7 Tips to Mirror Matches

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Street Fighter

Mirror matches can be fun and you don’t have to be too complicated.  Then again, making things very simple can have the whole thing fall flat.  What are some ways to make the mirror match more effective?

  1. Put some thought into how the characters are the opposite of each other.  It can’t be solely cosmetic if you want it to last longer than a single fight.  Do they have powers and skills that negate each other?  Are their personalities polar opposites?  This is supposed to the hero facing a dark version of themselves, which requires clarity of differences.
  2. Mirror match villains are not obligated to make the ‘I am your reflection’ speech.  I see this a lot in fiction.  It comes off as corny.  The better way to do this is the have their actions and words make this clear.  They should be doing the opposite of each other at most points.
  3. A way to make the mirror situation more obvious is to have the hero and villain be placed in matching situations.  It doesn’t have to be together.  All they need to do is face the same challenge and solve it in opposing ways.  For example, they can run into people feuding.  The hero diffuses the situation before violence starts.  The villain chooses a side and make sure violence happens.
  4. When in battle, these characters need to be able to land some blows.  While they are perfect reflections of each other, a fight where they are repeatedly negating each other can get boring.  This can happen on some level like with superpowers and magic.  I did this with Nyx and Trinity in Tribe of the Snow Tiger.  Once they negated each other’s magic, it became a fist fight where contact was made.
  5. If you want these characters to be in a story for the long haul, you may want to slowly pull them away from the mirror concept.  They can still be opposites on some level, but an author may want them to develop some individuality.  Otherwise, the rivalry can get stale and predictable.
  6. Supporting characters can be the ones to note the mirror situation.  The hero and villain aren’t always aware of the situation.  They have senses of self and even ego, which means they can’t themselves in each other.  It’s especially true of personality types because there’s a lot of nuance to such things.  They can recognize opposing powers, skills, and even clothing.  Yet, pointing out that their personalities are total opposites might come off better from a third party.
  7. If the mirror match concept isn’t working out for the story, you can easily move away from it.  Change powers, skills, and whatever else over the course of the adventure to make them more distant.  This is probably one of the easiest ‘failed’ concepts to undo in a story.
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Heroes of Windemere Profile: Timoran Wrath

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Good old Timoran.  This is when the covers changed a bit too.  Learned that many readers will think a change of cover still signifies a new series.  Didn’t matter that the series title was the same.  Weird.)

 

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Hair– Red
Eyes– Blue
Race– Human Barbarian
Hometown– Stonehelm
Career– Barbarian
Weapon(s) of Choice– Great Axe
Debut Book– Legends of Windemere: Family of the Tri-Rune

Unlike his companions, Timoran Wrath is not a complicated man.  He is an exile from the Snow Tiger Tribe, but he has retained his sense of honor and loyalty.  While he is an experienced and capable warrior, Timoran is also wise enough to know when to talk or intimidate his way out of trouble.  Like most of his tribe, he has complete control over his primal rage and only unleashes it when necessary.

Being older and more mild-mannered than the other champions, Timoran is a source of stability.  No matter the situation, he stands by his friends and makes sure to keep a level head.  He rarely takes the lead and will patiently wait for an opportunity to interject his opinions and insights to a conversation.  This quiet demeanor causes their enemies to mistake him for nothing more than muscle, which is a mistake.  While Timoran follows orders most of the time, he is skilled at one-on-one tactics and defending others with a focus on adjusting to battlefield situations.

For all of his strength and experience as a warrior, Timoran is a kind man and always there to talk over a drink.  It is difficult to push is buttons, which makes him an excellent foil against Nyx’s temper, Luke’s recklessness, and Sari’s love of mischief.  Even so, his younger ‘siblings’ have filled a void in his life that was created when he was forced to leave his tribe.  For the first time in years, Timoran Wrath feels like he has a place that he can call home.

While Timoran debuts in Family of the Tri-Rune, his greatest adventure and the secrets of his past takes place in:

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

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How to Pitch a non-fiction book to a publisher

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

In my last post, Writing for Magazines, I discussed how writers could branch out into non-fiction, even if they usually write fiction. Many of us …

How to Pitch a non-fiction book to a publisher
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The Mirror Match

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Futurama

Now, this is different from a character fighting their evil twin or a clone.  In that scenario, the combatants are identical in most, if not every, way.  A mirror match differs in that they characters are opposites in some fashion.  Could be appearance, but usually includes powers and behavior as well.  So, how does this work in fiction?

This tends to be found primarily in fantasy and science-fiction, but it can pop up in other genres.  The concept revolves around the character facing their dark side.  It touches on the idea of a person facing their inner demons, but giving them a more corporeal form.  I find this to be rather blunt and on the nose, which works out for some readers.  After all, you can get overwhelmed by the general concept and miss the meaning.  Not that you have to make is so obvious.

I’ve found that this is done in one of two ways:

  1. The mirror character is created somehow over the course of the story and turns into a challenge for the original.  It can either be the main villain or a short-term enemy designed to make them face some weaknesses.  This mirror character can be lacking in personality and urgency since they are used almost entirely as a plot device instead of a three dimensional entity.
  2. An individual character appears or is around from the beginning.  They just happen to be the opposite of the hero in powers and personality.  I see this a lot in comics as far as personality goes.  Makes for a great archenemy.  They can be seen as their own person as well since they weren’t ‘born’ from the hero.  You can add more nuance to their behavior as well without losing the general connections.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the mirror match doesn’t always go with different powers and abilities.  I know I said this is an aspect, but you can run into an issue.  For example, if the hero is super strong and durable, you can’t have a villain who is super weak and fragile.  I mean, you kind of get that in ‘Unbreakable’ where Bruce Willis is indestructible and Samuel L. Jackson is easily hurt.  Still, this is a rare situation since most authors try to avoid such wide power gaps.  People go more for secondary powers or personalities, which still gets the job done.

In fact, I would say that the characters having opposite personalities is more important than the powers.  This is where the mirror match has its strengths.  You can see how a person with the same abilities, skills, and powers would operate if they had the opposite personality.  For the characters themselves, the hero can get a glimpse of how they would be if they fall from grace.  The villain can actually develop a sense of jealousy since they are mostly the same, but the hero is beloved.  It creates so much emotional and psychological turmoil that you can have a lot of fun with the concept.

For myself, I kind of did this in War of Nytefall: Savagery where Alastyre and Clyde faced off.  Both are incredibly powerful and violent, but Alastyre is more of an open monster than Clyde.  This was done primarily to create a big challenge for our heroes, but it also showed what Clyde could become if he lost all of his humanity.  This didn’t always come off as clear during the story, which is my own fault.  I tried to leave it up to the reader to notice.  I’m going to have a similar situation with Sin when I get to his series, so I plan on making the emotional side of things more overt.

So, what do people think of this mirror match concept?

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Happy . . . Unhappy Opposite Day?

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

It’s Not Opposite Day.  Don’t enjoy it.  I have not been waiting years for this to land on a Sunday.

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Goal Post: Cold Before The Storm

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Today, the temps are around the negatives and single digits due to the wind.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a blizzard, which will leave 8-15 inches.  It’s been a long time since a winter storm hit us that hard, so people are getting jumpy.  Honestly, I don’t think Long Island is very good at dealing with snow.  The roads here are narrow because of all the cars parked on the side.  Many of those won’t be moved, so things will be messy for a few days.  There might even be a snow day on Monday.  Won’t be able to go out for anything other than shoveling, which sucks because it means no Pokemon and I’ll be aching when I take a break to write.

Speaking of writing, I only got a paragraph done this week even though mid-terms meant half-days for my students.  I wasn’t able to go home early and I can’t access my books when at work.  It was all field trips too, so I was exhausted by the time I got home.  I tried to write some of Darwin & the Joy Path on Wednesday, but I kept dozing off in my chair.  Ironic considering I would go on to have a massive panic attack that night, which wrecked me for Thursday.  My hope is to finish chapter 14 this weekend, which leaves me with three chapters left.

I’m a little torn on the progress in this adventure.  I don’t know if it’s a good idea for the latest challenge to go right into the final one.  There really isn’t anything I can put between them without it feeling like a stalling tactic.  So, I guess this will work, but it creates a 3 chapter ‘rush’ of action with small downtimes.  Can’t be certain if I’m simply having imposter syndrome doubts or this is a real problem.  Some of my notes also mention a gem that wasn’t supposed to reveal something that’s already been revealed, so I have to repurpose that item.  Probably won’t get to that issue until mid-February when I definitely get more time to write.

In non-author news, my son had his mid-terms this week and had to figure out his schedule for senior year.  Both have been wild.  He worked really hard and we know he passed 2 of the 3.  One was barely, but it was his weakest subject and our goal is simply to pass.  As I said, he studied really hard, especially for that one, over the MLK Day weekend, so nobody can say he didn’t give it his all.  It meant limited video games, which was a small argument, but a snow day tomorrow might make up for lost time there.

The only thing I’ve really had the time for this week is to collapse on my bed and slowly make my way through episodes of ‘Fallout’.  I got on the bike at one point, but that exertion resulted in me doing the same at a later time.  That seems to be how the winter typically goes for me.  The cold is draining even when I’m not running around.  The house is staying as warm as it can, but the wind and plunging temps are giving the heating system a run for its money.  Today and tomorrow are really taxing, which is why writing will be going slow.  Hard to type when I getting drowsy from a combo of cool temps and mainlining hot chocolate.

I’m going to try to use some of the weekend to finish up the March blog posts.  I have a few ideas for the April Sunday ones, but I think I might just repost stuff from long ago.  Most of my readers haven’t seen those or it’s been a while.  Sounds really lazy though, so I’ll see if I stick with that plan.  Simply running out of writing-based subjects.  The animal stuff is going to stay on Sundays and I’m going to try to limit the ‘weird holiday’ posts.  Trying to gather more future ideas from what I’m watching, but ‘Fallout’ isn’t giving me anything I didn’t touch on when I was promoting Crossing Bedlam.  Seems I’m touching a lot more on character types and actions than other aspects of writing.  Wish I knew of other fun topics.

Next week is in the air because of the weather.  I’m sure it will be more of the same, but with having to drive around large piles of snow.  Have a few appointments and meetings as well, so I probably won’t get back to my book unless I get lucky.  Yeah, I think Wednesday is the only time I have a fighting chance and it’s slim.  Oh well, that’s how things go some weeks.  It’s all about my son, so I’m fine with it.  Not other people creating appointments and situations on my time without talking to me first.  That’s a fairly common issue in my life.

So, what are my goals this time?

  1. Shovel and deal with snow tomorrow.
  2. Write chapter 14 of Darwin & the Joy Path.
  3. Finish March blog posts.
  4. Sleep more.
  5. Drive carefully.
  6. Lego time if possible.
  7. At least look at ‘Phi Beta Files’ even if I can’t tinker with it.
  8. Try to use exercise bike a few times.
  9. Wear layers.
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#2 of 2025: 7 Tips to Reincarnated Characters

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Originally posted on February 5, 2025.)

Rimuru Tempest

Having a protagonist being a reincarnation of a previous character or reborn as a powerful being can make a fun story.  You open up a lot of possibilities.  So, what are some tips to this kind of story?

  1. Reincarnation is a plot device that either gets the story rolling or is the goal for getting a character back.  It needs to be combined with something else such as a reason for the protagonist to act.  For example, Rimuru Tempest above is a human reincarnated as a slime with powers.  That is the opening, but the story is about how he creates a kingdom for monsters that lives in peace with the surrounding kingdoms.
  2. The concept of reincarnation doesn’t always mean a human will turn into another humanoid species.  At least the real version of reincarnation.  In fiction, it’s usually a person being reborn with the knowledge they had a past life.  If you wanted to use the real version then you have to consider their deeds prior to death.  A bad person will turn into something ‘less than they prior form’.  A person who has done good deeds will get a ‘better form’.
  3. Reincarnation of a previously established or world-known hero requires there be some similarities.  The new character can look like them or have similar abilities, but they need to stand on their own.  This could mean a different personality or change up their abilities.  Considering their past life’s deeds can help here because they can even be reincarnated with a downgrade in abilities, which can account for their changes in personality and tactics.
  4. Be careful having too many people identifying this character as a reincarnation.  This is really only important if they are a deceased hero reborn since those reincarnated from obscure lives to greatness wouldn’t have this issue.  Anyway, having everyone recognize the new hero as a reincarnation of the old takes away from their identity.  Unless part of the story is them wrestling with having no reputation beyond what their previous life was, you want other characters to rarely notice they are reincarnations.
  5. Don’t mix up reincarnation and resurrection.  The latter is when a person is brought back from the dead as themselves.  The former is when they are brought back as a new person.
  6. If the character is reincarnated into another world (Isekai) then you should remember some culture shock.  Even if they are considered the rebirth of a local hero, the character’s mind will be that of the one from the other world.  So, they might have great powers and abilities, but they will not understand the rules of their new home right away.  This allows you to use the protagonist to get information to the audience as well since both will be learning about the world.
  7. Reincarnation in a world doesn’t have to be for only one person.  Yes, the protagonist is reincarnated, which is a big part of the story.  If it happened to them then it can happen to others.  So, you can use this plot device again to introduce new allies, villains, and other beings to increase the impact of reincarnation.  You do have to be careful to overuse it like every plot device.
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Poetry Day: Test of Man

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Wow.  Almost forgot about this one.  Surprising since I still think about this possibility at least once a week.)

I hear them all
Damning fellow beings
To endless suffering
As if they are the judges
The final word on morality

 

They claim to be the chosen
Spewing hateful sputum
At those they deem the false
Wielding words
Penned by the hand of man

 

Do any sense the oddness?
Aware that not long ago
Their people were the hated
Condemned by word
And killed by hand

 

I listen and watch
Noting the hypocrisy
That we are not to understand
The thoughts of gods
Yet we are free to voice them

 

It leads a man to wonder
Why so much variety
Among our simple species
No two are truly same
Even if they stand united

 

Would a god do such a thing?
Granting us such differences
Making each of us unique
But pairing it with a curse
A fear of those that differ

 

I hear people chant
About a holy test
One that we do not know
Yet so many
Claim to have the cheat sheet

 

What if the test holds no faith?
A test of tolerance and love
Forged by our differences
Purposely created
To see who will love and who will hate

 

Such a test is blasphemy
It goes against all blinding faith
Because it scares them all
For if such a test exists
Everyone will fail

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Science Fiction: What is it?

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Hi, gang. 👋🏼 Craig with you again for some more science fiction. We broke down the old formats of hard science fiction and soft science fiction. …

Science Fiction: What is it?
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Superhuman Learning Methods

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Fruit of Evolution

The anime above is what made me think of this topic.  Specifically, a scene where the main character (guy) starts accidentally absorbing knowledge.  Not going to get into the plot, but he gains the ability to rapidly grow in powers, knowledge, etc.  In the comical scene, he is in a library and the voice in his head keeps announcing different spells he is mastering simply by touching books.  He is kind of freaked out, which made me think of other ways characters have rapidly gained knowledge.

  1. Touch– All they do is make contact with a person, creature, or source of information.  Then everything is absorbed.  Sometimes, the physical object/person is taken along with the information.  It doesn’t always result in mastery, but I’m seeing sudden expertise be the norm in certain genres.
  2. Ingestion– This one is pretty self-explanatory and I think it’s mostly found in fantasy Isekai.  Basically, a person arrives in another world and ends up eating monsters to gain their abilities.  It can end up being people too if the person such as in ‘Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime’.  Either way, they devour the target and gain both knowledge and abilities.
  3. Sight– I’ve seen this one with a lot of written knowledge, but also with spells and fighting styles.  The character merely has to see these things once and they have completely mastery over it.  With the knowledge, this could be seen as eidetic memory, which is fine.  Spells and combat are tougher because it bypasses the necessity to train for such things.  Clearly, it’s a cheat.
  4. Matrix Download– Just like with Neo, a character has everything they need downloaded into their brain.  The thing with the Matrix is that there seemed to be limits such as it being skills or simply knowing the martial arts form doesn’t mean you will win.  Yet, many people create a download system where it comes with god-like mastery and no weak points.
  5. Telepath– Self-explanatory in that one steals the knowledge and skills right out of a target’s brain.

I’m sure there are more, but these feel like the main ones.  In general, I’m not a big fan of how these trick is used.  People make it run too smoothly with no downsides.  I would like it better if new skills were gained at the sacrifice of others or they had to be crafted with what you get.  Otherwise, the character becomes too powerful and you start to wonder how they will ever lose.  Not to mention the issue of having multiple ways to solve a problem, so how would they choose in a pinch?  There’s never any doubt in these characters when they come up with a solution, so they reach a level of ‘perfection’.

Maybe I’m being nitpicky though.  Anybody know of a way to make this power work without it going too far?  Can you do it without mentioning Rogue, Taskmaster, and other comic book characters?  😀

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