Goal Post: Progress Made Against a Whirlwind

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

This week didn’t go as planned.  Now, I did finish all of the blog posts for July and August, so that’s a victory.  I also completed the editing of Darwin & the Beast Collector, so I’m going to start typing them in next weekend.  This weekend is for family and to help my son with schoolwork . . . It’s also one where I need to relax a bit because the previous week had far too much chaos.

Without giving specifics, a family member ended up in the hospital last weekend.  I will say it was not my son though.  They’re okay now, but the initial incident was fairly stressful.  Getting them to the hospital was the first challenge and then handling everything afterwards.  Half of my time was spent getting as much stuff done for them as I could before they could come home.  The rest was Pokemon and editing with the latter being easier to pull off since I wasn’t sleeping well for most of the week.  All of this was on top of work, several appointments for my son, and dealing with other annoyances.  If you want to know how exhausted I was, I took a family illness day to help out more when they were released.  I ended up sleeping 10.5 hours after going to bed early and this was with NO medication.

Getting back to the writing side of things, I did figure out how to fix that medallion issue in Darwin & the Beast Collector.  I need it to make a few more appearances, but I apparently added something else to it in a later chapter that makes it easier to handle.  I find this story so much harder to juggle because I changed my mind on where it was going several times.  The foreshadowing still works, but some personalities changed enough that I had to rework a bunch in the edits.  I’m kind of glad that Darwin & the Joy Path is going to be a lot more straightforward when I get back into it.  This one was being worked as a suspenseful mystery with inspiration from ‘Jurassic Park’ and other ‘science gone mad’ stories.  A simple quest is a nice refresher for me since it’s been over 2 years since I wrote anything new.  I think it would work well for the series too because things get heavy afterwards with the final 3 volumes.

This coming week is going to be filled with activity.  My son is part of an art show one night and is getting a music award another.  This is on top of various appointments, but at least we have Friday off.  He’s not with me though.  Another event is prom at my school, which I’m going to attend to support a student.  Have to make sure my dress clothes still fit because I can’t show up looking like a schlub.  I might not be doing more than hanging out with other teachers, but I have to look like I belong there.  Good thing we have the next day off too because I’m going to want the extra sleep.  Another plus is the Pokemon event for next weekend isn’t that interesting to me, so I should be able to get a lot more editing typed in.

Yeah, my life is really boring, which happens this time of year.  The end of the school year is crazy busy and gets kind of pricey.  I don’t deal with it solely as an educator, but as a parent as well.  So, I don’t get to relax that much until the whole thing is over.  I’m happy that the day after the school year ends is Pokemon Gofest, which is a fun way for my son and I to start our break.  Yet, it’s going to be a long slog towards it and I’m hoping to type in all of the edits before July.  It’s possible with there being multiple days off where I don’t have my son.  Then again, this book needed a lot more changing around than the previous 4 because I went more pantser than planner.

Finally, I have to admit that I’m getting nervous about writing something new.  I mentioned it’s been over 2 years, which means I worry about being rusty.  I also feel like my brain isn’t as keen and focused as it once was.  This is a combination of general fatigue, long covid, stress, and very little time to get everything done.  I’m afraid that I can’t pull off a coherent story any more and I need it to be partially solid before editing.  This might require that I take longer to write than usual, so doing only 1-2 chapter sections instead of 2-3 every day.  In the past, it would take me 20 days to write the first draft, but it might be 30-40 this time.  Doesn’t sound bad, but keep in mind that I can’t do any writing when my son is over because I would prefer to spend time with him.  I also won’t be able to write on weekdays with all of the appointments and errands.  So, this really boils down to getting maybe 3 chapters done in a month without any non-weekend days off.  Going to be a long slog, but maybe that’s for the best to get my head back into author mode.

Oh yeah, the 99 cent pricing has done nothing to change sales.  Nothing is moving and I have no idea what to do.  Makes me really wonder why I’m still writing when I can’t afford marketing or even cover art these days.

Goals of the week?

  1. Help son with studying.
  2. Son’s art show and music awards.
  3. Prom.
  4. Type in Darwin & the Beast Collector edits when possible.
  5. Find something else to watch on TV, but don’t know what I’m in the mood for.  I keep thinking of watching ‘Black Sails’ again.
  6. Get extra sleep.
  7. Help family member when needed.
  8. Pokemon Go to stay active since it’s going to be a busy week.  Exercise will be limited.
  9. Mow the lawn tomorrow before it starts raining again.
  10. Wish for it to stop raining on the weekends.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

National Creativity Day

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Seems like an important holiday to celebrate, especially for anyone trying to be artistic.  I don’t get to use my imagination as much as I used to, which hurts.  Maybe I’ll get back to it either one day or during the next lifetime.  Still, here are some quotes for those who need a mental boost.

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Writing a Book that Publishers Will Love

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

You need a crystal ball to know what publishers like to publish. Some stories pick up interest and become trendy, while others, seemingly catchy, …

Writing a Book that Publishers Will Love
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Poetry Day: Raising a Glass

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Google Image Search

(Salute . . . I can’t figure out how to do the apostrophe over the ‘u’, so I hope people read the word correctly.)

We raise a glass to all our friends
Of the past and present

 

To those you knew
Within your youthful days

 

To the ones you meet
Along your winding path

 

To the pals who wandered far away
Never entering your realm again

 

To the allies stuck to you like glue
No matter where you live

 

We raise a glass to all our friends
In hopes of making more

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Questions 3: Monster Hunting?

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Not sure where the picture above came from, but it worked for the original post idea.  I was going to do a ‘Ye Olde Safari Gear Shoppe’.  I couldn’t get the concept to work because going on a monster hunting adventure isn’t a general, simple thing.  A lot of gear would be specific to the monsters, terrain, and people.  After multiple attempts, I gave up and decided to open the floor.  I mean, if going on any adventure depends on the individual then lets hear from individuals.  Keep in mind that these questions are going to work off the concept of you willingly going on a monster hunting adventure.

  1. What terrain would you pick to go monster hunting in?
  2. What is one piece of gear you would take that is not armor, weapons, or basic camping?
  3. What would be one monster that you would search for?
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Teaser Tuesday: Clash of the Chaotic Ones

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover art by Jason Pedersen

In Legends of Windemere: The Merchant of Nevra Coil, I spent time highlighting Yola Biggs the Chaos goddess.  Prior to this, she was more in the background and staying with Baron Kernaghan.  That was the safest place considering she was a goddess who was supposed to have been sealed.  So, I really enjoyed creating a chance for her to show her true power and potential.  This excerpt is a perfect example of how crazy and dangerous she can be.

Continue reading →

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Punctuation Part V: Apostrophes & Contrations (‘)

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Greetings Storytellers, Diana’s back again with another smokin’ post on the hot topic of punctuation, specifically—the apostrophe! This one’s fairly …

Punctuation Part V: Apostrophes & Contrations (‘)
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Monsters in the Open

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

So, I think the picture above is from a game called ‘Monster Hunter’.  Not sure which in the franchise it is, but seeing videos of this and working on Darwin & the Beast Collector got me thinking about monsters.  Specifically, I was wondering about how monsters are part of the environment and out in the open.  Yet, people don’t always think about this.

Most of the fantasy worlds that I’ve seen have regular animals running around with the occasional monster.  I think authors want these creatures to be unique and special, so they become rare and show up only for plot.  You might get a few domesticated ones, but the non-Earth fauna really isn’t common.  To be fair, the higher the magic of the world, the more common such creatures are in the wild.  That must be something to consider, but I still find the whole thing strange.

I look at a fantasy world as a non-Earth environment with different factors, so the evolution of animals shouldn’t be the same.  There could still be what we are used to seeing, but also beasts that aren’t from our world.  They can easily be magical versions of what we have.  I’m not talking about dragons and the other big monsters, but just small things.  For example, I have a creature that showed up a bit in Legends of Windemere called a bog hare.  It was a bouncy, chubby rabbit that lived in swamps and was a protein source for adventurers.  Nothing immense or crazy, but an altered animal that makes sense for Windemere.

Now, this does happen with monsters being secluded and in hard to reach areas, but this doesn’t always make sense.  Many times, it’s explained that civilized races pushed them to these places through hunting either for food or protection.  Yet, the regular predators like lions and wolves are still around.  If these people are so quick to destroy things like griffins and hydras then why wouldn’t they do it for other violent animals?  It isn’t like they know which ones are found on Earth and which ones aren’t.  If there’s no theory of evolution then they could assume all of them are magical too.  That might be a stretch, but I still find it strange that non-Earth creatures are almost always shoved into the shadows.  Could I be overthinking it?

Maybe this is why I try hard to add weird flora and fauna when I’m describing the wilds of Windemere.  Though, I’m not always successful because I focus more on the actual terrain when writing these scenes.  I do think part of the issue is that it’s hard to design a creature when you’re not going to use it for more than window dressing.  Many authors would argue against that even though it does drive home the fact that the setting is not Earth, which some readers don’t always remember.  Monsters in the open is a way to maintain immersion and . . . I forgot the world for drawing people into a story.  Anyway, I have tried to add more critters in my descriptions as I get older.  Don’t have a reason for why that is, but it feels right.

What do other people think about stories having non-Earth fauna in the open instead of only in the shadows?

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Mental Health and Sleep

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

This is why May being a month about mental health and sleep is interesting.  The two are interconnected.  A decline in one causes a decline in the other.  For example:

A person who suffers from anxiety may find this mental illness to be worse at night.  This results in them having panic attacks at night or, at the very least, mediocre sleep.  They will eventually hit a point of sleep deprivation, which causes them to become lethargic and more anxious.  Daily activities become more difficult and you get stressed out over how hard things are.  This makes your sleep worse and can lead to insomnia, which enhances both situations.

Yet, a person who gets enough sleep has the energy to get enough things done that they don’t stress out as much.  Their anxiety is kept at healthy or maybe tolerable levels, so sleep isn’t hindered.  Even if a few blips of bad days happen, the overall stress doesn’t reach a point where a downward spiral occurs.

Another result of poor sleep that can affect mental health is something I learned about when reading about sleep apnea.  To put it bluntly, it can cause brain damage.  Gray matter is reduced and can result in reduced cognition.  The hippocampus is damaged enough to cause memory loss.  You have less white matter and the blood-brain barrier is weakened.  This all causes a rise in mental health issues stemming from an attention deficit and general comprehension problems.

So, what do other people think about the connection between sleep and mental health?  Does it seem obvious?  If so, why do you think we don’t really pay attention to the connection and push ourselves to forego sleep at times?

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Goal Post: A Long Weekend and Hopefully Progress

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

For a short work week, this past one was crazy busy.  My class had a mini-golf field trip one day, which was a lot of fun.  Two students got holes-in-one and everyone had fun even with a few minor blips.  The day after that was the Unified Basketball championship, which is composed of teams with special and general education students.  Our team was defending champions and it was dicey for a while.  They pulled it together though and got the win, which is great for our seniors since it was their last game and they have been there since the beginning.  Next week doesn’t have any exciting events like that, but I’m sure it’ll be busy.

I tired to do some editing for Darwin & the Beast Collector yesterday, but didn’t get as far as I’d hoped.  With 3 chapters to go and 4 days, I thought I could pull it off, but I have a bunch of appointments and meet-ups.  I still think I can definitely get 2 done over breakfast and in the evenings.  Then again, one of the things I had planned was canceled by someone else without my full agreement.  I can’t go into any more about that, but it’s soured my mood.  Might be why I’m editing slower too because letting my mind wander goes to this issue and not the story.

Another problem is I ran into a wrinkle.  A character has this medallion/pocketwatch that makes them invisible to monsters.  I think I had other plans for this thing, but I seem to have forgotten it existed between its introduction and being handed to another character.  It’s mentioned at times, but the character keeps it under his shirt all the time.  I’m not sure if this works or if I should have it be fiddled with in passing a few times throughout the story.  I’m also thinking of making it a strict medallion or locket instead of a pocketwatch since he never checks the time.  His biggest tic is taking a drink from whatever goblet he is holding, but I can’t switch the goblet to the story importance of the medallion since it serves its own purpose.  So, I feel kind of stuck on how to make the medallion truly work and am leaning towards adding it into a few scenes while I type in the edits in June.  Any suggestions even though this is vague?

Reminder that all of my eBooks are 99 cents!

Coming to the end of the school year means events are coming fast and often.  My son had his big chorus concert this week and he is getting a music award in June.  There are other field trips, state tests, Regents exams, various holidays, and overall tension growing among students.  It’s not always a bad tension, but people are getting antsy for the school year to be over.  I think you really see it in special education students because they can be very aware of changes in the atmosphere.  That and many know the end of the year is coming, so those that don’t like changes in routine aren’t happy.  To be fair, I know many adults like this too.

Can’t think of anything else that has happened between the weekends.  That whole foot pain thing is getting better thanks to the compression socks and better shoes.  They still hurt if I walk for too long and in the morning.  Yet, I definitely feel improvement, which is great since I have a weekend of walking ahead of me at the end of June.  Though, I think I can convince my son to let us sit down from time to time.  Anyway, I guess I should jump into the list and maybe I’ll announce the completion of Darwin & the Beast Collector next weekend.

  1. Finish editing Darwin & the Beast Collector.
  2. Rest during the long weekend.
  3. Continue setting up summer posts.  I think I’m already in August.
  4. Let feet rest.
  5. Get a haircut.
  6. Finish watching ‘Konosuba’ and start another show.
  7. Curse the rain that keeps showing up.  This is May.  Where was this crap in April?
  8. Stay healthy since a lot of people around me are getting sick.

I didn’t make a Memorial Day post this year because I didn’t realize when it was.  I also find myself thinking it’s strange to say things like ‘Happy Memorial Day’ and be anything more than solemn and pensive.  Maybe I’m overthinking things.

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