Goal Post: This Week Didn’t Go as Planned

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

I don’t even want to see what I had planned for weekly goals.  Partially because I can’t fix that post, which is very narrow.  This is apparently what happens when I use the blocks or whatever WordPress forced upon us.  I apologize for the ugliness and wish I could find a way to fix it, but there’s no point now.  A week has past . . . passed?

Now, Sunday is where things started to go sideways.  I woke up feeling terrible to the point where I took a home Covid test.  Came back negative, but I wanted to be sure.  I went to a clinic to get a rapid and that was negative.  The problem is that the fatigue, coughing, and chills hit so quickly that the doctor wanted to be very sure.  So, I had to take a PCR test, which meant I had to stay home from work for 3 days until the results came back.  Those were negative, by the way.  The culprit ended up being:

  • Common cold
  • Severe pollen allergies (Thanks, DC)
  • Exhaustion (Thanks again, DC)

Before anyone congratulates me on getting 3 more days of spring break, I wasn’t happy about this.  Didn’t even try to work on the Darwin & the Halfling Hunt outline because of my mood.  I did feel out of it for Monday and half of Tuesday, but I knew I just wanted to be back at work.  Sure, I was there when the guy came to replace my car’s windshield, which cracked right before the trip.  I made progress on ‘Pirate Warriors 3’ and the latest jigsaw puzzle.  Yet, I really wanted to be back at work.  I missed being in that Testing Center.

This isn’t to say I did absolutely nothing.  All of the September posts are now written and scheduled except for Tuesday.  I don’t want to do more Darwin & the Fate Bracelet teasers like July and August.  The national holiday thing didn’t do anything.  I’m thinking of doing teasers for Do I Need to Use a Dragon? (Fantasy Writing Tips) for at least that month.  That’s going to be tough because it’ll be chunks of essays unless I stick to the openers of a few.  Only need 4 of them, so this might be where I go since I can’t think of anything else.

Another issue is going to be what I can do to keep myself occupied.  It looks like I won’t get to any real writing until Memorial Day weekend.  This weekend is slated for doing the outlines for the 2 books I want to write this summer.  The next weekend that my son is with his mom has some family events, so I won’t feel comfortable writing during that time, especially since we’re hitting the big testing period.  So, what to do?

I was thinking of starting in on the October posts, but that would be the ‘Monster Maker’ and other yearly things.  Not sure I’m going to bother since my audience is incredibly small, so I might not be able to cover that.  I was thinking of a way to revive the ‘Raven’ stories since there were 4 of them and October has 4 weeks.  Each one had 30-31 sections though, so it isn’t like I can cram 4-5 into each day.  That would be overkill.  Guess an option would be to see if I can get enough for ‘Monster Maker’ and maybe make a poll for Windemere monsters.  Though, I remember polls sucking now.  Then, I can use one day to touch on each ‘Raven’ story.

I could also start working on November and leave October alone.  Really depends on what people think, but I’m not getting a lot of traffic these days.  So, I might have to just flip a coin on things.  Not that I have any blog topics for November either.

We have Monday off for Eid, so I’ll be doing non-tech stuff with my son.  Lego sets and maybe some drawing.  We both need to tone down our video game time.  Work should be exciting and fun, which leads to a relaxing weekend.  Can’t remember exactly what the weekday events are, but each week of May has at least one.  This is where a lot of projects come to fruition.  Another reason I’m not going to be tackling any major challenges until Memorial Day weekend.

By the way, the last time I did any real writing was August.  I haven’t written a new story since then.  I’ve edited, outlined, and tinkered, but it’ll be 9 months of no writing by the time I take on another project.  This is why I want to try to write 2 over the summer when I have more free time.

Goals of the week:

  1. Outline the next two Darwin books.
  2. Keep working on the LOTR puzzle
  3. Try this Blackened whiskey made by Metallica
  4. Watch more ‘Assassination Classroom’.
  5. Work, parenting, sleeping, and hydrating as usual.
  6. Legos!
  7. Start planning either October or November posts . . . Maybe I shouldn’t try for anything special this October in the first place?  Just ‘Monster Maker’?
  8. Oh yeah!  Set up the Tuesday posts for September.  Can’t forget that.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Multi-Monster Army: Does It Work?

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

Yahoo Image Search

The simple answer is: Yes.

The more complicated answer is: Yes if certain requirements are met.

Keep in mind that monsters are typically seen as primal and destructive.  If they’re marching as a massive group then the reason is usually food, migration, mind control, or they’ve been angered.  Many times this is a swarm of a single species, which makes it easier to handle in terms of juggling.  One species means every member has the same abilities and habits.  There’s no having to choose when picking an enemy for a hero to face in a specific moment.  You lose all of this when the army is composed of multiple types of monsters.

The hardest part is figuring out why they’re moving together.  Easiest way is to have them be summoned or controlled by a single figure.  This means they’re not the ones making the decision and the army is unnatural.  You sacrifice the free will of the monsters, so their actions have to be fairly self-destructive and lacking in independent thought.  For example, they will not retreat unless the control is broken and any attempts at traps will strain the belief that they’re mindless.  It will be a charge forward to destroy whatever is in their path without question.  After all, mind control means they’re being made to act against their nature.

Another method could be having these creatures share a goal or having a history of working together.  They might be trying to escape a common enemy and have lost all reason other than to run away.  Maybe one species is the smart one and the others are riding beasts and pets that depend on them for survival.  Think of how often goblins are made to ride wolves, which is classic.  Having this type of alliance can make the army scarier for the heroes because there’s unity.  Unlike the mind control or a random gathering, it’s harder to break the morale of monsters that are together for a common purpose.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having the monsters be together for no reasons other than heading in that direction.  You could have them compelled to march by unknown forces and the heroes happen to be in the path.  Doing things this way allows for the battles to be utter mayhem, which is fun to read and a headache to write.  You have no real solidarity between the monsters, so they have a high chance of hitting each other when attacking the heroes.  They simply don’t care about their traveling companions and some may even see them as food.  So, you can gradually drive the battle into a state of anarchy that many would just try to escape.  Keep in mind that you can only do this so many times (once per series in my opinion) before it gets old.

So, what do you think of mixing monsters in an army?  I know.  It’s a rather niche question and one that people don’t really think about.  I’m trying here.

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Crafting Rich Characters (Part 5)

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

Greetings Storytellers! We’re off to Part 5 of Crafting Rich Characters, the final installment of this series. In Part 1, we explored a character’s …

Crafting Rich Characters (Part 5)
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Poetry Day: Ash Man

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

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(Better believe this is about more than a man made of ashes.  Pretty obvious too.)

Pieces floating off

With every gentle breeze

Disappearing in the dark

A gradual erosion

Of a body made from ash

Crinkling with every step

Causing more to disappear

Until the stiff wind comes

And takes his form away

Posted in Poems | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

7 Tips to Using a Monster Army in Fiction

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime

Monster armies marching on a village or being intercepted in the wild is a fairly common set piece for fantasy and science fiction.  From the outside, it seems like it’s a simply obstacle to create and use.  Monsters rush forward, heroes stand their ground, slap in the action, and there you go.  Is it really that easy?  Only if you want it to be flat and boring, so let’s see some ways to spice this up.

  1. It helps to come up with a reason for the monster army to be on the march.  This gives them more substance than being an obstacle.  It also allows for the heroes to know that they are either coming or in the area.  Some possibilities are a migration of the species, controlled by someone, and smart enough to attempt conquest.  It may require a little forethought, but it definitely brings more weight to the event.
  2. Decide on how the heroes are going to encounter this army before it happens.  Think about all of the times you’ve read or seen a story where a monster army appears.  The heroes are either trying to get around them, defend a location, attack them first, or accidentally run into them.  Each situation requires a different way of thinking and tactics.  The tone differs as well with some having more tension and suspense than others.
  3. The monsters don’t always need a visible leader, but it can help.  Even migrations tend to have at least one figure in the lead to act as a guide.  A more organized army would have leadership figures to keep the others in line.  Keep in mind that these are still monsters and not the more civilized races, so they’d go wild or run away at the slightest setback unless they are urged forward.  You can get around this with enchantments that force them to continue fighting, but that still requires a leader who may show up later.
  4. If you’re having the heroes work with another group to face the monsters then you should really kill some characters.  Not the named ones, but the ‘fodder’ you’ve added to the scene.  This shows that the monster army is dangerous and there is a chance that they will win.  Otherwise, the audience will wonder why they should care or worry since even the nameless characters are safe.  The same goes for injuries, which can be done to anyone involved.
  5. Consider the effect on the environment since monster armies tend to be massive.  They aren’t known for going around forests and villages.  Usually, these forces just steamroll over everything in their path.  Trees will be knocked down for weapons and anything edible will be devoured.  Think of the monster army as locusts.  Also, people should be able to find this path of destruction, which means they can run ahead.  This is how the heroes will know what is coming since it’s hard to hide a monster army.
  6. Don’t be afraid to have the monster army swarm or surge even if they’re supposed to be organized.  This is a sudden, mad rush forward to push the enemies back or break through defenses.  I’ve heard some people say that this tactic wouldn’t be used by a formal, organized army.  I’m fairly certainly it would if they thought it would work or had to operate out of desperation.  It helps gain more ground and can terrify any enemies who are getting nervous.
  7. To really create a great scene, try to touch on the senses aside from sight.  The monster army will have a fairly unique sound and smell.  Have the heroes react to these because they’ll be intense with so many creatures.  The air may have a certain taste once the fighting starts.  Think about other ways to drive set the right mood aside from saying the army is stretching into the distance.
Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Literary Agent Resources #agentqueries #queryingforrepresentation

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

Hi, SEers! Mae here. Last month I shared tips on how to write a query letter for agent representation. You can find that post HERE. Today, I’d like …

Literary Agent Resources #agentqueries #queryingforrepresentation
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

A Call for Beta Readers for the Sequel of Eternal Road – The final stop

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash John wants you as a beta reader The sequel to Eternal Road – The final stop, is now ready for the excellent …

A Call for Beta Readers for the Sequel of Eternal Road – The final stop
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Happy Richter Scale Day! (Enjoy with an Inventive $2.99 eBook!)

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

The Richter Scale

Make a break for this tale about inventions and magic gone wrong, Legends of Windemere: The Merchant of Nevra Coil!

Cover art by Jason Pedersen

Posted in Merchant of Nevra Coil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Elite of the Monster Races

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

The Orc Disaster (That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime)

Ever play a video game or read a story with monsters when a ‘special’ type of a common species turns up?  If not then there really isn’t much more to explain.  Heroes run into an elite version of a common monster and are suddenly challenged.  This may be done for three reasons:

  • Surprise the audience!  They expected this creature to be like the previous ones or work off their pre-existing knowledge.  Now, they see it’s something more and can no longer predict the battle.  SHOCKING!
  • Give a leader to the common monsters.  These elite creatures end up being generals, kings, queens, and other high-ranking beasts.  It gives the monsters a sense of organization and that opens the doors for more possibilities.  Maybe a heroic version or a hidden civilization.
  • Author is too lazy to create a new creatures, so they just made a mutant version of something they already have.  Pretty sure most of us have been there at some point, especially if it’s a spontaneous decision.

I find these monsters both fun and difficult to use.  Fun because of the first two reasons above.  I like throwing this kind of curveball at my heroes and audience because you never know if something is going to be off.  This also expands the monsters I’ve chosen and I can flesh them out more in another story.  Maybe there are more of these elite and there’s a reason they exist.  That brings me to the difficult part.

While it’s very tempting to simply have this elite monster exist and blame magic, I think it’s important to at least hint at an origin.  There are thousands or millions of the common versions around, so there has to be a reason for this stronger, different one.  It could be a mutation, an ingested potion, a revived prehistoric version, or anything that can give an origin.  The characters don’t even have to know, but can simply guess.  Otherwise, this type of creature comes out as random and feels like it isn’t an organic part of the world.  You can break a setting by simply dropping a variation of a common beast in there and hoping people don’t question it.

Another challenge is deciding on how different they’re going to be.  Some authors go totally off-the-wall crazy with upgrades.  A goblin with wings, extendable horns, lightning breath, fireball farts, a beautiful singing voice, an extra 3 inches, and hyper-regeneration is a terrifying challenge.  It’s also so over-the-top for that species that it might as well be named Tryin’ Toohard.  You can get further with a few or even one power as long as it’s a good one.  Being more intelligent or stronger always work as a foundation.  Then, you give it something that makes it really stand out and be a threat.  For example, take that goblin from earlier with heightened intelligence and hyper-regeneration.  Now, you have a smart and hard to kill creature that isn’t too extreme.

There are other things you can do with these.  Names are optional, but can give them more weight.  Prophesies about them help make them special and can act as an origin.  Some can even be used as recurring enemies if they are able to survive.  Making an elite monster really does open the door for expanding both their species and their own role in the overall world.  It really depends on how far you want to go and if they were planned or spontaneous.  Though, you can still love it so much in the moment that you want to run with it or have another show up later for revenge.

I really do need to use elite monsters more often.  I’m so busy trying to show that some of the monster races aren’t as monstrous as people think that I forget about this.  The goblins and giltris (lizardmen) of Windemere are practically sub-species now.  So, adding an elite wouldn’t be the same as if I did it with a peryton or troll.  Something for me to consider down the road.

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Giant Pandas: So Cute!

Posted on April 24, 2022 by Charles Yallowitz

While in DC, I saw giant pandas. Of course, I took pictures and a video. Enjoy and check out the WWF page for information on pandas. You can also adopt one. (Doing this by phone again. Hope it works.)

Posted in Animal Posts | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments