This might be short because nothing really happened beyond work and puzzles. By the time I get home, I’m exhausted. This week started the pool trips, but we had one rained out. There was also a trip to an amusement park. Geez, I’m having a lot of trouble being coherent and thinking clearly. Good thing I’m not trying to write any stories this summer like I’d planned. The puzzles are keeping my brain active and helping me relax from a busy day, but the heat and sun are brutal.
Okay, I think I’m ending this post fairly early. On the trip yesterday, I was one of the people waiting with the kids who didn’t want to go on the rides. Not much shade in some of the areas. I didn’t bring my water jug either because it’s kind of clunky to carry around and I didn’t know if I’d be going on rides until I got to work. So, I didn’t get much water and I realized that I’d reached a point where I couldn’t sweat. Hydrated as best as I could, but I came home to find that the freezer wasn’t working right and we lost all of our ice. My seltzers and the water bottles are kept in a room that gets really warm. So, I tried my best to gradually hydrate myself, but I was also dead on my feet. This morning I have a heavy head and my coordination is off. You have no idea how many typos I’ve done here and I kept dropping puzzle pieces last night. Looking at them now, my hands are still shaking a bit. This is the father/son outing day too, but I should be able to relax tomorrow since my parents might take my son to the pool.
Speaking of my son, he had his first (and hopefully last) cavity filling this week. He did great and he won a raffle at camp for an Icee gift certificate. He was a trooper through the week since it was hot for him too. I think there was more, but my head is starting to feel heavier. Think I’m out. Here’s the list:
Hydrate!
Puzzles!
Sleep!
Hydrate!
Find shade!
P.S.- There is no way for me to get any writing done at work or even at home now. This is frustrating. I’m either too busy or too exhausted. Maybe I’ll do some notebook work tomorrow when I’m resting or next weekend. One plus side here is that my brain is so frazzled that I can start editing War of Nytefall: Eradication once camp ends and it’ll be like I’ve never seen it before. Maybe I’ll get lucky and be able to do a Christmas release?
I was going to talk about making words and phrases, but I realized that I haven’t done anything like that. In fact, most people don’t or won’t notice until they are long gone because you need time to see what sticks. Makes me wonder how many authors lived long enough to see some of their creations become permanent fixtures of the lexicon. Of course, this makes me think of Shakespeare.
I’ve always been surprised by how many phrases and words came from this man. I would have loved to be in the room when he came up with them. What did people think? We look at phrases like ‘green-eyed monster’ and ‘ break the ice’, but they are so common that they have no effect. Imagine hearing them for the first time though. It had to be confusing and require an explanation to some extent. Probably even ignored or mocked at first, but then these determined phrases managed to wriggle into permanency. Did Shakespeare ever expect this?
What do you think of this topic? Have you ever wondered about the origin of common phrases? Do you have a favorite?
As usual, here is your warning that this story has cursing, sex (not graphic), innuendo, and violence. It’s my Rated-R action adventure called Derailing Bedlam. This is the fourth outing (third official) for Cassidy and Lloyd, so feel free to click on one of the two covers to see how it started. Each one is 99 cents!
Something that many consider a ‘staple’ of fantasy is conflict and tension between the various races. There’s this weird dislike that seems to appear among them, which is hateful globally and more mild bickering for those in the same party. Typically, it involves a pompous elf, a surly dwarf, or both. All of this makes me believe the ‘staple’ comes entirely from ‘Lord of the Rings’. It’s a constant attempt to replicate the Legolas/Gimli dislike to rivalry to friendship story arc. Never seems to work for me because of a few issues:
There was something about how Tolkien did this that made it work. The specific situations and overall plot explains the unity. Enough history is given to explain the bad blood. Legolas and Gimli are also supporting characters, who are often defined by this bigotry. This is just personal opinion though because they were flushed out more in the movies. In the books, I only remember them for their rivalry and being representatives for their races.
Many times, an author will be too heavy-handed with the hatred. It reaches a point where both races come off as jerks. Every opportunity for the bigotry is taken and it gets tiring. We don’t like dealing with racists in real life, so those in fiction won’t get a better reaction. If the hate becomes too much then we simply hate the character and feel that the inevitable ‘turn’ is an act of desperation on the author’s part.
Yeah, the characters finding common ground and shedding their bigotry tends to be a given. Not doing this makes it feel like nothing was learned and that bigotry can never be defeated.
Other times, an author might add it for the sake of adding it. This comes off as forced and uncomfortable. There’s not background and you might even see that the races aren’t consistent in their bigotry. This is a reason why it is easier to make characters that are bigots instead of going for an entire race. Still, you do need some reason for the hate beyond ‘they killed my family’. While that is understandable, it really only works for monster races.
Now, this is all my own thoughts on it because I know people who are thrilled with fantasy bigotry. They love seeing it because they feel like it’s mirroring the real world. It does get weird when you see real world racism in fantasy though. Humans hating on each other for different skin color in a world with elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, dragons, gnomes, goblins, and other races comes off as evil. It makes it seem like even in a world with multiple civilized species, humans will still quarrel amongst themselves. This is a reason why I don’t do this in Windemere. I can’t see the humans of this world falling into our type of racism since they have other targets. Might be more wishful thinking on my part here.
In regards to Windemere, I did have a lot of trouble doing interspecies bigotry. I attempted it in Beginning of a Heroand I didn’t like it. This became an odd nod to LOTR since it was dwarves teasing about elves. The issues didn’t carry over because I couldn’t see it working. The next dwarf you meet is working for a half-elf and admits that his best friend is an elf. I had two half-elves in the main cast for the first book and a third joined in the sequel. The only races that were disliked were chaos elves, giltris (lizard people), goblins, and orc bandits. These were all aggressive groups too, so they earned that reputation. I simply couldn’t find a way to justify the other races hating on each other when I demonstrated that they were all living together. So, I threw the ‘staple’ away unless it fit a specific character.
It took a few years for me to see why it didn’t work for Windemere. I had already designed a few big events in the world’s history. Massive threats that forced the species to unite for survival. So, why would they splinter after having to join forces so often? That’s just asking for the next global catastrophe to wipe them out. So, it’s almost like large scale racism in Windemere was eliminated out of necessity and fear of extinction. At least it is in my mind. There are plenty of people who have messaged me over the years and mentioned that the lack of bigotry makes the world unrealistic. Amazing how the absence of such hate is seen as a negative. Probably says a lot more about the humanity of Earth than the races of Windemere.
It’s worth repeating that none of the Expansion Pack material is required for your stories. These are just as advertised. If you want to get a bit deeper into the optional stuff, you might find them helpful.
There is an old writing rule, that I’m going to paraphrase. Every scene must do two of three things or it doesn’t belong in your story. These things are:
• Build or develop character.
• Develop setting.
• Advance the plot.
It’s actually damned good advice and should be followed. Think of this as a safe haven for your fiction. It doesn’t mean every word, or even paragraph, but scene. A scene might take a page or two, and if…
Quest of the Brokenheartedwas a lot of fun to write. Every chapter was a new adventure and fight scene. This tale was inspired by the Castlevania video game series and it allowed me to showcase one of my favorite characters. Kira Grasdon evolved a lot throughoutLegends of Windemere and this allowed me to give her the spotlight along with some closure. Enjoy!
Welcome to our grand reopening. Had a bit of a rough period thanks to some gargantuan fleas, but we’re back in business. Don’t worry about the big guy over there. He’s all bark, no bite, and a little licking. Seeing him in the window helps bring in some business since people always want dogs for protection. We cover homes, castles, dungeons, ruins, islands, ships, graveyards, and any other place you might want one of our creations to act as a loyal guard. Still, we also pride ourselves in making excellent companions for both adventuring and the home. With the proper training, Timmy/Billy/Sven over there would be perfect with children. Now, what are you looking for?
Adventuring companion and terrifying mount . . . Not an uncommon request, but I sense you have something else. Yes, we possess the equipment and licensing to create a dog that transforms. It will cost extra and take a month to complete unless you wish to do the training yourself. We would have to work on both forms separately, including setting up command words. It’s possible to do it on your own, but you really need to be an expert and there’s a risk of devouring if you aren’t careful. Dogs may be pets now, but they are related to wolves. To complete your offer, we will need to develop each form separately, so let’s start with your adventuring companion.
I’m sorry, but are you showing me a picture of a pug? You want me to create one of those dogs and have it transform into something big enough for you to ride. We’re up to two months now because it takes a lot of work to pack a large beast into a smaller one even with our more experienced designers. Not saying it can’t be done, but it’s going to take time. Do you want the pug to do anything else? Chameleon abilities are useful as long as it stands still and doesn’t make a noise, which requires training. I wouldn’t recommend any large energy attacks because they all have a kickback. Imagine your dog blasting an enemy and sending itself flying back half a mile. Iron skin would counter some of the damage, but that would slow it down. Good idea on going for something smaller like a paralytic bite. Hypnotic stare? Sure, I’m curious to see how that would work with an animal that can’t give orders.
Now, a mount requires a lot of speed, strength, and stamina. Dogs of all sizes are built for running, but they aren’t really designed for carrying a full-grown human. This is why we only allow larger versions of our big breeds. You will have to get used to riding it without a saddle in case you have to change and run quickly. This is another reason training will take a long time since you want the animal to get used to it. Yes, we can give you a two-headed dog with one being a Great Dane and the other an Akita. Fur is up to you, so a shaggy body is possible. Sorry, but we don’t supply wings for two-headed dogs because the muscle system gets too complicated. It shortens the lifespan pretty severely. Do you want any other special abilities from this book? Sonic howl from both would be really powerful, especially if you have them go at the same time. Sometimes keeping it simple will help. I guess that is silly, so I’ll put on the icy aura that you’re staring at. It won’t affect you for an hour, so keep an eye on the clock.
Is there anything else you want to do with your pet? The main form will be the pug because that requires less energy. The other way around means you will have to constantly feed your dog. Now, what names are you thinking? Jerry Renault III for the pug and Duchess for the two-headed. Works for me. Please browse our supply shop while I get the contracts ready. We have some beautiful leashes and water bowls that just came in. Thank you for your business.
Last week was the when I finally got to have some full days of the summer job. To everyone who thought I could get any writing in, you were GRAVELY mistaken. I arrive around 7:20 in the morning when I don’t have my son and 8:00 when I do. There are already kids there and the camp opens at 9. They stay in the arcade, so have to get the other two game rooms ready and then make sure things move smoothly in the arcade. By the time they leave for the morning stuff, I have to clean up the room, check all the tablets to see if any need to be charged, and make sure all the game systems are properly set up. Kids enjoy changing the settings and one system needs to have the controllers repeatedly located if it’s left idle for too long. I have to do these checks between every group and during the quiet periods. I’m constantly on my feet.
Now, you might think I can keep a notebook nearby in case I have time. Have you ever met a child? My water jug gets moved around, a piece of paper that had some game passwords was stolen, and I’ve had to hide things that they’re not supposed to get to. It’s summer break, so the kids are no longer interested in structure. This makes the special events really hard to pull off. I attempted the ‘Blindfolded Mario Kart’ on Tuesday and only one group really enjoyed it. Another tried after shouting that they wanted Super Smash and gave up fast. The other groups didn’t even get that far. I’m supposed to do fun stuff with kids who only want to play the same things with no challenges. I’ve had complaints about the NES and Super NES minis that we have because the games are ‘too hard’. I’ve been trying to teach the kids how to play the older games and some are listening, but most stick to the PS4 and Switch.
My point here is that this job is one of constant movement and noise. There is no moment for me to sit down and get my head together. When I do get some silence, I need to clean things up or I’m too tired to think beyond planning for what’s coming. By the time I get home, I’m drained and not getting very far. Things aren’t going to ‘improve’ because next week is when I begin my work as a Pool Activity Leader. This position means I stand in the sun and heat all day at the pool to make sure everyone is safe. I can’t go into the water because I need the higher vantage point. This is twice a week. I’m going to be dead on my feet by the time the weekend turns up.
Keep in mind that I’m not saying I hate or dislike the job. It’s more that it’s a lot busier than I expected. I mean, I knew I’d be busy, but there are moments where I think I need a chair and a bullwhip to keep things in order. Let me put it this way: I spend most of the day in a small room with 15-20 something kids screaming and yelling. Also, I can’t take out my phone for anything. Just a reminder about that for those who want to suggest using an app to take notes.
I had this plan to make this post more positive and exciting, but the 3 days of work were exhausting. I barely managed to finish the September blog posts and I finished War of Nytefall: Eradication this morning. Before anyone cheers, I planned on doing it last weekend, but things happened. As it stands, I had to battle and piss off a few people to get this done with 4 days to work on it. With no other days off until late August, I’m not going to be able to get anything else done. Maybe some outlining if I can muster the strength, but it’s looking more like a Netflix and puzzles summer. That’s being generous because I don’t really get out of work until 6 because of late pick-ups and I want to make sure the tablets are as charged as possible. Means a lot dinner too. Part of me is shouting to use the few weekends where my son is with his mom to edit the book, but I might save that for when he’s with her during the end of August. I can work on a few other things like the fantasy advice tip notes and Sin stories . . . I really need to remember the series titles I come up with for that second one.
In non-writing and camp news, I just put in for Teaching Assistant Level III. I hope to get it by the end of the summer, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I need a year of experience as a TA, but I started in November. So, I don’t really have an exact year, but we’ll see what happens. My hope is that I’m contacted by a living person and can ask about getting a full teaching certificate. I’ve developed a plan for this path. My undergraduate degree is in English Writing Arts, so I was going to get a teaching degree in Literacy. They match up and the latter falls under special education. Since I feel that reading is an essential and dwindling skill, I really want to get involved with this. I hope that I only need a few classes and tests here, but we’ll see what happens.
Beyond that, I can’t remember what else I wanted to talk about. I’m making a list of November post topics since October is going to be Monster Maker and something with the War of Nytefall cast. Right now, the topics are: Blogging (3 day theme), Homages, Retellings, Public Domain, and a week of Jung’s Archetypes. That leaves me with 3 more days to cover. More since I might need to do some teasers. If I’m really lucky then maybe I can release Eradication in December like I planned. Probably going to contact my cover artist about this near the end of July after my son’s birthday has passed. Got too much on my plate as it is.
So, goals of the week?
Avoid melting at the pool.
Stay hydrated.
Look over War of Nytefall: Ravenous outline while previous story is fresh in my mind.
Finish watching Daredevil Season 3.
Puzzles.
Work on ideas for ‘So, You Wish to Write Fantasy?’ or whatever I’m calling it.
For today: Cleaning! Still have dusting and the bathroom to take care of.
I was going to do a ‘Bad Boy Store’, but it wasn’t working out. Didn’t hit the right notes and my own limitations on the topic proved problematic. So, I dusted off the ‘Questions 3’ post even though I did something similar at the end of Monday’s post. Figure it’s a nice time for audience interactions. You can answer in a comment (you don’t have to copy/paste the question) or as a post on your own blog (please pingback), so let’s have some fun.
Who is your favorite ‘Bad Boy’ from fiction?
If you had to design a ‘Bad Boy’, what would be a necessity?
Why do you think the ‘Bad Boy’ is so appealing to audiences?
Not the Egg Man 
