Politics

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Okay, I said it. Craig here with something you might find useful if you keep reading. In polite society I never talk about politics unless I really …

Politics
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National Cubicle Day? Really?

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Ugh

What sick bastard came up with this holiday?  I was going to go with Superhero Day or Blueberry Pie Day, but this requires a post.  This is a horrible idea for a holiday.  It’s a travesty to the concept!  Cubicles are horrible inventions that drain the soul of whoever is sitting within.  They’re designed so that the person inside cannot see those around them, including a higher up coming towards them.  You live in fear of a figure appearing in the opening that is always in your peripheral vision.  If the walls are low enough, you can peek out like a prairie dog and get caught by a manager for not doing your work.  I always compared these things to three-walled jail cells, but without a personal toilet, bed, and window.  Nightmarish creations.  Only way this holiday should be celebrated is by taking a sledgehammer to a cubicle.

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Late Goal Post: Back from Oswego

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Aside from Passover, this week was the big father/son trip to Oswego, NY.  This place is on Lake Ontario and . . . I went to college there and it’s a nice town about 5.5-6 hours away depending on how brutal the traffic through New Jersey is.  Why my GPS kept sending me through NJ is beyond me?  Didn’t help that it took me through the Bronx too.  At least the overall trip was fun.  Let’s do a daily break down:

Tuesday

The drive up was fairly quick with me only needing one stop halfway.  To be fair, the worst traffic on the way up is around NYC, NJ, and Long Island.  Once I get away from that area, it’s rather smooth sailing outside of some construction areas near Syracuse.  Made it up around check-in time and we relaxed for a bit.  Dinner was a pricey, but tasty pizza place where my son got Mac & Cheese and I got a rather big Hawaiian calzone.  After that, it was Pokemon Go on SUNY Oswego campus.

Stepping foot on campus is something I should touch on.  Last time I was in SUNY Oswego, it was 2013 and I was at a local convention to sell my first book.  I had swag, a banner, and didn’t get anywhere because I was in a rather quiet room.  Got to hang out with friends.  Yet, that was still when I was married.  This was the first time I was on campus after the divorce and with my son.  There was a weird sense of nostalgia battling the sense of loss, which went on throughout the trip.  Not a bad thing, but it definitely felt strange.

Wednesday

First of the full days and we went to the Rosamund Giffords Zoo in Syracuse.  It was a little, but enough was inside where it didn’t matter.  The zoo is smaller than the Bronx Zoo, so we got to walk around a few times.  The highlights were nearly 1-year-old tiger cubs wrestling, seeing the 5-month-old elephant twins, golden lion tamarins, meerkats, and the gray wolves.  Got some food from the café there and headed back to the hotel in time to go swimming in the pool.  Spent part of the evening walking around campus playing Pokemon Go again.  Not sure if that was the best move since it was cold and windy.

Thursday

MALL DAY!  Seriously, we spent the entire day in the Destiny USA mall.  This place is huge and allowed my son to do a lot of Pokemon Go between scheduled events.  The morning was a ‘Sloth Encounter’ at the animal place they have on the second level.  The place was bigger than expected and we got to go into the sloth’s enclosure to feed them.  It was fun and we could gently pet their backs as long as we gave them food first.  All of them were rescues too.  This was the big event of the trip too, so it was totally worth it.  Sloths are really soft to the touch and have the most interesting, serene faces.  They can be picky eaters too.

The afternoon event was seeing ‘Spy x Family: Code White’ at the theater on the top floor of the mall.  This is based on a manga/anime that my son and I read/watch.  It’s about a fake family where the father is a spy, mother is an assassin, and the daughter is a telepath, but nobody except the daughter knows who everyone is.  So much fun to see this kind of story on the big screen.

Getting back to Oswego, we had dinner with a friend.  It was McDonalds and we just hung around talking until about 9.  Nice to see old friends after so long.

Friday

This day didn’t go smoothly.  I took us to some walking paths I remember hearing about, but I didn’t realize they would be muddy.  Well, they weren’t until we got so far along that turning back was an issue.  My son’s shoe got stuck at one point and mine nearly came off too.  This resulted in us having to go back to the hotel to change shoes and then go to Walmart to buy new pairs.  Oops.  The afternoon was swimming and just relaxing until my friends were freed up to have dinner.  Another relaxing evening of chatting.

Today

Drove home and here we are.

Definitely want to go up again one day.  My son and I discussed the trips we like, which are those where not a lot is planned.  We just like getting away to relax, which Oswego is really good for.  Just not in the winter when the weather is terrible.  Same goes for Finger Lakes, which he wants to go back to one day.  I keep thinking I have to find new and exciting trips for us, but we do that on family trips with my parents.  Maybe the father/son adventures could be these two areas where we can still do things.

For myself, I might try a solo journey up there at times.  I always wanted to do an author getaway and thought I’d need a cabin, isolation, or a group.  My ex-wife once gave me one for my birthday, but it was to a nearby motel.  She meant well, but it happened right after I finished writing a book and I ended up in a room under the stairs with no windows.  It didn’t work out very well and taught me that atmosphere is important.  Oswego has a relaxing setting for me.  I might not do any book work, but hand-editing and notebook stuff can help.  Figured out a few problems with Rayne’s full journey that haven’t been sitting well for 15 years and I wasn’t even trying on this trip.  Can’t do author stuff when I have my son there though, so I might go back on my own one day.  Probably need a laptop I can close without it breaking too.

Spring break is still going on through Tuesday, so I won’t be doing much.  Going to type in some edits for Darwin & the Halfling Hunt.  Want to do a bunch of posts for June too since I have topics.  Beyond that, I’ve got a busy 3 days of work.  Schedule is changing and then basketball after school.  Won’t give me any time to do my own stuff until next Saturday after some recovery.  Guess that’s how it goes these days.

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On the Road Today

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

On the road, so I couldn’t write up a goal post.  I’ll either make one before I go to bed or wait until next Saturday even though it would be a week after the trip.  Probably give me time to get pictures for it.  Make that decision later.  For now, enjoy some semi-related music:

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Can Heroes Be Homesick?

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

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I’m not even sure if I can make a big post about this.  The idea came to my mind when I was thinking about how heroes in fantasy go on big adventures.  Can’t remember many of them getting homesick.  Not majorly.  Sure, many lose their hometowns during their origins, but that isn’t everyone.  So, why don’t heroes get homesick?

Part of it might be that the heroes are heading out on a mission, so it’s assumed that they won’t think of home very often.  They will focus on the job and only consider home when they remember who they are trying to protect.  Guess it makes sense, but it can’t hold out for years like with most adventures.  Traveling with friends certainly helps, but they aren’t the same as going back to family.  Not only family, but just returning to your place of origin and remembering where you came from.  Maybe humans have a fear of forgetting their hometowns if they’re away for so long.  I know I definitely started feeling that when I lived in Florida for 4.5 years, especially since I think I only came back to Long Island twice during that time.

In Legends of Windemere, I kind of bypassed this by having the heroes either not have a hometown or return over the course of their adventures.  Luke Callindor, Nyx, Delvin Cunningham, and Timoran Wrath all had points where they went back home. Sari and Dariana didn’t have a home to return to.  So, there wasn’t much of an opening for them to get homesick.  In War of Nytefall, it never came up because the heroes were always at home during part of their story.   Clyde and the Dawn Fangs weren’t traveling adventurers, but protectors of their kingdom.  Hence, homesickness wasn’t a thing.

So, will this be an issue with Darwin Slepsnor?  I genuinely don’t know.  Events in the first book kind of prevent that, but I also found that his personality wasn’t letting me give him a bout of homesickness.  He just kept getting distracted by a new adventure, new friend, or whatever was in front of him.  Darwin being sad and missing home never felt natural even though he’s stated many times that he plans on going back.  Maybe a hero who is sure that they’ll return some day and plan to do so with stories doesn’t get homesick?  I mean, if he goes back too early, Darwin won’t have enough stories to tell or miss a big one.  For some reason, that logic makes more sense for him than missing home.

So, what do other people think about heroes being homesick?  I’m talking primarily from a fantasy adventure perspective, but we can talk in general.  I figure characters on Earth will be easier to suffer from it than non-Earth.

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How to Become a Murderer

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

No, I’m not gonna tell you how to get away with the perfect crime. Not today, anyway. 😉 But I will show you how to become a murderer… and transfer …

How to Become a Murderer
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Poetry Day: If This Was My Last Day

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

(Guess I had a lot of downers in ‘I’ section.  Then again, is anyone surprised that I wonder about my own legacy?  I write stories with destined heroes and question if free will is stronger or weaker than destiny.  I have my heroes hope to create a legacy even if they die because they want to leave the world a better place.  So, I always wonder if there will be anything left a hundred years after I’m dead to tell people that I was here.  Not just that I lived, but that I did something.  I also wrote this when my son was really young, so the idea that I could die and he wouldn’t remember me was scary.)

If this day
Was my last day
What scar would I leave
Upon the world
Or would I fade
Into a set of photos
Collecting dust
In tear stained albums
Packed into a box

 

Would my stories live
Beyond my notes
Finding life
When I am gone
Or would they remain
Trapped
Within their tombs
Of lined paper and cheap binding
Crumbling on a shelf

 

Would my collections
Of blade and book
Become heirlooms
Passed to generations
With stories told
Or would they depart
Sold or donated
To make some space
For newer toys

 

Would the key to legacy
Be the son
Carrier of the bloodline
Living proof
That I was here
Or is he too young
To remember his old man
A memory not yet forged
Fading before I cool

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7 Tips to Writing Father and Son Relationships

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

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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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Hugs.  Nothing wrong with a parent hugging their child.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
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What Writers Should Know! Part Four: Research

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Hi SEers! Denise here to continue my discussion in part four of What Writers Should Know. This time we’ll be diving into research. Research is …

What Writers Should Know! Part Four: Research
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Questions 3 and Looking Back at ‘Tribe of the Snow Tiger’

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Back to the temples in Tribe of the Snow Tiger.  This is the 10th volume of Legends of Windemere and started feeling like the homestretch.  At least, as far as the writing side goes.  Probably felt more like Act 4 of the overall story.  So, what can I say about this one?

I had hinted at Timoran Wrath having a secret for a while, but the guy was so low key that I don’t think the fact stuck for very long.  Going with barbarians being warrior philosophers who can control their incredible rage meant that he was mild tempered until triggered.  So, Timoran was the wise one of the group who did his best to not get pulled into the antics of the more impulsive heroes. Hence, it was a shock to some when it was revealed that he was an outcast of his tribe.  There was more to it than that, but it created a fun backdrop.

Events of the previous volume meant the heroes were divided to make up for lost time, so Delvin, Sari, and Fizzle were absent.  This left Nyx, Timoran, Luke, and Dariana to handle the trial that I had planned.  I learned really quickly that I lacked the mind and patience to write a lengthy trial storyline.  The courtroom scenes were fun at first, but I realized that I was going to get bored fast.  Maybe I sensed this, which is why I sent two of the more trouble-attracting champions on this adventure.  Luke and Nyx made sure that things moved along quickly and with plenty of explosions.  Not that the chaos they caused was always on purpose.

From the title of Tribe of the Snow Tiger, you can tell that this deals with barbarian tribes.  I had actually put some thought into this and had a file where various tribes were noted as well as their animal sign and associated deity.  That didn’t really come into play much being giving me a jumping point to explain more about barbarians.  Timoran was a good example of them too.  They are warriors who live in cities found in some of the harsher, more isolated environments.  Not uneducated berserkers who are always looking for a fight.  I figured every group has people like that, so why would an entire culture be based around it?  So, I thought taking the ‘warrior philosopher’ idea and having it be done by these large, powerful, rage-controlling people would be a nice twist.  Never regretted that and it opened the door for more.

There’s another event of Tribe of the Snow Tiger that I was looking forward to writing for years.  I kept having trouble rationalizing having two characters fight each other and not making it their final battle.  So, I kept throwing in interruptions and other obstacles to have their previous conflicts end without a clear winner.  Their first encounter is probably the only one that had one since it kicked off the feud.  This meant that I kept putting ideas for this event on a list that I had to indulge in.  Probably my favorite fight/battle/slugfest in the entire series.  I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to end it as well because my delaying it resulted in both characters being favorites.  Needed to appease everyone, including myself, and am proud about how it ended.

Would I change anything in this story?  The only thing I probably should have done is researched more on how to write court scenes.  It was supposed to be a bigger thing than I made it because I didn’t feel confident.  Not sure if that would have made the book better or worse, but I do feel like I didn’t step up to a potential challenge.  I’ve got other stories where characters are put on trial, so maybe I’ll make up for it.

Questions for fun:

  1. How would you help a friend who is in legal trouble?
  2. Is there any time where rage can be useful?
  3. What is your favorite final battle between rivals in fiction?
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