Shrek
It doesn’t always have to be a major quest or a wild adventure. Yet, groups have to start somewhere even if it’s prior to the book. Authors need to consider the beginning when they go with ensemble casts. After all, it sets the tone of setting, characters, action, and just about everything.
(A short poem about something I’ve wondered about for years. Given wars, diseases, resource inequality, wealth inequality, education inequality, and a whole list of other barriers, I’m assuming this happens every minute.)
How many stories have been lost?
Because the dreamer died too soon
Or they never had their chance
These lost stories of adventure
And love that cannot break
Tales of screams and laughs
That touch the human soul
All of them are gone
To never gain a second chance
Drifting to oblivion
With their creator’s soul
Hi, Gang. ✋ Craig with you once again to continue our deep dive into the speculative genres. We’ve covered Supernatural/paranormal, Fantasy, and …
Soft Science Fiction
Posted by Joy York Many of us have grown up accepting that books have basic genres: mystery, romance, sci-fi, historical fiction, biography, horror, …
How Literary Trends Are Evolving
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Pretty sure we can all think of at least one story that begins in jail. Many stay within that setting too. It isn’t only fantasy as well. There is something about a prison story that appeals to readers. Maybe it’s about redemption or survival. I should do a post series on that, but today I’m going to stick to adventures that begin in prison. Sorry.
I kind of did this with War of Nytefall since you first meet Clyde when he’s in prison waiting for execution. That isn’t really what I’m talking about though. A prison meeting for a party is when everyone is thrown into jail together. It doesn’t matter if they know each other or not. They are now in jail with no clear sign that they are going to be released any time soon or at all. Similar to, and possibly jumping off from, the bar brawl opener, the jail beginning has several benefits:
So, what do you think of adventures starting in jail?
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This is going to be a short post because it’s more of a rant.
So, I used to set up interviews with my characters. I did this two ways in the past:
The biggest issue I had as my series progressed is that most people weren’t reading the books. So, nobody felt like they should or could ask a question. I repeatedly said that they can ask a general question since this was to get people curious enough to buy and read the books. Only a handful did so. I had other people say they were just waiting to see what others said. In other words, my attempt to get interaction crashed and burned.
This hit me kind of hard back in the day because it came off as people not finding the characters interesting. Not outside of their stories, which meant my goal to make them relatable was a failure. A notable exception was Ichabod Brooks who always garnered questions, but rarely got book sales. That was a rather rough failure to accept since I couldn’t figure out why he was popular and still never sold much.
I’ve noticed for a long time that blogging isn’t as interactive as it once was. So, I doubt character interviews will do any better. Considering trying to put myself out there for questions, which I’ve done in the past. Doubt it will go any better.
All of this makes me realize how much authors, regardless of their hermit-like lifestyle, typically require some interactions. Whether it be with fans or other authors, we do need some type of book-based interaction to make us feel like we are connecting. It can’t always be the sales and reviews of books. Most people don’t review books and sales barely exist for most indies these days. Blog interactions are probably the best way to go, but I feel like blogging is a shadow of itself.
You can tell I’m frustrated and wishing I had some idea on what I could do to garner any attention. Not just for sales, but writing in general. I don’t get to talk to anyone about my stories. Can’t promote the ‘Slumberlord’ books since I don’t have cover art, money, or time to publish. Given that it’s a core Windemere book, I refuse to make it a blog story like I did with ‘Bedlam’. Maybe the day I get to publish Darwin & the Fate Bracelet will be when I can revive the interactions, but I need something in the meantime.
Anyway, this was a little rant about an old tactic that part of my keeps considering bringing back. Almost like a bit of masochism. Maybe I’ll try a ‘ask the author’ thing next Tuesday.
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I’ve been thinking about the beginnings of adventures and how some characters meet, especially in D&D games. One of the most common starting points is a tavern, which is why some parties unite over an initial barroom battle. It could be caused by all of them or just one. In the end, this results in them seeing what each other can do and maybe even get dragged into the same adventure.
The barroom starting battle is one that I’ve used both at the start and in the middle of a story. Is it a trope? Pretty much. Yet, it has a handful of uses:
So, what do people think of the bar brawl beginning?
This creature is found in Southeast Asia and it’s name doesn’t really tell you the truth. It is not a lemur and it doesn’t fly. As with the flying squirrel, it glides using flaps of skin that run from their necks to their limbs and tail. I guess ‘gliding lemur’ doesn’t have the same ring to it. Although, Colugo sounds pretty cool.
Both species of Colugo are in danger due to habitat loss. They are also hunted for meat and fur, but it is mostly the destruction of their home. The Philippine Colugo was listed as vulnerable since it was under more of a threat. It is also the primary prey of the Philippine eagle, which is critically endangered. This means the Colugo population decreasing threatens another species that is in greater danger. Really shows how nature involves connected organisms and systems.
Here are some facts:
Pictures from Wikipedia and video time!
Philippine Flying Lemur
Sunda Flying Lemur
Tuesday was a virtual learning day, so we had to work from home. This allowed me to write the first section of chapter 8 during the periods I wasn’t in a class. Didn’t finish until after the school day was done though because I had to pay attention to the clock and the scene was giving me trouble. Still, it was an extra chapter section of Darwin & the Joy Path, which I didn’t expect. I won’t be able to write any more until maybe next weekend, but it’s the big Pokemon event of the season. I’ll be happy if I can get the last two sections of chapter 8 done though. Totally possible if I’m home by 7.
Unfortunately, I can’t claim any other victories beyond the writing progress. Having trouble remembering any glimmer of non-writing success, but I’m writing this with a raw throat. Wish it was an amazing story, but it’s just rough and gross:
I ate a KFC sandwich a little too quickly and a bit got stuck in my throat, which happens from time to time. The soda didn’t help and the ensuing gagging set off an acid reflux event. I got myself under some control and tried to get home with several breaks to give my guts a rest. Well, a car cut me off and forced me to stop short, which caused the seatbelt to push on my stomach. I think we know where this went and it still took me 20 minutes to get home. 4 Tums and a bottle of water reversed the issue, but my throat was definitely battered by the stomach acid.
To be honest, I’ve seen grosser stories on posts and I’m not going into details. This is another case of me being laid low by a health issue. Thankfully, I did recover enough to take my son to a local event called ‘Lumino City’. Below is only 4 of the many pictures that I took, but you get the idea:
This weekend has an appointment today, which means dealing with certain individuals that I’m not getting along with lately. Beyond that, my son and I are going to do the usual Pokemon Go outings today after a movie with lunch. Tomorrow is supposed to rain and we have family coming over, so it’s going to be in the house stuff. We both need the rest since the first school quarter just finished. Got a crazy couple of weeks ahead as well because of Thanksgiving. It might be a little less than 3 weeks away, but it’s a holiday that rushes in fast when you work in education. Christmas too. Not sure what’s going on during that break.
Blog-wise, I tried my best to figure out what to do about my Teaser Tuesday repetition situation. Decided to use the last 4 Tuesdays of the year to promote most of my series and give myself more time to figure things out. The issue is that nothing actually works and I really prefer to do something that creates interactions. Many times, I’ve done something that people think will work and then I get nothing. The character interviews are the main victims of this situation. I can’t interview them myself because I don’t know what people would want to hear. I know everything and would rather readers/audience ask questions that I never considered.
Plan for this coming week is going to be the usual ‘survival’. Getting Tuesday off is a good thing since I get my son. A day where I can sleep in won’t hurt either. Didn’t get a lot of quality sleep this week due to stress. If I can’t get to Darwin & the Joy Path, I might try to finish the January posts and work on ‘Phi Beta Files’. My plan for the holiday break in December is to work on the latter during the time my son is here. When my son is with his mom, I’m going to work hard on the book and I might be able to reach chapter 14 by that point. Entirely possible for me to finish Darwin & the Joy Path by the end of January. Then . . . Darwin & the Hejinn Queen starting during the February break?
Think I’m getting unfocused lately because so much is happening. Work is always busy with so much happening with our students this year. My son is trying his best in 11th grade as well as dealing with the stressors of being a child of divorce. Other situations are getting confrontational, which has resulted in a few nights being destroyed by triggered anxiety attacks. Geez, my life is really a mess at times. Makes me wonder why I still have people asking when I’m going to start dating again. I wouldn’t even date me with all of my baggage, trauma, and issues. Pretty sure this is going to be my existence since I internally freak out at even the thought of asking someone out or opening myself to the possibility of emotional pain. Hey, at least I’m honest about it.
Goals of the week:
Thief– Why is everyone angry at me?
Warrior– Because you crossed a line.
Caster– Like you’re one to talk.
Warrior– This isn’t about me and I didn’t do anything nearly as bad as him.
Druid– Well, you all suck!
Caster– I liked it better when you were pretending to be a horse.
Thief– I did most of the work, so I deserved the greater share.
Warrior– You don’t need all of that.
Caster– I came up with the plan in the first place, so I should get more.
NPC– Dear heroes-
Entire Party– Not now!
Druid– I told all of you that this was a bad idea.
Warrior– You always say that, which is why we don’t listen to you.
Druid– That’s plain hurtful. I knew you guys were cruel, but now you’re being rude.
Caster– Again with the cruelty accusation . . . Hey! I saw that.
Thief– No you didn’t.
Warrior– Give the rest to us then.
Thief– Everyone has some of the loot. It was divided according to the physical work put into acquiring it!
Caster– I’m starting to regret every working with you three.
NPC– Great heroes-
Entire Party– NOT NOW!
Warrior– I don’t see how we can fix this. You already made a mess of the split like you always do.
Thief– I don’t always do this.
Druid– Sometimes she incinerates the loot by accident.
Caster– One . . . Tw . . . Four times can still be an accident.
Warrior– I am telling all of you that we just need to do an even split instead of trying to say one of us does more than the others. All it does is cause conflict and delay moving on to our next adventure.
Thief– This wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t so cheap and let each of us get our own pizza instead of sharing. I’m the one with the membership card.
Caster– You stole that off the lich we fought last year. No idea why he had it.
Druid– And why did you have to put meat all over it!
Warrior– Because black olives are an abomination to the taste buds!
Thief– At least we can agree on that.
NPC– Noble heroes?
Entire Party– What?!
NPC– I have a coupon.
Warrior– That should solve . . . It’s expired.
Thief– Can I rob him now?
Caster– We see nothing.
Druid– I still hate all of you monsters.
Legends of Windemere 