Mirror, Mirror in the Myth

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

I saw mention of the Magic Mirror from Snow White and started thinking of other ways this common object shows up in stories.  It’s amazing how much symbolism and usage is behind a piece of glass.  Not only recently, but throughout history.  So, what are some ways mirrors are used?

  1. A big one throughout various cultures is that a mirror can either steal part of or all of a person’s soul.  This belief is probably what led to cameras being subjected to the same superstition.  It is also why some cultures cover mirrors after a loved one dies because they think that the departing soul can get sucked into the mirror instead of going to heaven.
  2. Breaking a mirror can lead to bad luck for 7 years.  This one comes from ancient Rome and is connected to the first entry.  Since a mirror can take parts of the soul, breaking it would cause damage.  It would take 7 years for the soul to heal, which is why that is the timeframe of bad luck.
  3. Feng Shui has mirrors as a tool to redirect and control energy.  Specifically, they can reflect and eliminate negative energy.  It all depends on where you place it.  The location was usually across from the door to the home or room.  Guess it’s to bounce the energy outside of the house.
  4. Fiction uses mirrors to display the true nature of people or things as well.  It can even show what a person desires . . . Beat you to it, Potterheads.  An earlier version of this type of mirror comes from China and was owned by Emperor Zhao.  He used his mirror to show who was faithful and who was not.  Those who were got rewards and those he couldn’t trust were punished.
  5. Similar to #4, Tezcatlipoca from Aztec mythology had an obsidian mirror.  He used to see the truth of those around him.
  6. Not only showing us true natures and messing with spirits, mirrors have also been shown as portals.  They typically only let spirits through, but mortals can use them for either communication or travel.  It could also be to either another dimension or a different mirror on Earth.  For example, Alice going through the Looking Glass.
  7. Greek mythology had an interesting dual purpose.  For Narcissus, the mirror was a symbol of vanity.  Yet, it could also be a tool of truth such as for the Oracle at Delphi.
  8. Mirrors get connected to monsters as well.  You have vampires lacking a reflection, which could be connected to the association with showing souls.  Then, you have Bloody Mary who will come out of a mirror if you say her name three times.  I think The Candyman from horror films had this as well.
  9. China really seems to have a lot of mirror tales.  One that I found talked about the Mirror Kingdom where creatures are sleeping until its time to invade our world.  Any strange movements and objects we see at the corners of mirrors are signs that these creatures are starting to wake up.
  10. Finally, you have Catoptromancy.  This is divination through the use of a mirror.
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Punctuation Part II: The Semicolon

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Greetings, Storytellers!  Diana here for Part II of punctuation.  Last month, I had you on the edge of your seats as we reviewed the impactful colon.…

Punctuation Part II: The Semicolon
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The Island Foxes of California

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

These animals are found on six island of the Channel Islands of California, which is important because each island has it’s own subspecies.  They can interbreed, but there are genotype and phenotype differences, which allows them to stand apart.  Island foxes are fairly mellow and have no fear of humans, which makes it possible to tame them.  The indigenous people used to keep them as pets.  They also have a bunch of challenges to overcome, which is why they are endangered.

  1. Being on isolated islands, these foxes lack the immune system for many diseases and parasites.  This is a big problem when dogs are brought over because they have diseases that can jump to the foxes.  For example, those on Catalina Island were nearly wiped out by canine distemper in 1998.  Thankfully, strong vaccine programs have been instituted and the Catalina foxes have recovered.
  2. Humans have destroyed parts of their ecosystem and introduced rival predators over the years.  Work has been done to revive the damaged wilderness and reduce/remove the invasive species.  This has been met with success as well.
  3. Finally, the golden eagles of the area are a big threat to island fox populations.  They used to be rare, but began showing up in the 1960’s when the bald eagle population was decimated by DDT.  With their rival weakened, the larger eagles showed up and began hunting the foxes and feral pigs.  In the 1990’s, the NPS wiped out the feral pigs thinking that they attracted the eagles to the foxes.  It may have helped a little, but restoring the bald eagle population and relocating captured golden eagles have had more of an effect.

The Channel Islands are controlled by the federal government, Catalina Island Conservancy, or Nature Conservancy.  This means the foxes are able to get the best level of protection and attention to make a full recovery.

So, what do island foxes look like?

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Goal Post: A Week of Rest Before the Storm

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Winter can go away now.  It has made it’s point that it is the worst and most miserable of the months.  I’d rather deal with allergies and the heat than these messed up arctic winds, which drop the temp by double digits.  Shoving my car a bit as I drive wasn’t appreciated either.  Needless to say, I wasn’t doing much outdoor stuff.

That isn’t to say I stayed in the house.  I mean, I was able to finish watching the new episodes ‘Cobra Kai’ and ‘Resident Alien’.  Got through a season of ‘Warehouse 13’ as well before my son was dropped off Wednesday night.  Prior to that, I managed to get a good mix of editing, Pokemon catching, and errands/chores done.  Not a thrilling week, but a productive one since I really needed an eye exam and to get my car an oil change.  So much fun being an adult with such responsibilities.

Surprisingly, I did manage to edit 5 chapters of Darwin & the Beast Collector.  I wasn’t able to squeeze in any more time when my son was home, but getting a chapter done per day is a good victory.  I probably won’t be able to touch it again for another 2 weeks, but I’ll try to tinker.  My doubts and worries with the story are still driving me nuts.  It’s good, but it’s filled with more mysteries and no clear villain beyond a blatant jackass.  The original villain actually came out respectful and nice, so I had to make this revolve around the situation being overcome.  The story involves this guy creating an island filled with monsters that the elite can visit.  He has Darwin to keep the beasts in check and Rayne (from ‘Quest of the Brokenhearted) to attract them to the island.  We all know where this is going since it’s definitely influenced by ‘Jurassic Park’.  The reason for the failure is something else and there’s no question that it’s going to fall apart.

I guess my main issue is trying to hint at the mysteries and throw in enough clues as well as false paths to keep it interesting.  I can’t tell how it’s going since I know where the story is going.  Darwin is also really contained here, so he can’t cause the same level of story-pushing chaos that he usually does.  It’s a slow build to the final act from what I can tell with the heroes investigating some strangeness for the most part.  It could be that I’m so used to be an action-oriented author that only having 4 major action scenes in the span of 7 chapters feels wrong.  Guess it’s more than 4 if I break down the big action chapter into its pieces.  We’ll see how it all goes.

Next week is going to be crazy busy from Monday through Sunday.  It begins a 7 week stretch without a day off, which is brutal in education.  The kids start losing interest and getting twitchy, which can cause some difficulties.  I’m always amazed how this stretch wears me down in education when I did bigger stints when I worked in retail, food, and office stuff.  I think part of it is because there’s a greater emotional toil since you’re working with kids.  You don’t just teach them, but you have to be there for them as they get worn down.  So, it eats at you as well.

Add in the fact that I go through the parent side of things with my son too.  Gives me a double-helping of the stress and workload as we push for the end of the school year.  Yes, I know it’s over in June, but most people accept that students are already thinking of summer after they get back from spring break.  So, these 7 weeks are when you have to do the biggest push for information.  May still gets a bunch of stuff crammed into it, but we get days off there.

Not going to lie and say that’s it for next week.  It’s the last week of the current Pokemon Go season, which is always full of events.  This time, they have an event every weeknight from 6-7 where you can try to catch what are called ‘Legendary Pokemon’.  These are the strong, rare ones that you need to team up with other players to get.  So, that takes my evenings, which I don’t mind since it’s just one week.  I can do a little editing if I get home and have time on the nights I don’t have my son.  Next weekend is definitely out because each day has the big event running from 10-6.  Bunch of legendary Pokemon that you need to beat 9-12 times along with various challenges, increased chance of finding rare Pokemon walking around, rotating biomes every hour, and just general socializing with people.  I took a look at an app that shows announcements for meetups and it looks like everyone is descending on the park, so it should be fun.

That’s really it for me.  The rest of this weekend is to relax with my son and have fun without freezing our butts off.  Weather is supposed to be warmer during the week, but getting cold against by Saturday.  Joy.  Definitely done with this winter, which is definitely more bitter and brutal than those of the past.

Goal list:

  1. Rest up this weekend.
  2. Ease into week.
  3. Help son with homework.
  4. Finish April blog posts.
  5. Stay warm when playing Pokemon.
  6. Wriggle in some editing if possible.
  7. Do not hit head and get another concussion.
  8. Puzzle work when needing quiet time.
  9. Accept that I won’t have much excitement to share next Saturday since my week is primarily work, Pokemon Go, and parenting.
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When To End a Story

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

With this talk of character development rolling backwards for tension, another question comes to mind.  That is: When should one end a story?

I know people will say when the characters achieve their goals or the author feels like they’ve done all they can.  We know those answers, but those things aren’t always identifiable in the moment.  All authors can push a story too far because they are enamored with the adventure and characters.  There are ways to prolong a finale as well, which many have utilized when they don’t want to stop.

The first example that I can think of is the anime ‘Inuyasha’.  This is about a girl who goes back to feudal Japan where demons exist and has to team up with a half-demon named Inuyasha.  Their goal is to get all of the shards of this magic jewel she accidentally broke a few episodes in.  The main enemy is another demon named Naraku and this is where things start to get a little iffy.  Several of the storylines involve Inuyasha developing a new attack that is sure to destroy Naraku.  He does it and they fight, but Naraku either escapes barely alive or is already immune to the attack.  Wash, rinse, and repeat.  This can and usually does get tedious.

This also stunts character development.  If the protagonists have already matured as far as they can go without settling down, they need to be pushed back to continue.  A fight over a misunderstanding can do this for a storyline.  Maybe magic causes them to turn into children or lose their memory.  The author, who wishes to keep going, may come up with some of the most ridiculous ways to rollback a character and then redevelop them.  It might work once, but readers will pick up on the stalling tactic fairly easily.

In this regards, I feel that the time to end a story would be when the characters have matured as far as they can go.  You can have them continue adventuring to complete the story, but they will become stagnant in the eyes of the reader if they take too long to reach their endings.  Loading up more abilities, tools, and skills won’t help because they could become overpowered.  This means the villain needs to be made stronger as well, which can result in a final battle between two beings that come off as being unbeatable.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can become fairly burdensome to write when you have to remember a long list of moves, spells, abilities, weapons, etc.

Now, should character development always dictate the end of a story?  No, but it is a good sign that of your progress.  This should be one of the things an author pays attention to and distances themselves from.  Becoming blind to the progress of your protagonists to stop the fun from happening can sour the whole project.  This is where beta readers can come in handy because they won’t be as emotionally attached.  Do people still use beta readers?

Anyway, what do you think is a clear sign that a story should come to an end?

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Check This Out: Seven, A Most Remarkable Pigeon

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

On the blog with me today is the wonderful Sandra Nickel. She’s here to talk about Seven, A Most Remarkable Pigeon, her latest picture book. It will …

Check This Out: Seven, A Most Remarkable Pigeon
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Colors and How They Can Enhance our settings and characters #2 – Yellow

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Greetings, SE’ers. This is the second post in my new series about how different colors can enhance our work. Today, I’m exploring Yellow. The first …

Colors and How They Can Enhance our settings and characters #2 – Yellow
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Poetry Day: Ode to the Music Man

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

(Years ago, I had a friend who was a great guy and big into music.  He was really good at it and had a great energy to run parties.  We stayed in touch after I moved to Florida and hung out during one of my few times back to New York.  Then . . . He took his own life due to a situation I won’t get into.  I was only communicating with him through Facebook and AOL Instant Messenger, so I saw no signs.  Only stumbled onto the information too because he was still logged on his AIM account.  Was that way for a while.  Took a few years of processing for me to write this poem.)

I sit here staring
Seeing you logged on
Knowing
You will remain forever silent
It is only a machine
Never switched to off

I wish we had more time
Even a single night
Like our olden times
Of greasy pizza
And foamy beer
Before midnight tolled me home

I never thought
That you would go
We always had the time
For you to meet my son
Who will only know of you
From the stories that I tell

I wish I knew
The how and why
That took you from us all
Creating a void
Where music once played
With your perfect techno beat

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Using Character Occupations to Their Full Advantage: Part 1 of 2

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Images: BookBrush Greetings! Liz Gauffreau with you today. I don’t know about other readers, but at times a novel will strain my credulity when I …

Using Character Occupations to Their Full Advantage: Part 1 of 2
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7 Tips to Character’s Making Uncharacteristic Decisions

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

The above question does come up when you see a character acting in a way that they really shouldn’t.  For some authors, this could be growth in that a risk is being taken.  Yet, that doesn’t always come off correctly.  What are some ways that you can have this make sense and show growth?

  1. If this is an action they would have taken when younger, you will be having them move backwards.  Keep this in mind because it will be noticeable.  This tip is more about the core of the potential issue.  Remember that you are pushing development in reverse to hopefully move the plot.
  2. The problem with an ‘uncharacteristic’ decision is that it snaps readers out of the story and may turn them against the character.  Establish conditions that can explain why they are not acting as smart or mature as they should be.  There could be a time constraint that makes them panic or they are working under incomplete information, which leads to the decision.
  3. While it isn’t the best idea, you can explain why they took such actions after the fact.  It could be a conversation with other characters who have the same concerns as the readers.  This draws people back into the story since their questions are going to be answered.  It also means their confusion and shock were created on purpose instead of an accident.
  4. Avoid having these characters make the same faulty decision multiple times.  This comes off as sloppy and that the character has no consistency.  People will see them acting mature unless the plot needs them to forget they have a functional brain.  So, a mistake should be done, analyzed, and learned from to avoid it happening again.
  5. The villains need to be careful about making uncharacteristic mistakes as well.  One that is cunning and careful won’t make obviously stupid decisions.  They will not take any risks either.  This is why many villains are given bloating egos and a sense of superiority, which blinds them to the possibility of a mistake.  For example . . . Every friggin’ James Bond villain.
  6. A way to set up an uncharacteristic decision is to have someone slowly convince the character to do it.  This explains why they are going to do something that they normally wouldn’t do.  It also shifts part of the blame for the incident to the one who pushed for the decision.  Yeah, the character still take action, but they come off as being manipulated or at least strongly coerced.
  7. Having them go ‘My Bad!’ doesn’t solve anything.
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