Tag Archives: characters

The Dangers of Dungeons: Mazes and Traps

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Originally posted January 15, 2014.) One of the big standards of fantasy adventure books are traps and mazes.  The latter isn’t as common as the former and I can already hear some people groaning about the topic because they think … Continue reading →

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Eternal Characters: Always Reborn and Rebooted

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Originally posted on February 17, 2014.) I recently watched the first season of BBC’s Sherlock, I love Elementary, and I loved the Sherlock movies.  I also used to watch Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century when I was a kid.  Oddly … Continue reading →

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Poetry Day: The Names I Choose

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(A poem about choosing names for characters.  It’s either easy or hard.  Naming these people is never in-between.) They are my mental children These characters that play Among the worlds within my mind I watch their birth with care Knowing … Continue reading →

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Can We Not Use Violence?

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Vigilante 1– “Time for violence.” Vigilante 2– “I don’t know about that.” “We always commit violence at this hour.” “Yes, but I think I’m bored of it.” “It’s how we stop crime and save the city.” “But we’re not getting … Continue reading →

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Is Not Killing Weak or Strong?

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

. . . . . . . . (I made this post on September 16, 2014.  I’m reposting it because it works for the question I’m going to put at the very end.) For anyone who doesn’t know the above … Continue reading →

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Violent Past and Forgiveness

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Now, I don’t remember the character that made me wonder about this topic.  It can fall into various categories with high body counts: Former supervillain Hero who was a soldier Monster that gains humanity Serial killer who gets a second … Continue reading →

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Revisiting: Writing Characters With Mental Illness

Posted on May 18, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Originally posted on November 12, 2018.  Another from way back before the chaos.) Not sure this will be a long post because this is a delicate topic that everyone seems to have a different opinion on.  Using various mental illnesses … Continue reading →

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Revisiting: 7 Tips to Writing Anxious Characters

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(Originally posted on April 10, 2020.) A few disclaimers here because we’re heading into delicate territory again. Eh, I’m just copying and pasting here.  I am not an expert on mental health by any means.  I read up on it … Continue reading →

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Villain From Another World

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

I’ve talked quite a few times about heroes who come from another world.  This is the whole ‘Isekai’ genre where a normal person from our world is either transported or reincarnated into a magical one.  Something I stumbled onto a … Continue reading →

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Sacrificing Something Else for Victory

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

In the anime shown above, the main character makes a sacrifice, but it isn’t his life.  I don’t want to give spoilers, but it is effectively his future.  He makes a decision to sacrifice his future in order to defeat … Continue reading →

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