Greetings Storytellers, Diana’s back again with another smokin’ post on the hot topic of punctuation, specifically—the apostrophe! This one’s fairly …
Punctuation Part V: Apostrophes & Contrations (‘)
So, I think the picture above is from a game called ‘Monster Hunter’. Not sure which in the franchise it is, but seeing videos of this and working on Darwin & the Beast Collector got me thinking about monsters. Specifically, I was wondering about how monsters are part of the environment and out in the open. Yet, people don’t always think about this.
Most of the fantasy worlds that I’ve seen have regular animals running around with the occasional monster. I think authors want these creatures to be unique and special, so they become rare and show up only for plot. You might get a few domesticated ones, but the non-Earth fauna really isn’t common. To be fair, the higher the magic of the world, the more common such creatures are in the wild. That must be something to consider, but I still find the whole thing strange.
I look at a fantasy world as a non-Earth environment with different factors, so the evolution of animals shouldn’t be the same. There could still be what we are used to seeing, but also beasts that aren’t from our world. They can easily be magical versions of what we have. I’m not talking about dragons and the other big monsters, but just small things. For example, I have a creature that showed up a bit in Legends of Windemere called a bog hare. It was a bouncy, chubby rabbit that lived in swamps and was a protein source for adventurers. Nothing immense or crazy, but an altered animal that makes sense for Windemere.
Now, this does happen with monsters being secluded and in hard to reach areas, but this doesn’t always make sense. Many times, it’s explained that civilized races pushed them to these places through hunting either for food or protection. Yet, the regular predators like lions and wolves are still around. If these people are so quick to destroy things like griffins and hydras then why wouldn’t they do it for other violent animals? It isn’t like they know which ones are found on Earth and which ones aren’t. If there’s no theory of evolution then they could assume all of them are magical too. That might be a stretch, but I still find it strange that non-Earth creatures are almost always shoved into the shadows. Could I be overthinking it?
Maybe this is why I try hard to add weird flora and fauna when I’m describing the wilds of Windemere. Though, I’m not always successful because I focus more on the actual terrain when writing these scenes. I do think part of the issue is that it’s hard to design a creature when you’re not going to use it for more than window dressing. Many authors would argue against that even though it does drive home the fact that the setting is not Earth, which some readers don’t always remember. Monsters in the open is a way to maintain immersion and . . . I forgot the world for drawing people into a story. Anyway, I have tried to add more critters in my descriptions as I get older. Don’t have a reason for why that is, but it feels right.
What do other people think about stories having non-Earth fauna in the open instead of only in the shadows?
This is why May being a month about mental health and sleep is interesting. The two are interconnected. A decline in one causes a decline in the other. For example:
A person who suffers from anxiety may find this mental illness to be worse at night. This results in them having panic attacks at night or, at the very least, mediocre sleep. They will eventually hit a point of sleep deprivation, which causes them to become lethargic and more anxious. Daily activities become more difficult and you get stressed out over how hard things are. This makes your sleep worse and can lead to insomnia, which enhances both situations.
Yet, a person who gets enough sleep has the energy to get enough things done that they don’t stress out as much. Their anxiety is kept at healthy or maybe tolerable levels, so sleep isn’t hindered. Even if a few blips of bad days happen, the overall stress doesn’t reach a point where a downward spiral occurs.
Another result of poor sleep that can affect mental health is something I learned about when reading about sleep apnea. To put it bluntly, it can cause brain damage. Gray matter is reduced and can result in reduced cognition. The hippocampus is damaged enough to cause memory loss. You have less white matter and the blood-brain barrier is weakened. This all causes a rise in mental health issues stemming from an attention deficit and general comprehension problems.
So, what do other people think about the connection between sleep and mental health? Does it seem obvious? If so, why do you think we don’t really pay attention to the connection and push ourselves to forego sleep at times?
For a short work week, this past one was crazy busy. My class had a mini-golf field trip one day, which was a lot of fun. Two students got holes-in-one and everyone had fun even with a few minor blips. The day after that was the Unified Basketball championship, which is composed of teams with special and general education students. Our team was defending champions and it was dicey for a while. They pulled it together though and got the win, which is great for our seniors since it was their last game and they have been there since the beginning. Next week doesn’t have any exciting events like that, but I’m sure it’ll be busy.
I tired to do some editing for Darwin & the Beast Collector yesterday, but didn’t get as far as I’d hoped. With 3 chapters to go and 4 days, I thought I could pull it off, but I have a bunch of appointments and meet-ups. I still think I can definitely get 2 done over breakfast and in the evenings. Then again, one of the things I had planned was canceled by someone else without my full agreement. I can’t go into any more about that, but it’s soured my mood. Might be why I’m editing slower too because letting my mind wander goes to this issue and not the story.
Another problem is I ran into a wrinkle. A character has this medallion/pocketwatch that makes them invisible to monsters. I think I had other plans for this thing, but I seem to have forgotten it existed between its introduction and being handed to another character. It’s mentioned at times, but the character keeps it under his shirt all the time. I’m not sure if this works or if I should have it be fiddled with in passing a few times throughout the story. I’m also thinking of making it a strict medallion or locket instead of a pocketwatch since he never checks the time. His biggest tic is taking a drink from whatever goblet he is holding, but I can’t switch the goblet to the story importance of the medallion since it serves its own purpose. So, I feel kind of stuck on how to make the medallion truly work and am leaning towards adding it into a few scenes while I type in the edits in June. Any suggestions even though this is vague?
Coming to the end of the school year means events are coming fast and often. My son had his big chorus concert this week and he is getting a music award in June. There are other field trips, state tests, Regents exams, various holidays, and overall tension growing among students. It’s not always a bad tension, but people are getting antsy for the school year to be over. I think you really see it in special education students because they can be very aware of changes in the atmosphere. That and many know the end of the year is coming, so those that don’t like changes in routine aren’t happy. To be fair, I know many adults like this too.
Can’t think of anything else that has happened between the weekends. That whole foot pain thing is getting better thanks to the compression socks and better shoes. They still hurt if I walk for too long and in the morning. Yet, I definitely feel improvement, which is great since I have a weekend of walking ahead of me at the end of June. Though, I think I can convince my son to let us sit down from time to time. Anyway, I guess I should jump into the list and maybe I’ll announce the completion of Darwin & the Beast Collector next weekend.
I didn’t make a Memorial Day post this year because I didn’t realize when it was. I also find myself thinking it’s strange to say things like ‘Happy Memorial Day’ and be anything more than solemn and pensive. Maybe I’m overthinking things.
Harpers
Boss- “Welcome to the Hidden Strings, young man.”
Recruit- “I’m in? That’s great. Can’t wait to tell my mom.”
B- “Wait . . . I think you forgot that we are a secret society.”
R- “Don’t worry. My mom can keep a secret. My sister and brothers can’t, but my mom is safe.”
B- “That’s not for you to decide.”
R- “Who decides?”
B- “Me and I say no because we deal in very delicate situations.”
R- “But my mom-”
B- “She could be killed if your membership is none to the public.”
R- “Oh . . . Then I won’t tell her.”
B- “Good. Now, here is your insignia pin and a cloak with our colors on it.”
R- “Won’t people know I’m a member if they see me wearing this?”
B- “Nobody knows we exist, so you will be safe.”
R- “Then nobody would believe my mom if I told her.”
B- “We aren’t leaving this topic, are we?”
R- “I would like to tell someone about this honor and I don’t have a wife.”
B- “A wife would still be a no.”
R- “Fine. By the way, people do know you exist.”
B- “What?”
R- “Yeah, the Hidden Strings were outed two months ago by some reporter.”
B- “Who could have done that?”
R- “Some guy who was accidentally delivered a membership packet that was meant for the person who used to live in his apartment. Seems all hideout locations, finances, members, and secret signals were included.”
B- “That’s why we never heard back from that one guy. Maybe we should hire more office staff to keep our books updated.”
R- “I don’t think you should worry.”
B- “Why not?”
R- “People are too busy dealing with personal issues to care about a group that seems to only exist to prevent the sale of black market musical instruments.”
B- “That’s both a relief and kind of hurtful.”
I am visiting with Robbie today to talk about my newest tale. She generously offered a review of Goodbye Old Paint, so in a way it’s a two-fer. …
Run for the Roses
I know Memorial Day is an American holiday, but I figured an extended weekend is the best time to make this announcement:
This includes:
Crossing Bedlam
Click on the covers to look at the sites and feel free to escape reality with any of these books. There are paperback versions as well, but I’ve already priced them as low as I can in order to still get $2-3 in royalties. Enjoy and thanks to anyone who helps spread the word about the price change.
LOTR
(When did jumping in puddle stop being fun? I used to love doing it even if my socks got wet. Then, I became an adult and accidentally stepping into a puddle can ruin my day until I get home. Is it because I care about my socks and shoes being wet? Is it a sensory thing? I just can’t figure out when jumping in puddles stopped being fun.)
We never take the time
To enjoy the puddles in our way
We go around
Or rush on through
Cursing at wet socks
We never take a rest
After a pouring rain
To find the nearest puddle
And jump into its midst
With no worries in our mind
We never can remember
The last time we played and romped
As children in our galoshes
Or bare feet if we felt bold
That churned puddles in our wake
We never can return
To the joy of puddle jumping
Our role is to be mature
Forbidden to splash with glee
At least when we are watched
Harper Symbol
As you can see, I’m still not sure what to call this type of organization. A cabal or secret society has fairly dark undertones. For this topic, I’m really trying to lean towards groups that are fighting to protect something. It could be a kingdom, a terrible secret, or anything that can lead to disaster if it’s damaged. So, what are some things to keep in mind?
Legends of Windemere 