I recently finished reading Grinders, by C.S. Boyack. I always look forward to reading new books by Mr. Boyack and I was not disappointed with this one.
The thing that struck me immediately was the mixture of imagination and possible natural evolution of the developments in both the environment and technology in the future. The book takes place in a future iteration of San Francisco which sees it’s citizens dealing with rising waters that cause them to live beneath the surface in some cases and deal with the effects of rising tides within the city.
The use of the ‘grid’ for the mobility of vehicles is ingenious even describing a sync with handheld devices to warn those absorbed in their cell phones (yes this is predicted to still be a thing in the future) that they are approaching traffic by sending a warning to their screens.
I bring up mental health a lot here. Usually, it’s in regards to the topic itself and not connecting it to writing. Well, I’m going to switch that up here. Wednesday and Friday are going to be some 7 Tip lists for depression and anxiety in fiction while today is going to be more of an open forum. The question:
Do you think mental health issues should be avoided or tackled in fiction, especially genres like fantasy?
Personally, I think it depends on the author. You can’t force someone to include a subject or trait that they aren’t comfortable with. They might know enough about the mental issue to use it, which means research is needed. It could also be that they are afraid of offending a sufferer with an incorrect depiction or to trigger something. Since we are talking about a sensitive situation, it’s totally understandable that one would feel this way. Honestly, I don’t think it’s fair to attack an author who tries and fails to depict a mental health issue even if they were being a jerk about it. Respond with a rational criticism and try to educate if possible.
That also brings me to the other side of the spectrum that I’ve seen. Some authors will take the more sensational version of a mental health issue for dramatic effect. Anxiety-riddled heroes who can barely get out of the house. Depressives who cry every time they speak and are covered in self-inflicted scars. OCD is a term that is flung around so casually that it loses all meaning to some people. Don’t even get me started on dissociative identity disorder, which used to be split personality disorder . . . Mostly because I’m still not 100% sure on how to work this one. Anyway, these extremes can exist in reality, but they aren’t always the case. To make it look like this is the only way it can go can be upsetting to those who suffer in a different way. Especially when your depiction causes readers to expect those extremes in sufferers, so they doubt the words of anyone suffering in any other way.
This really is a delicate topic to add into your stories. With fantasy, I think there are magical ways to cushion the blow or explain why it isn’t widespread. Kind of a big cop out there, but it’s something. At least with the more severe mental illnesses because you have psychics, casters, and healers out there. One thing that is a dangerous tactic here is to use mental health issues as ‘curses’. It’s pretty easy to do and comes off like a good idea when it’s in an outline stage. The brave hero is sudden afflicted by anxiety or depression or a phobia or OCD or any number of things. Yet, this can backfire and come off as insulting because it makes the conditions appear evil. They’re not.
As I continue writing, I’m considering adding some mental health issues into my stories, but I’m still twitchy on trying. There is going to be an addiction subplot in one book series, which stems from severe grief and depression. I don’t know if this counts since it’s a deep sadness with a source and not a depression with no clear catalyst. Anxiety is one that I might consider more because I have a better idea of that one. I guess another reason for me personally is that I really want to maintain the escapism and heavy topics like this can shatter that illusion if you’re not careful. They won’t be the main focus of a story, so they’ll be there as subplots or character traits. This kind of prevents me from tackling the really heavy ones because those need a lot of attention and focus.
Anyway, what do you think about this topic? Also, if anyone ever wants to write up a guest post on a specific mental health issue then feel free to ask for a spot. Awkward request, but I feel like I’m limited in experience and knowledge here.
I warned you about it on Friday, and the day is finally here. You can grab your copy of The Yak Guy Project for free today. To quote pop culture, “Free, free, free, free.”
This is my attempt to ease your isolation by offering something fun to read. I suppose you could grab a copy to read this Fall, too, if you want. Anyway, here is a cover and blurb, plus a purchase link.
Imagine waking up in the desert with no idea what happened to you. You have clear memories of situations and places, but a complete loss in personal matters… like your own name. This situation is bad, and you have no idea how to get home.
When you’re rescued by a talking yak, the situation gets exponentially worse. You’ve obviously lost your mind. The immediate needs of a ride off the salt pan and searing heat, along…
The above picture is what I got when I did a Yahoo Image Search for ‘Tough Call Meme’. I laughed, so it stuck. It doesn’t help me at all though.
I took some time this week to schedule enough Teaser Tuesday posts to get me to the end of May. I had begun doing them for Legends of Windemere and stopped whenWar of Nytefall: Eradication came out to focus on that. Well, I sold all of 5 copies of the latter, so I might as well jump back to the original plan. Anyway, I’m posted all the way through Volume 12 and the final 3 with spin-off will carry me near the end of June. It covers a lot of ground, but I have a problem.
All I’m doing is taking teasers from years ago and reposting them with some polishing on the introduction. I have a lot of trouble figuring out what will and will not work in terms of teasers. This means I’m going to have to junk the concept entirely if I can’t figure out new ones. Yet, it’s really the only consistent promotional post that I have, so I would need to replace it with something equally useful. No idea what that could be.
Character interviews? Those never go well because most people don’t get involved.
Character profiles? Done those several times and nothing new there.
Questions about my series or characters? Maybe, but I find that I don’t get a lot of bites with this. Same issue with the interviews.
Hate to say it, but I’m running out of faith and steam here. Due to my schedule of work, parenting, and trying to be a human being, I get very little time to wander blogs. I end up stumbling onto a lot of reblogs too, which causes trouble. Through my phone, I’m not able to comment because it seems to believe that I’ve unfollowed most people. Unless I can find it in the WordPress app, I can’t do anything and it’s been that way for nearly two years. I don’t get to my laptop until the evening and we’re talking LATE. I can’t spend the 1-2 hours I get going over blogs every night. So, I’m not able to interact and that’s definitely hurting me. The situation keeps getting worse, huh?
This is more of a rant post than anything else. I can’t think of anything special to do with Tuesdays over the summer. Even if I tack on Ichabod Brooks, Nytefall, and Bedlam, that only gets me into August and prolongs the inevitable. Are there any scenes that people who have read my books want to see on here? Any characters that they want to see get more attention? I really can’t tell what works and what doesn’t anymore. People seem much more interested in my Saturday rants and goals than anything relating to my actual books and the art of writing. Be nice to get some feedback. Thanks.
Whisker Smile is our second children’s book published in Greece by Patakis Publications.
What is the IBBY award?
IBBY is a non-profit organization that was founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1953. Today, it is composed of 75 National Sections all over the world.
The Greek IBBY National Section is the Circle of the Greek Children’s Book, a non-profit, non-governmental cultural association, officially founded in 1969.
Today it has 347 individual members (writers, illustrators, translators, publishers, librarians, university professors, researchers, teachers, philologists, and psychologists). A seven-member Board elected biennially by the NS General Assembly administers it.
Congratulations to Dimitris Fousekis for his outstanding work. I’m thrilled that my story provided…
This week was crazy. We’d be doing schoolwork nonstop from 8 am until 1 or 2 pm. I know people suggest breaks, but then it draws out longer and I get a child who is crying about not having any fun. Those small blips of fun aren’t easy to break out of and they prevent more time-consuming things from happening. For example, we play video games for an hour or two after a full day of work. Can’t use those between things because you can’t just start and stop easily. Nope, we have to hunker down and barrel into the workloads, which might be more next week. Needless to say, nobody is really happy about the situation. Guess that’s a plus because anyone who was enjoying it would be driving the rest of us insane.
After my son finished his work, I’d jump into my own stuff. I was usually keeping up while he worked. Slipping away to do things while he practiced drums or read to his grandma helped me keep up with things. Chat apps are going to be used to give lessons, so both me and him will have to factor those in. My only hope is that a system is made to allow for work and not drain both children and parents during a stressful time. I understand the need to keep the curriculum going because it’ll be a disaster if we return to find that nobody has made progress. Yet, we aren’t doing kids a service when we drive them into the ground with work. Not a popular opinion, but I’m seeing my son wear down and get difficult by the end of the week. By the time he gets to his mom, he’s nearly burnt out and wanting to play. We don’t get spring break too, so there’s no time for rest or recovering our energies.
As you can guess, I got no real writing done because of everything going on. My nights were spent with the TV and jigsaw puzzle if not in a meeting. I collapsed fairly early, but was usually woken up by my phone going off. My mind wasn’t able to focus on writing even though the outline for Savagery was finished last weekend. I did finish all of the planning for the fantasy tip book, so I’m up to figuring out a name. Everything I come up with is either too clinical, too silly, or lacks the necessary oomph. There are so many fantasy writing books out there that I need something to draw people in and establish mine as unique. Usually, I’m pretty good with titles, but I’m having a really big problem on this one.
I’m almost done preparing posts for June, which is great. It means I don’t have to worry when things go crazy in May. I should start in on July too, but I’m in need of topics for that month. Feel free to suggest.
What else is going on? My 40th birthday is on Thursday, which is also the second night of Passover. I have a post going up, but I don’t know what it’s about. Too lazy and out of it to check. (WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP TEXTING ME!?) Can’t go out for dinner and family is staying away. It’ll just be me, my parents, and my son. It sounds like we’re only going to do Passover and leave it at that. So, I turn 40 with no fanfare, which people have pointed out is a pathetic complaint given the situation. I guess it is, but I’m still annoyed that there’s practically nothing going on at all. It’s been suggested that I do a big 41st birthday next year, but it’s not the same and I feel like that would be even more pathetic than me being sour about this year. A lot of people with birthdays in this time period are getting shafted. Some are stuck alone while others have family who may or may not want to acknowledge the day. Overall, it’s like a lemon juice being poured into a seeping wound right now.
What do we have for goals?
Try to start writing Savagery
Figure out a title for the fantasy tip book
Finish the June posts
Schoolwork for my son
Schoolwork for me
Try to have some fun
Birthday and Passover
Jigsaw puzzle
Build up the energy for a real goal post next week
Maybe do a Sin story outline. That series needs a title too. ‘Sin’? ‘Ethereal Soul’? ‘The Ether King’? (Sin uses the Ether Crossbow as a weapon.)
Final news: Long ago, I bought a bottle of Writer’s Tears whiskey. I said that I would finish it and fill it with salt water. Viola!
Everyone is self isolating, if not outright quarantined right now. It get’s boring, even for those of us who can work from home.
Add into that, a whole bunch of people who lost their jobs and are trying to file for unemployment right now, and we could all use a break.
Reading is a good way to spend a few hours, and all authors would love to have you check out their wares. I don’t want anyone to accuse me of taking advantage, so I’m going to do a free promotion. Even folks who lost their jobs can take advantage of a freeby.
Don’t freak out on me just yet, because I set it up to run on Monday. This post is just so you can line up ahead of time, while practicing your social distancing skills. I’ll run out another post when it goes live.
So, I got to thinking about how most of my books fall into umbrella categories. These are groupings that range from massive to small, but it does show I have a weird series of patterns:
Core– Legends of Windemere, Quest of the Brokenhearted, War of Nytefall, Sin, Darwin, Elysium Saga, War of the Tainted, Ruins of the Zodiac Gods, Ryusuke, and the Grand Finale.
Mylrixians– Project Phoenix, Savior, Psi-Child, Gearhead Princess, Ninja Never Wins, Rose of the Damned, Charioteers, Starlets, and Serum. These are all of the superhero ones and there could be others in the mix.
Windemere History– Gods’ Fall, Tears of Gola, Gabriel’s Song, Blundering 7, and Selenia Trilogy. One could probably put War of Nytefall in here too.
Organizations– Coven of the Grey (Witches), Monster Hunters, Ruin Divers, Wraith Slayers, Brian Hunter, Enigma Eye, Phi Beta (no idea if this is right), Garden of the 4 Sisters, and Lords of Hyperscape. These are all various groups that range from a type of specialist to military to a fantasy sports thing.
Kingdom Builders– Sutyra, Tiara Wars/Sword of Bone, Keys of Eden (100 monster search), and Lions of Trune.
Wandering Heroes– The Druid, Jack, Angel of Tears, and Child of the Hunt.
Ichabod Brooks– The man deserves a category.
Fae Tales . . . These guys do seem to be way out in left field since I’m no longer sure if I’m going to do this one. Been leaning towards adding the fairy stories to the Garden of the 4 Sisters or pepper other series with the characters from this since I never locked in a real idea.
So, that’s really it. Funny thing is that I’m writing this in early January, but I’m starting to get an idea of giving each of the unpublished ideas a Sunday post. Make that the ‘Future’ day whenever it’s open. I already did an overview of the Mylrixians. By now, I’ve probably done a bunch of Keys of Eden beasts too. Anyway, this is what I’ve got in the pipeline and would love to finish writing before I die. And people wonder why I get so twitchy when I go without writing. Having these many ideas flushed out in my head and a sense of my own mortality isn’t fun.
With a background in scriptwriting, Jules is perfect for explaining how the dramatic techniques used in theaters and movies can power up your writing and make your storytelling bolder, more engaging, and more compelling. After all, these techniques have been test-driven for centuries in front of unforgiving live audiences, and they work!
Here are five ways you can use them to transform your fiction writing.
1. Dramatic actions
‘Dramatic actions’ isn’t about car chases, swashbuckling and hair-raising stunts. It’s a specific term to describe the underlying objective (‘want’) that’s driving your character.
Using dramatic actions will bring greater clarity, momentum, and tension to your scenes. It will stop your characters from wandering aimlessly, by clarifying a clear, driving throughline for each moment.
Hello SErs. Harmony here. Here is the first part of the seventh installment in the post series dedicated to taking a step-by-step look at how to get your finished manuscript from your computer and on sale on Amazon in both ebook and paperback.
If you’d like to take a look back at the previous posts in this series, please click on the links below:
Image courtesy of bigstock.com 
Legends of Windemere 