(Poem #2 and I guess I should make it clear that the inspiration is seeing how some people respond to posts and comments. I’m sure we’ll all guilty of at least one of these at some point in our lives. Though, arguing that could result in you falling to this one. :D)
I am clearly perfection
The mistakes of others
Are beyond my ability
Your messes
Will never touch my life
For I am careful
And cautious
So that I act
With untainted excellence
To err is human
Is a ridiculous phrase
Unless I
Am above humanity
A superior species
Who never strays
From beautiful
Unsullied
Perfection
(Been a while since I plugged my ‘how to write’ book. Enjoy a few teasers this month.)
Even though most books are written in past tense, new authors continue to wonder if that is the way to go. It is very easy to see why. Since we are raised reading past tense books almost entirely, that is what our brains believe is correct. Present tense comes off as clunky and ‘wrong’ to someone who has never read it before. It isn’t even a conscious thought by the reader. All they can tell is that it is really strange. Apparently, we are fine with hearing things in present tense, but reading/seeing them in such a state is off-putting. Not entirely though because you can expose yourself to both and never have any issues. I’ve found that people who read a lot of graphic novels and comics will take to my books without sensing that there is something different. Yup, I am a present tense author. Not only that, but a present tense third-person author, which means you get a variety of perspectives in real time. Present tense does lend itself better to first-person POV in some sense, but third-person can still create a great story. As one person put it when reviewing Beginning of a Hero, it was like reading a television show or movie in a good way.
Some people might be rolling their eyes what I just said. I have a brief story for you, which I believe shows how the mind works with past and present tense:
A friend of mine has been reading my stuff since high school. Back then, I jumped tenses in the middle of sentences until a teacher told me I had to choose one. I thought present tense was the smarter choice since I saw the events in my head. Didn’t realize it was uncommon until nearly 20 years later when I began publishing . . . Again, my friend has been reading my stuff for that long. His wife never did until she picked up my first book. They had very different opinions here. She found my work weird and difficult because something didn’t feel ‘right’. They realized it was the tense and his reasoning was ‘that’s just Charlie’. You see, he already had a lot of exposure to present tense through me and other series he found with that style. She did not, so it took her a little while to get her mind to adapt to the change in tradition. I feel that this shows how readers will be more comfortable with past tense, but it doesn’t mean using present tense is wrong or pointless to attempt. In fact, I think we are seeing more of the latter types of stories, so you will find more readers who can jump the mental tense tracks with ease.
I have a theory about why writing is more in past tense than present. Something I like to trot out to get other authors thinking about the origins of the trade:
(I know I usually do poems only on Thursday, but I had a bunch of poetry inspiration this week. So, I’m going to do a poetry week because I’m impatient. That and I can’t think of writing any other type of post right now.)
You say you hate it
After someone praises it
No opinion was requested
You could not resist
There was no rudeness
In your words or tone
There was no mockery
In your reply
You simply hated it
And felt it needed to be said
After another loved it
Silence was not an option
Since a discussion
Was clearly requested
Without those exact words
So, you declare your hate
In response to love
Not what .
.
.
.
Awkward
I’ve read different statistics, so I don’t really know how accurate this is. I have also read:
20% of adolescents have admitted to considering suicide.
1,952 adolescents committed suicide in 2021, which was 18.6% of deaths for the 15-19 age category.
28% have received mental health treatment with boys being less likely to seek help.
1 in 7 adolescents (10-19 years old) experiences a mental disorder.
Anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and ADHD are the most common mental health disorders in adolescents.
I can keep spewing stats out here, but I wanted to say something else that has been on my mind for a while. It’s about how people respond to teenagers having emotional and mental health issues. We’d like to think it’s always taken seriously, but I’ve been seeing how that’s not the case. It’s rather disheartening.
You see, people have this idea that puberty makes teenagers highly unstable, but in a way that doesn’t gain any concern. These issues are just phases or the teen is merely being overly dramatic for attention. Adults will ignore warning signs until harm is done by or to the teen. For example, depression and anxiety flags can be shrugged of as shyness or being overreactive to any situation. Nothing is done until the student attempts suicide, attacks someone, or begins cutting. That’s when many adults take action, but it’s really late in the game.
Mental health disorders are dangerous and many have a downward spiral effect. Similar to cancer, it’s best to catch it early and get the teenagers help. This requires taking them seriously and being available to talk without pushing too hard. It means we have to stop telling boys that they shouldn’t cry, ignore their feelings, or that they are only important if someone finds them useful. Things like this is why boys are more susceptible to suicide than girls because they meet a lot of resistance towards showing their emotions. Again, it results in things brewing until they explode.
It’s disheartening to see how people and even society as a whole ignore these problems unless a news-worthy event occurs. We hear about it for a bit after school shootings and other horrific events, but then it fades back into the ether. People go back to rolling their eyes at teenagers stressing over dating, tests, college, feelings, and sports. Many think these things are trivial because they’ve already gone through that stage of life, so they forget how stressful teen years can be. They need a tragedy to jog their memories even a little bit, but things are too late by then. If a struggling teenager gets help after the final hour, they’ll become an adult who has to hold down a job or college program while facing a mental disorder with minimal help. At least in the USA, insurance companies don’t always cover mental health, so teen years are probably the best to tackle these things since you have school resources.
Anyway, this is mostly a messy rant in response to seeing so many people shrug off the mental struggles of teenagers. They’re human just like adults, so why shouldn’t their problems get the same level of seriousness?
Yeah . . . I didn’t have any time to touch Darwin & the Beast Collector.
The week after winter break is always crazy with students and teachers getting back into the swing of things. Doesn’t help that I deal with things from the teacher and parent side of things. Waking up at 5:30 am was tough for me, but even rougher for the teenager who wasn’t ready for it. So, my mornings were groggy and busy, which set the stage for a wild day. I made it to the weekend though.
Another factor was that this was the end of the Pokemon Go winter season. Each season is about 3 months and ends with a big event. This is the first year I’m participating the winter finale, which as been going on all week. A special event happened every weeknight from 6-7, so I was in the park with everyone catching and talking. This meant late dinners and quickly going to bed after 30 minutes of silence. On the days I didn’t have my son, I had to rush through various errands and chores. Haven’t been sleeping well for a few nights too, so it wasn’t smooth sailing.
This weekend is going to be busy too. Special Pokemon are going to be around with several requiring you team up with at least 10 other people. The event goes from 10 am to 6 pm both days, so I might get some editing in at night. For today, I’m taking a backpack full of sandwiches, water, and a thermos of hot chocolate. My hope is to get all of the tasks, special catches, and other key moments done before tomorrow. The temperature is going to drop into the teens since Canada won’t keep its arctic wind to itself for one more day. I don’t want to be marching around the park in that weather, but the mall won’t have enough players for me to easily get the tough ones.
Honestly, I’ve been feeling rather lost and out of sorts for a while too. So, editing takes longer than it used to. Don’t know if it’s because of the story or me. I like what I’m reading and how things are going, which is weird. Maybe my inner criticisms are making me drift away for a bit until I sort them out. For example, I keep thinking I’m not making it clear that a character is always drinking the same thing and nobody else is allowed to touch it. They always have a drink with them and I know a later chapter has a bartender explaining that nobody else can have that brew. Is this enough to get the point across and garner some suspicion?
Next week may give me some editing time since I won’t have a lot to do in the evenings other than some appointments. I have my son next weekend, so we’ll be doing some Pokemon and relaxing. We have a lot to talk about too. With the weather being freaking cold again, I doubt we’ll be outside a lot. Then again, we can always hit up the mall and walk around while watching a movie home in-between. Really don’t know if I should plan a lot since he has a lot going on this week too. He could hit the weekend being so tired that he wants to sleep in and lounge around the house. I mean, he’s watching ‘Schindler’s List’ this week, which is a tradition in my old high school. I remember feeling drained after seeing it and I assume he’ll have a lot of questions too.
You know, it might be best that I take a day of fresh air and community. I think I’m at a threshold or some kind of limit considering the song above made me start crying for no reason. A lot of personal stuff did happen and I haven’t been sorting through things as well as I should. Well, I’m trying, but I’m really only saving it for therapy sessions instead of working on things every day. Probably part of the reason why I’m having trouble getting my emotions on track for writing and editing. Hard to write Darwin being a happy, positive ball of mayhem when I’m questioning why life sucks. Really should watch more comedies than science-fiction dramas . . . Think I should pause ‘Warehouse 13’ and jump to ‘Brooklyn 99’.
Goals of the week:
Catch Pokemon without freezing.
Try to edit one chapter of Darwin & the Beast Collector
Help son with homework and school.
Make sure to get enough sleep.
Try to exercise because freezing winter has caused horrible weight gain.
Work on May blog posts.
Watch comedies and avoid the news.
Try to improve mood in spite of depressing arctic winds returning.
Legends of Windemere 