Goal Post: Only 2.5 Days To Go!

Posted on June 22, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

(Math was off in original title.)

This was the last full week of school, which means homestretch.  Can’t say with certainty that I’m going to make it in one piece.  Not only work is beating me down, but the personal life and heat are doing some damage.  I thought it wasn’t much until I hit Wednesday, which was a day off.  So, what happened?

Now, I woke up early feeling sinus issues, but I had to get my son to an appointment then to his mom.  Just thought it was a cold even though I couldn’t shake the fatigue, congestion, and general gross feeling.  Resting in the air conditioning helped me recharge enough to have lunch with a friend and feel normal.  Did some Pokemon Go when I had energy and edited a chapter of Darwin & the Avenging Elf.  Yet, I couldn’t shake all of the internal horrors.  Once night fell and I tried to go to bed early, my body just went haywire.  You can imagine how much I was freaking out since it wasn’t long ago that I had my third bout with Covid.

Well, the Covid test said negative and I had no fever.  Managed to sleep enough that I woke up feeling only mildly fatigued.  This went away as I got more into my day and it never reached the same levels as Wednesday.  Left me scratching my head and wondering if I was out of it last weekend.  I wasn’t, but I had a Father’s Day event on Saturday and my son on Sunday.  So, I didn’t have time to succumb to whatever has been battering my insides.  Not that any test showed anything.  This is when I realized what my body has been running on for a bit too long:

Survival Mode!

Basically, I think I’ve been running on adrenaline and stress because I simply can’t collapse.  If I’m not taking care of my son or interacting with the ex-wife, I’m busy at work.  Once I can relax and drop my guard, my body decides to let the health red flags fly as if sending an invite to the Grim Reaper.  A big clue was that the night I struggled to sleep had my Blood Oxygen levels at 92 for a few seconds and then it dropped to 86 an hour later.  All of this was a flicker of time, but it showed that something was going on internally that none of the tests showed.  It didn’t happen again when I got some rest and then got back into the fray.  This doesn’t bode well for getting things done in the future, so I might not get a lot done between regular school and summer school.

Speaking of writing, Darwin & the Avenging Elf  is almost halfway done.  I’m on chapter 7 of 16.  Not a lot of the meat is being changed.  At most, I’m adding sentences to clear things up and mending consistency issues.  This worries me at times, but I remember that I went back A LOT when I did the initial writing.  Any blip that made me questioning stuff switched me from writing to editing.  I would read over paragraphs and pages a few times before moving on.  Not sure if this tightened up my writing and thoughts earlier in the process than normal.  Has anyone else edited their first draft while writing it or done anything like this?  I’m confused on where this habit came from and why, but it also explains why Darwin & the Halfling Hunt wasn’t as messy as Darwin & the Fate Bracelet.

The rest of the week was filled with appointments, work, and doing stuff with my son when we had time.  I didn’t get a lot of downtime even though I managed to finish the last of the current puzzle pile.  I’ll be tackling the summer Lego pile once school is done and I have time to relax.  That’s becoming the extent of my ambitions this year since so much has happened.  Need to take some time to mentally, physically, and emotionally recover from all of the body blows.  Pokemon Go gives me a chance for fresh air and focus, so that’s going to keep me going even on the days I go out solo for an hour or so.  Maybe it’s just getting a sense of accomplishment too.

With writing, I’m going to be happy to get to writing a new book by the end of the year, but I might even get to it by September.  Not sure if that’s a good thing since the 2 week December break would be a better starting point.  I’m toying with the idea of stopping between editing Darwin & the Beast Collector and beginning Darwin & the Joy Path.  That might defeat the purpose of editing to make sure continuity works, but I might need a month off to get used to the new school schedule.  That could allow me to work on ‘Phi Beta Files’, which I haven’t touched in a while.  Heck, notebook work could be what I do when/if I go up to Oswego for a few days.  Still trying to decide on if I can do a 6 hour drive on my own.

Guess I’m a little scattered for now.  End of the school year and the heat seem to be aggravating my residual brain fog.  It’s weird that even after 2 years, the debilitating part of Covid returns when I’m stressed or the weather is hot.  This is mostly me having trouble remembering words when talking or writing.  Things just don’t come to the surface as well as they used to ever since my first bout of Covid.  Sucks, but I guess that’s how I have to live from now on.

Goals of the week?

  1. Enjoy the weekend with my son.
  2. Finish the school year.
  3. Edit more Darwin & the Avenging Elf.  (9 chapters to go.)
  4. Get out for Pokemon Go and fresh air.
  5. Sleep better.
  6. Make Pineapple Chicken Tenders for lunches.
  7. Tinker with the feuding thieves group idea that is coming to my mind.
  8. Vacuum at some point.
  9. Stay cool.
  10. Hydrate.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Predator and Prey Chat

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Predator– So, I’m going to start chasing you.  That sound good?

Prey– Not really.  I didn’t get a lot of sleep, so I don’t have much energy.  Let’s play chess like in the picture.

Predator–  Do you have a chess board?  Also, neither of us know how to play.

Prey– That should make it more fun.  Not like you’re hunting me for food.

Predator–  Why would you say that?

Prey– I saw your lunchbox in the fridge when I put mine in there.

Predator–  Maybe I need a meal for tomorrow.  I do own a freezer back home.

Prey– We went food shopping together last night since you refuse to get a shopper membership card.  Stop trying to make this a thing.

Predator– It’s my job to hunt you down.  It’s your job to get away.  Neither of us get paid if we don’t have a thing.

Prey– Fine . . . Can I get a head start?

Predator– I’ll give you an hour to get ahead and hide.  We’re working the jungle terrain this time, so it should be a challenge.

Prey– Ugh, I hate what the humidity does to my hair.  I’ll only need thirty minutes to make it fun.

Predator– Are you going to be lethal or helpless?

Prey– I haven’t decided yet.

Predator–  I hate surprises.  Never remember which colors mean danger.  Please don’t make you poisonous on the inside.

Prey– If I feel the need to stab you from the grave then I will do so.

Predator–  That always makes it awkward when we come back.  You know, I don’t think I’m going to hunt you for food.  This is for pride and challenge.

Prey– You can’t change that when we’ve already started.

Predator– I can since you haven’t left yet.

Prey– Dammit. Now, I have to make traps and figure out your own tricks.  Did I mention I didn’t sleep well?

Predator– I never said I cared.

Prey– See if I ever let you use my shopper membership card again.

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Poetry Day: Island of the Bleeding Blade

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Rusty Sword from Rule of Roses

(This poem is a fictional set up type of thing.  Just wrote it randomly and thought it could be a good premise for a future story.  I believe it was matched up with another poem or story about a magic tiara.  It would be a boy went to claim this sword in an adventure while a girl would enter a contest to gain the tiara.  They were childhood friends who wanted a better life and saw this as their way to get it.  Maybe the tiara one will turn up at some point.)

Deep within the thousand isles

That create the lunar serpent

Lays an island made of man

Composed of his bone and flesh

A simple shore of gathered muck

Around a growing mountain

Made of the fallen worthless

Skulls dot the mountain made of bones

They blindly watch the world

Staring at all visitors

Who dare to try their hand

The dangers are unknown to all

But the reward is much too great

To win the bleeding sword above

And claim the lunar throne

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7 Tips to Predator vs Prey Stories

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Prey

While the predator vs prey conflict is classic and easily understood, it isn’t always the easiest to write.  We take the simplicity for granted at times, which means we can make mistakes that mess up the dynamic.  Here are some tips that I came up with that might makes things easier.

  1. Regardless of the side you pick as the POV, you’re going to need tension.  The prey will be scared about getting killed, which makes it easy to create tension from their end.  It becomes more difficult for predators who we see as the powerful sides that are in control.  Yet, their POV can have tension in a ‘will they succeed’ vibe.  Being on the prowl or preparing to strike aren’t calm moments.  The reader should get a sense that victory is not a guarantee.
  2. Predators typically are the stronger side within this power dynamic.  That is because they are seen as the ones in control.  Prey reacts to them.  A predator doesn’t have to be physically strong either.  Think of bison and wolves.  The former is definitely more powerful and can destroy the latter.  That doesn’t make them the predator because they aren’t the ones who hunt and attack.  Predator could be seen as more about the role than the abilities.
  3. Prey is not always defenseless.  As in nature, prey should have some abilities that give them a chance at survival.  It could be a built-in weapon, a keener mind, friends, or a tool that they carry.  This shouldn’t be something that will end the conflict as soon as it is used in any situation.  For example, a zebra has a powerful kick and is fast.  These are great defenses, but only if it gets to use them.  A situation should be created to give them the upper hand.
  4. A predator will do whatever it takes to create the optimal situation for victory.  As I said, this is the character who will be directly the action.  Even if they are chasing the prey, they initiated the activity knowing this would happen.  A smart predator will try to eliminate all possible problems before striking or at least know how to counter them if they can’t be avoided entirely.  Nature has an example with predators hunting in packs and getting in positions before striking.
  5. Predators don’t always have to go for anyone who stumbles into the fight.  If they are after a specific prey then they might ignore everything else.  Sure, they’ll attack if they are threatened by the other target.  Don’t really see why they would go out of their way to kill a person that isn’t a danger though.  I say this because I’ve see a lot of these stories turn their focused predator into a random murder machine at some point.
  6. The prey doesn’t always have to be an idiot when scared.  Yes, I’m looking at you, horror genre.
  7. Escape by the prey is a perfectly viable finale.  The predator doesn’t always have to die for the story to end.  It could be that they no longer wish to pursue or they completely lose track of their target.  Maybe they’re arrested, but aren’t crazy enough to die fighting the police.  This can allow for another story to occur later on if you’re so inclined.  Either way, having both parties survive can open up a lot more endings than ‘predator is dead and prey is fine’, which is typically what you see.
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Help! Amazon Suspended My Account

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

No, Amazon hasn’t suspended my books or my account, thank God. But you may have heard how the company has been shutting down KDP accounts recently. …

Help! Amazon Suspended My Account
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Questions 3 and Looking Back at ‘Chasing Bedlam’

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover Art by Jon Hunsinger

Chasing Bedlam was a fun sequel that I started working on as soon as I finished Crossing Bedlam.  I wanted to up the action, sexiness (without adding sex scenes), and push the characters to new heights.  Still not sure how that went since most people didn’t bother with the series.

One thing I learned writing this book is that there is a big urge to make it bigger and louder than the previous one.  A series based around spectacle can’t go backwards for more than a chapter scene.  With Cassidy and Lloyd living in such a dangerous world, the idea that they would relax for very long never worked.  So, I had to come up with wilder antics for them to get into.  Disease-ridden beasts, crazy cultists, and many other dangers were crafted to make sure I kept things dialed up to max for 80% of the story.  Needless to say, it got rather exhausting, but in a good way.

This series was always a fun release for me.  With my other series, I was always holding back on the cursing and violence to get either a hard PG-13 or soft R feel.  This was a hard R rating with the only limitation being that I didn’t write any sex scenes or include graphic nudity.  These were implied or noted, but never described.  Regardless, I got a kick out of letting loose in Chasing Bedlam, especially since I no longer had an innocent survivor running with a crazy serial killer.

Cassidy and Lloyd definitely change from their initial adventure.  Lloyd was still violent and crazy, but he now had a sense of loyalty to a few characters.  After realizing that being a murderous psychopath in a world of murderous psychopaths doesn’t make him special, he toned himself down.  Still having fun and clearly an influence on Cassidy, who is colder and more ‘live in the moment’ than she was before.  I liked her evolution into a rough and cunning survivor.  It was like she shed her skin and finally came into her own, which I guess was part of her debut.  Getting out of her capable mother’s shadow and learning to survive on her own abilities definitely happened.

What is the story?  An old enemy reappears and steals Cassidy’s jeep, which she calls her baby.  This kicks off a destructive, rage-fueled chase from Texas to Miami.  Multiple obstacles turn up and they only help to make Cassidy angrier.  Lloyd is just along for the chase to kill people and because his gun-toting partner is one of two people he would consider family.  A third reason is that he would get bored and lonely without Cassidy to verbally spar with in a strange brother/sister vibe.  As you can tell, the story is fairly simple, which I think makes it easier to include big action scenes.  This way, you don’t have complicated plot getting overshadowed by the spectacle.  Chasing Bedlam is really all about escapism and action like its predecessor.

Can’t think of anything I would change since this book was all in good fun.  I mean, it was a joy to write since I got to cut loose.  So, the questions:

  1. What would you go on a rampage to get back if it was stolen?
  2. What is the funniest/strangest town name you have ever heard?
  3. If you had to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, what would be your weapon of choice?
Posted in Bedlam Series, Chasing Bedlam | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Predator and Prey Stories

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Predator

I was thinking about the movie ‘Predator’.  Not sure why.  Just came to me and I wondered if there was a post in there.  Well, here we are . . . Sorry if you expected a catchier intro, but it’s been a long school year.

The ‘Predator/Prey’ dynamic has existed for millennia.  Going back to cave paintings, we have seen the story play out time and again.  Predator is hunting and prey is struggling to survive.  The former is typically stronger than the latter, but there is always some advantage that can give them a chance.  No matter the genre, the story doesn’t really change much either.  ‘The Most Dangerous Game’, ‘Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote’, ‘Hunger Games’, and millions (if not billions) of stories have used this conflict as a core concept.  It simply works.

Not hard to figure out why it works.

First, this is a story that all humans can connect to on some level.  It isn’t that we’ve all been hunted or gone hunting.  The connection is more of a primal understanding of both roles.  From the prey side, we can understand the struggle to survive even if we haven’t gone through such trauma.  Fear, determination, hope, despair, and all of the emotions that can be seen in the prey character are relatable.  From the predator side, we can get a sense of power, relentlessness, and another struggle to survive.  It is harder to do this one, which is why you typically see stories from the prey’s perspective.

That being said, we do see predators as main characters when a human is trying to survive after a disaster.  Being abandoned in the wilderness or wandering a post-apocalyptic landscape tends to turn protagonists into predators for survival.  The killing done by these characters are accepted due to a ‘kill or be killed’ world.  Many times, the ‘prey’ are equally aggressive and typically evil enemies, so we aren’t made to feel sorry for them.  Once a predator protagonist goes after the innocent, readers will start to recoil and lose sympathy for them.

Another reason the ‘predator/prey’ stories work is because it’s something we’ve all seen play out at some point.  Growing up, a person has either seen nature shows or witnessed such dynamics in person.  By late elementary school, nearly every child is aware that some animals eat and kill others to survive.  They’ve been introduced to this in various stories as well even if the predator fails.  I mean, even if the shows and movies didn’t depict the actual act of hunting, a kid will notice when characters are eating meat.  So, there’s an immediate understanding and acceptance of the ‘predator/prey’ dynamic.

Of course, this gets slightly skewed when the hunting isn’t being done for food.  Once you go beyond that, the conflict brings up ethical issues.  Take these ‘predator/prey’ reasons:

  • Revenge– Character is killing others because they were wronged.  ‘Kill Bill’ is a good example.  Yes, we can cheer for the vengeful predator, but this still makes one question how far a person should go.  Seems to always be fine in fiction.
  • Pride/Thrill– Finally getting to ‘Predator’ himself.  Being an alien who hunts for sport and the challenge, one would see these guys as villains.  Yet, it is a cultural thing and humans have had similar traditions.  Taking down a powerful, dangerous beast would be a coming-of-age rite.  The Predators do that as well.  So, is it evil for them to do it while humans have done the same?  What about when they don’t go for defenseless prey or reduce their weaponry to match their opponents?  Can a predator have honor?

Personally, I really love writing this conflict.  Even if it’s not for a full story, I like the tension it can create.  I’ve had chapters where a character is trying to evade others or find a hidden target.  You can’t have much talking because silence is important.  So, it’s a few pages of tense, almost there moments with the predator and prey almost dancing with each other until the finale.  There is a raw nature to it, which might be why I find it appealing.  Not sure I can pull off an entire book with this atmosphere because I enjoy writing high action and some humor.  That second thing really doesn’t work unless it’s a full on comedy.

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Words that pack a punch – part 5

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Hello, SE’ers. It’s Jan again with another common action word that can be enhanced by better choices. As many have pointed out in comments, these are…

Words that pack a punch – part 5
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Happy Father’s Day!

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Happy Father’s Day!  You know, the holiday where you have your father cook bbq, drive the family somewhere, or do something more than sleep in bed.  Throwing all that in because it’s really hard to find Father’s Day memes that don’t make fun of fathers.  I mean, it was mostly about not asking for directions, child support, or how mothers should get credit on this day too.  In other words, this post was a lot harder to make than I initially expected.

Sorry. As a Giants fan, I couldn’t resist this one.

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Goal Post: Got A Little Done, But Not Much

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

(Combination of Foo Fighters, Queen (Brian May), and Pink Floyd . . . No wonder I keep skipping to this one in the car.)

This was a crazy week, which should really be my motto.  I’m also writing this after trying Apple Pie moonshine.  Really tasty. Not harsh.  Takes a wee bit of time to kick in and make me forget the chaos of the week.  Have to be careful that I don’t share the more sensitive chaos though.  *zips lips and keeps fingers typing*

Seriously though, this was the last week of classes for my son.  Last week of full days for my students too, but I’m still there until the end of the day until the 26th.  This meant that my son had tests such as the Living Environment (Biology with extra) Regents.  For those outside of New York, the Regents are subject specific standardized tests created by the state to check standards.  Passing them are required for high school graduation.  At least for the second best diploma.  It’s stressful for the students and parents while many teachers aren’t fans.  Still, he’s done and we’re confident that he did good.  He got 100 on his history final.  Not a Regents, but impressive.

For myself, it’s just been getting the students and myself ready for the full sprint to the finish line.  Things were rather rough on a few days too.  Last year, the kids who graduated were the ones who were 8th graders when I started.  That felt strange.  This year, a student I worked with a few years back and watched grow graduated.  He’s become such an awesome young man that I can’t be anything but proud of him.  Happy to see them grow up, but tough to see them go.  I already know which graduating student is going to make me cry next year.  Kids grow up too fast.

I didn’t get to Darwin & the Avenging Elf until last night, but I’m hoping to get 2-3 chapters done this weekend.  Can’t do anything tomorrow since it’s Father’s Day and I’ll have my son.  Maybe a bit before I pick him up and more after I drop him back off with his mom.  Editing isn’t my goal tomorrow, so I’ll get a bunch done today.  Balance that with some Pokemon Go and errands should work out.  I have Wednesday off for Juneteenth too, so I can get a chapter or 2 done then as well.  Maybe I’ll get Darwin & the Avenging Elf edited before July 4th.  That would be amazing and give me the whole summer to edit the final 2 finished volumes.  Given that next school year looks messy, I wouldn’t mind that.

All of the August posts were completed too.  Halfway through September to give myself more of a cushion when school starts up.  This means, I’m already thinking about the October theme, which tends to be monsters.  Last year, I took beasts from around the world using a poster from a puzzle.  I was leaning towards American cryptids this year, but I only have 13 days to use unless I stop the teasers and poems.  That still doesn’t give me a lot unless I figure out some categories to use multiple creatures.  Good thing I’ll have the summer to work on this since I always enjoy October being a challenge.

Outside of work, parenting, and writing, I haven’t done much else.  Working on a puzzle as usual, but I’ll be switching to all of the Lego sets once summer starts.  Got a ton of them I’ve been saving for the hot months.  Some of them are pretty big and going to be a fun challenge.  It’ll be a nice relaxation from work and staring at the white paper with words on it while editing.  Looking like summer will be really hot too.  I’ll need the Legos when trying to cool off then.

Wish I had more to share, but it’s survival mode until I reach the end of the school year.  I know it’s going to be a challenge.  Not only with work, but the home life is getting fairly crazy as my son gets older.  Teenagers are emotional even without autism making things tougher.  He’s getting through it, but I’m making sure to keep my own activities at a point where I can drop them whenever he needs to talk.  All of us are exhausted, which is why things are getting choppy.  I’m sure nearly every parent has gone through this, so it isn’t unique.  Growing pains for everyone.  Good thing ‘Inside Out 2’ is in theaters because that might help . . . Unless he wants to watch a comedy or action movie.  Got a few on the list that I think he’ll like.

Storm is coming in (writing this Friday night), so I guess I’ll jump to the list:

  1. Edit more of Darwin & the Avenging Elf
  2. Spend Father’s Day with my son.
  3. Pokemon Go to get fresh air and exercise.
  4. Puzzle time!
  5. Make it through the work days.
  6. September posts.
  7. Contemplate the existence of various things.
  8. Maybe play some Pirate Warriors 3 with my son too.
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