how deadly … Continue reading →

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Revolving Around a Tournament: Combat and Characters

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Quest of the Brokenhearted has two sides to its story.  One is the character development of Kira Grasdon from the gutter to either the grave or a position where she is happy.  The other is the central tournament that involves a … Continue reading →

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So, I’m Going to Write a Spin-Off

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

(I wrote this without remembering that I’d talked about this story over the years.  Keeping the hero a secret was already a lost cause.  I could rewrite the post, but I’m finding it kind of funny that I totally forgot … Continue reading →

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Tools of the Telling Trade: Tarot Cards

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Honestly, I don’t know what to say about Tarot because I feel like I’ve heard and said it all throughout the years.  As I mentioned before, I hung out with a lot of Wiccans and this was a common tool.  … Continue reading →

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Tools of the Telling Trade: Zodiac Signs

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

Most people have seen or at least heard of horoscopes, which use astrological signs going either by the month or the year.  I posts the only picture I could find that had the two side by side, but I just … Continue reading →

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Tools of the Telling Trade: Runes

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

This week, I wanted to touch on three methods of fortune telling that are used in reality and fiction.  The fictional versions are always more magical and mysterious than the real ones, so there are preconceived notions people have when … Continue reading →

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7 Tips to Writing Character Backstories: Prepare the Cutting Room

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Charles Yallowitz

John W. Howell asked: You have the most fabulous backstories and histories for your characters. what compels you to develop these backstories? Do you use all of the history and backstories or are some waiting to be employed? Now, I have … Continue reading →

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