I couldn’t resist doing a post for this food. Although, I do have a love/hate relationship with popcorn. Tastes great. I love regular, chocolate drizzled, caramel, and everything except movie theater buttered. On the other hand, I once bit into a piece of popcorn that wasn’t fully popped and my tooth broke in half. It was on a Sunday, so I couldn’t get to a dentist until the next day. I’m much more careful now. (All images found in Google Image Search.)
This week didn’t go as planned. Started by me feeling off on Monday, but thinking it was just a little cold. By the evening, I was in bad shape and ended up having to take two days off to recover. Got tested for everything, so it was just a cold. A really nasty one that led me to learn two things:
There 160 different viruses that fall under ‘common cold’. They are similar enough to create the same kinds of symptoms, but not enough for gaining immunity of one to work against the others. This is why a cure or vaccine can’t be made because you would have to make one for each rhinovirus.
Apparently, there are studies that show estrogen might give extra protection against viruses like the flu and cold. This is why women can shrug these off enough to keep working and men can get laid out. So, the ‘man-flu’ could be due to nature deciding women are more important to protect from diseases than men. Makes sense from a survival of the species standpoint since you need more women than men to keep the population going.
Anyway, that curb-stomped my Pokemon Go outings for a bit, especially since it’s cold and about to get worse. Next week is frigid with even negative temps Tuesday morning. We’re getting snow tomorrow too, so driving will be a pain. This annoys me a lot because I learned last year that fresh air helped me recover from disease quicker. I can’t do that unless I drive to the mall and that’s not exactly fresh with all of the people there. I’d have to wake up early to get there before the stores up and only mall walkers are around. I don’t think that will help me much.
I was hoping to get some editing time since my son had late nights at school due to his All County Chorus concert, which was last night. So, I was happy for the moments of clear-headedness and energy. I managed to get through 2 chapters between naps. That leaves me with 5 to go and the icy weather this weekend gives me a great chance at finishing Darwin & the Demon Game. I’ll have to print more of Darwin & the Beast Collector before work on Tuesday, but that shouldn’t be an issue. I have a meeting on Tuesday anyway, so I could push it until Wednesday.
To be fair, I don’t know how my chances are this weekend. The snowstorm tomorrow afternoon gives me time. I have to run errands this morning and will try to get at least one chapter done. With the bad weather tomorrow, I want to get the Pokemon Go event stuff done today, but it isn’t much. I could even do it while grocery shopping and getting money for next week. Monday is going to be a mess, but I have a morning appointment. I might just leave early to do mall walking and then hop over to the appointment spot, which is nearby. That gives me the afternoon. Need to make time for watching the new season of ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ too. Really have far too much to do even though most of it gets seen as useless hobbies or drivel.
Honestly, the Pokemon Go, puzzles, Lego, and finishing TV shows seem to be filling a void that used to be where writing ruled supreme. That’s the garnering of victories and senses of accomplishment. Since I barely have the time and focus to write or edit, I’ve been doing these things. I keep telling myself that I can jump back into real writing instead of editing once certain situations change. Could be years for that, but I do know that I’ll get more free time at that point. Maybe I shouldn’t expect to finish writing 2-3 books a year and be happy with one until more free time appears. It’s possible for me to finish all of the editing by the summer, which means I can start writing Darwin & the Joy Path after school is over. Fingers crossed, but that’s a long shot where I know for certainty I can accomplish things on the initial list of non-writing hobbies.
Next week is mid-term week for me and my son, but I only get him for a little bit of time on Tuesday before the weekend. It’s all up to his mom this year. I will have my hands full with field trips with our students and figuring out what to do with the two hours afterwards. I considered bringing my laptop and type in some edits, but I might want to save that for when I get home. This is why I want to print out some chapters of the next book and tackle that. It will all depend on how busy things are and if I can find any quiet space. It could make more sense for me to simply socialize and dig into the books when I get home. Going over my schedule really drives home the fact that there are only so many hours in the day. Less when it’s friggin’ winter. December through February has always been my least productive period, so I probably shouldn’t keep beating myself up over the whole thing.
Goals of the week:
Finish typing in edits of Darwin & the Demon Game.
Start editing Darwin & the Beast Collector.
Watch ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’.
Enjoy the one afternoon/evening I get with my son before next weekend.
Stay warm.
Play some Pokemon Go to stay active.
Find healthier food options while on field trips or get stuff later.
Laundry today because I bought compression undershirts that are supposed to help retain heat.
Being a single father, I think about the father/son relationship a lot. Mostly because I’m always hoping I’m doing right by my own son. This gets tougher when I see fiction maintaining the ‘stoic father’ ignoring the son’s issues until they explode or not having the father be in there at all. It can get even worse with adventures because the father tends to die at some point. Come to think of it, fathers are fairly common sacrificial characters if they’re in the picture at all. Anyway, here’s some ideas on writing a father/son relationship in fiction.
If the father comes from a generation where men don’t show emotion or parenting is the ‘woman’s job’ then establish that. Fatherhood has changed over the years with more fathers taking on child-rearing responsibilities. Many show emotions and talk about feelings with their sons too. This isn’t seen as manly by some, but it is how many relationships are these days. So, don’t be afraid to show that if it’s the type of story you want.
The son doesn’t always have to be railing and battling against the father. We know that children test their limits, but something about the father/son challenge turns into toxicity in writing. Authors seem to want the father to be the villain or the son to be the young fool. I rarely see these portrayed as a problem that gets solved by talking before somebody gets hurt. Most times, I see it result in the total destruction of the relationship or at least the disappearance of it until the epilogue.
Fathers aren’t always disappointed in their sons! This is a common trope, which does play out in real life. I’ve always wondered if it happens so often because it’s seen in every genre. Our culture practically demands that fathers criticism and frown at whatever their son is doing unless it’s following in their footsteps. This also tends to make the mother the more understanding and loving parent, which feeds into other clichés.
As stated, fathers are more than able to talk about feelings. An open and comfortable relationship between parent and child is fine. You won’t get conflict between them, but you can challenge them in other ways. The story doesn’t always have to involve the near destruction of the father/son relationship.
Hugs. Nothing wrong with a parent hugging their child.
There should still be some boundaries between the father and son. A child will not be comfortable talking about everything with their parent. You also need to make sure the parent has a level of authority instead of coming off solely as a friend. This can be delicate, but it doesn’t have to be something that causes conflict. Boundaries can be established and respected by the characters. They don’t always have to be pushed and broken.
There’s a rule in society that parents shouldn’t cry in front of their children, especially fathers. Apparently, doing so can be called manipulation, weakness, pathetic, and a long list of insults. I disagree. Having a father cry when one would normally cry makes them human in the story. Otherwise, you end up blocking the emotional connection between parent and child. As stated, fathers can have this too. It isn’t only for mother/child stories.
This scenario does give you a lot more personality leeway than the previous one. I want to see if leaving it more flexible will be easier than making people be in a very strict role. So, here we go again.
Scenario
You are the caster (wizard for new people to my blog) of an adventuring party, which has gotten itself pulled into a large conflict. Now, you find yourself standing at the edge of the battlefield while your warrior allies have rushed into the fray. Your friends have mixed in with the enemy forces to try and disrupt their ranks enough to create a clear path to the evil fortress. It appears to be working since the opposing army has split with the chaotic orcs running wild on one side of the battlefield and the more disciplined lizardmen holding their positions on the other.
Being a battle caster, you have a long list of spells that can be used here. Most of them are area of effect, which means you could hit your allies. Yet, these are also the ones that can bring a quicker end to the violence. You do have a few that can enhance your allies, which allow them to fight harder and longer. Unfortunately, these also create fatigue after they fade, which would still require that the battle end quickly.
Here’s a big piece The Mercenary Prince‘s prologue here. It involves Stephen Kernaghan who is still the most evil character that I’ve ever made. Feels like I always have to give a disclaimer that he’s a special kind of gross and horrible when compared to my other villains.
One of the most common tropes in fiction is the ‘Chosen One’.
This is a character who is destined to go on the adventure and, many times, win. This trope traditionally removes all tension once it’s revealed. It’s only in the last decade or so that authors began having it that they lose to trick everyone. I even stated many times that the champions in Legends of Windemere were destined to reach the final battle in some form, but not necessarily win. This still treats the ‘Chosen One’ in positive terms with very few negatives. So, it isn’t that different.
Now, what if you make it clear that the ‘Chosen One’ isn’t a gift, but a curse?
This isn’t that hard to demonstrate even if the character is unaware of how much of a negative this status is. Look at the following possibilities:
Being the ‘Chosen One’ means that they have no free will. All of their actions and paths are decided upon. The heroes can try to do something else, but they will always be pushed back on track. Sometimes, this can be a rather violent and brutal shove that destroys things. At that point, they may start questioning their role and wondering if they are being punished.
Relationships can be difficult because they have this calling. While non-destined heroes are free to establish solid relationships, a ‘Chosen One’ will be aware that doing so puts people in danger. They can become distant or get a sense that they may never truly belong. This can lead to them wanting to get their destiny over with in order to gain a normal life. Recklessness and frustration can grow to make it clear that this isn’t a position anyone wants to be in.
Plot armor is a constant complaint when it comes to ‘Chosen One’ characters. Being destined to succeed or reach the end, they will never be killed off. If they do then the concept of prophecy is a lie and much of the development is thrown out. This is why many authors steer clear of this trope. Yet, the plot armor can be used as another reason for this character to be seen as cursed. They are surviving incredible odds while their non-destined friends are dying. Again, we can see how this can push a Chosen One into emotional distance and possibly even try to go it alone.
A positive part of being the ‘Chosen One’ is that they will become famous if their adventure goes on long enough. Definitely nothing to be upset about. That is unless the author is a jerk. Being praised and doted on can make the character become pampered and spoiled. Their personality may change into one that isn’t very appealing, which can cost them in some fashion. This becomes a ‘pride before the fall’ even if the hero isn’t able to fall entirely. They can lose everything due to their newfound ego and then be left wondering what they have to fight for.
There are plenty of other ways to show how the ‘Chosen One’ is cursed. It all depends on the world, author, and type of destiny. Think about how even characters who can’t be physically harmed can still be hurt emotionally and mentally. The burden of having so much on your shoulders and not being able to hand it off can grind nearly every hero into the dirt if written correctly. This is internal damage over time, which won’t be unnoticed until it’s a really big issue. Also, this types of blows are harder to shrug off because potions and spells aren’t really able to repair that damage without psychic manipulation. All because a character was unlucky enough to be born a ‘Chosen One’.
Legends of Windemere 