The Appeal of an Overpowered Protagonist part 6 – Awesome but Impractical

Today, I’m covering the concept of flaws as they relate to overpowered characters, because “being overpowered” is not the same as being “perfect”.  With the right flaws, one can not only counterbalance overwhelming abilities, but also devise hilarious shenanigans (and harrowing tragedies, I suppose, but that is not the case in this example). 

The example shall be Konosuba – God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World.  This is a story that has not one, not two, not even three but FOUR overpowered characters (five if you want to include that guy who may or may not have the "cursed" sword, Gram). I am talking about the main cast, of course.

AQUA

Let’s start with Aqua, a literal goddess, who is dragged down to the mortal world by Kazuma to be his “cheat item” on his quest to save the world from the demon king. As a goddess, she has power far beyond any mortal. In fact, her stats are maxed out; they can’t get any higher no matter how much she levels up. Furthermore, she can cast all sorts of healing magic, from mending injuries to breaking curses and even reviving the dead. Her functionally limitless mana means that she can cast these freely and easily.

She sounds totally broken, right? How can the author possibly maintain tension in a fantasy action-adventure story with someone like her? Easy. She causes as many problems as she fixes. Aqua is vain, lazy, whiny, ditzy, and short-sighted. Her laundry list of character flaws makes her as much of a liability as an asset, and all the more so because Kazuma doesn’t want to regularly accept guild quests dangerous enough to merit a healer of her caliber. Thus, he often calls her a “useless goddess”.

MEGUMIN

Second is Megumin, the foremost Arch Wizard of the Crimson Demon Clan and Master of the Most Powerful Spell Known to Man, EXPLOSION!

This is not an idle boast. She really is that powerful. After three seasons and a movie, the number of foes who have survived a single casting of her Explosion can be counted on one hand (Beldia, the Dullahan from the first season, who wasn’t even the main target). She is her party’s ace-in-the-hole, the knock-out punch whom they rely on to defeat their enemies. If she casts Explosion on someone, then they will die, no matter who they are.

She sounds totally broken, right? How can the author possibly maintain tension in a fantasy action-adventure story with someone like her? Easy. She can only cast this spell once per day, because it exhausts her to the point that she is unable to move, much less cast other spells, if she knew other spells. That’s right, she knows exactly one spell and refuses to learn more, because they pale in comparison to her beloved Explosion. It’s implied that she’s gets some kind of dopamine high from casting it and watching the explosion that takes place; the countryside is littered with craters from her daily castings. This a wide-area spell and so the potential for massive collateral damage and/or friendly fire is extremely likely.

Finally, she is “chunnibyou”, which essentially is an obsession with being “cool” and/or “mysterious”, often at the expense of practicality, and for this reason, she is rejected from every party she attempted to join prior to Kazuma’s.

DARKNESS

The third character on this list is a powerhouse, a crusader class adventurer who can effortlessly slice through boulders with her tremendous strength. She is also so physically tough as to be practically invulnerable. An attack that would seriously injury another person is something that she will laugh off, with a wide grin on her face. She will dare her foe to strike her harder and even jump into the path of attacks meant for others. After three seasons and a movie, she has never been seriously injured.  She can even survive Megumin’s Explosion! (It was a complicated situation).

She sounds totally broken, right? How can the author possibly maintain tension in a fantasy action-adventure story with someone like her? Easy. She has atrocious aim. Even in melee, she can’t successfully strike a humanoid target, who is taller than her, not even if they are standing still and she tries three times. This is because she focused her built on defense to the exclusion of everything else.

She’s also a masochist, and at times she seems more focused on…her own pleasure…than protection. No, seriously, her enjoyment of pain and her lewd ramblings of such creep out the demons and monsters that her party fights. For these reasons, she was ALSO rejected from every party she tried to join, much like Megumin.

KAZUMA

That leaves the party leader, Kazuma, the protagonist of this isekai. That means he has some “isekai cheat” that makes life easy for him, right? Well….sort of.  Officially, his “cheat item” is Aqua herself, and we all know how well that worked out. But he is also very lucky. His luck stat is, in fact, his highest stat. Furthermore, he is very clever, with a creative and agile mind that can devise solutions to any problem. This means that he can direct his party members and achieve success as an adventurer, right? Well….again, the answer is “sort of”.

Kazuma is indeed a major reason for the success that his party enjoys, but if he had his way, then the only thing he would ever do is lounge around at home. Kazuma is lazy and was even a shut-in on his home world. More often than not, his party members have to wedge out of his room with a crowbar to convince him to go on quests. He is also so self-serving, perverted (though not to the same extent as Darkness), and dishonest that he is known in-universe as "Kazu-trash" and "Scumzuma", and thus all that cleverness is sometimes used to outsmart himself. Finally, being “lucky” doesn’t always mean “fortunate”, because his luck stat might twist events in a way that seems to help him at the time but actually screws him over in a different way (like what happened at the end of the Destroyer arc). 

On paper, this party sounds like some super elite unit that can defeat any foe and accomplish any objective. In practice, they are a ragtag bunch of misfits who stumble their way through one misadventure after another.  Their “overpowered” traits act as a counterbalance to their sundry faults and vices. This leads to a series that can span three seasons and a movie (and a much longer source material light novel series that has several spinoffs).

Index of the Appeal of Overpowered Characters series:
* The Appeal of Overpowered Characters - Part 1 - No Need for an Underdog
*The Appeal of Overpowered Characters - Part 2 - The Meaning of the Fight
*The Appeal of an Overpowered Protagonist - Part 3: What is Gained
*The Appeal of an Overpowered Protagonist -  Part 4: Super Combat Power does not Create 
*Appeal of an Overpowered Protagonist - Part 5 - I Swore an Oath

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

 The newest book as of this post: 

Appeal of an Overpowered Protagonist - Part 5 - I Swore an Oath

Welcome back to this series. It's been a while. Now that I'm doing book reviews by request only, you can expect more posts like this one, about the craft of writing itself. 

Here I explain the appeal of a protagonist being "overpowered". That is, possessing overwhelming ability that would supposedly remove all conflict and tension from a story, and why an author would want to do this intentionally. There can be many reasons for this, as the index at the bottom of the post will show. 

Today's topic is "I Swore an Oath". 

A character may possess outstanding ability in a field that enables them to conquer any threat and overcome any challenge, but they refrain from doing so because of an oath they made. This shifts the tension from "can they resolve conflict X at all" to "can they resolve conflict X without breaking their oath"? 

This enables the author to present the character as something other than an underdog and still show them struggling. It also provides context for a deeper conflict than "defeat the bad guy". It brings up questions such as "is this victory more important than the oath", which naturally has a different discourse depending on the context. Cheating in a sports tournament after promising to play fair would be different than a duel to the death, and this is without considering the results of such a contest. The sports tournament could involve prize money needed for a loved one's medical bill, for instance, and the duel to the death could be a matter of slighted pride.

For the purpose of illustration, I will reference Ruroruni Kenshin. This is a classic anime from the 90s, long before the isekai genre rolled in. I watched this every day on Toonami. Good times. 

Anyway, the central character here, Kenshin Himura is a superlative swordsman. He has killed so many people during a recent war that he became known as "Hitokiri Battosai", in other words, the man-slaying master assassin. With his ability to kill basically anyone he wanted, he helped win that war and overthrow an oppressive government. Then he watched his benefactors become the new oppressors. This, plus other personal tragedies, have led him to swear an oath to never kill anyone ever again. 

At the start of the story, he vastly outclasses every opponent faces. The first time the audience sees him fight, the fight ends in his favor very quickly. His first notable opponent, Sanosuke Sagara , is so notable for being able to endure more than one hit (in fact, it took a flurry of hits to bring him down). It is not until later in the story, when Kenshin fights Saito, that he is truly challenged when fighting seriously. Is this boring? Not at all. 

This is because the tension of these fights is never "will Kenshin defeat the villain".  Defeating the villain is, in fact, a secondary concern. What he actually wants to do is protect others, typically his circle of friends at the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu dojo. The tension lies on how he can do this without breaking his oath. 

That first villain I mentioned, Kenshin broke the fingers of his left hand to prevent him from holding a sword (the guy already had the thumb of his right hand broken by someone else). As for Sanosuke, Kenshin wore him down and then befriended him. A third instance, late in the story, after the fight with Saito, is crippling an opponent by exploiting a physical weakness through clever dodging. When he can't do this, and thus feels pressured into reaching for a lethal solution, that's when the tension gets really high. 

What I refer to is the conflict with Udo Jin-e, Kenshin's fellow man-slayer from the recent war. When he clashes with Kenshin, the result is the opposite of what the audience has become used to. It is Kenshin who is overwhelmed, and Jin-E is disappointed. 

Jin-E doesn't want to fight the weak. That's not why he has continued to be a man-slayer in the years since the war's conclusion. He knows that Kenshin is holding back, and so he provokes Kenshin into taking him seriously. He kidnaps Kaoru Kamiya, Kenshin's love interest in the main narrative, to force a second and more serious confrontation, and when that proves insufficient, he subjects her to a hypnotic technique that paralyzes her lungs. If Kenshin does NOT kill Jin-E, then Kaoru will suffocate. 

This is the highest point of tension for the series thus far, and still, it is NOT about whether Kenshin will defeat Jin-e. The way the author has constructed the series and this particular event, it is clear that Kenshin will definitely win if he fights seriously. He knows it, Kaoru knows it, and Jin-E himself knows it. All three of them also know that fighting seriously will break Kenshin's oath, which will have terrible consequences for him personally. 

The question then shifts from the straight-forward and simple "can Kenshin defeat Jin-E" to the more complex and interesting "what is more important to Kenshin? His mental wellbeing/his metaphoric soul, or Kaoru's life?"  The resolution to this scenario is likewise a matter more complicated than a simple defeat. 

All of what I have written is exclusively about the fight scenes in isolation. None of the above includes the context of the setting: the Meiji Restoration, the anti-sword law, western influence etc. The series has no need to position Kenshin an underdog in any given fight. It doesn't need to spawn incrementally stronger enemies to maintain narrative tension. It can produce all the tension it needs while allowing Kenshin to be a master swordsman, and all because of the oath. 

Index of the Appeal of Overpowered Characters series:

 The Appeal of Overpowered Characters - Part 1 - No Need for an Underdog

 The Appeal of Overpowered Characters - Part 2 - The Meaning of the Fight

The Appeal of an Overpowered Protagonist - Part 3: What is Gained

The Appeal of an Overpowered Protagonist -  Part 4: Super Combat Power does not Create

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

New book up! Catalyst for Glorious Change!

Nature Walk - April 2023. Relaxing and Inspiring

 I had a rough day the other day, earlier this month, so I decided to treat myself to a nature walk. It was the first thing I did when I got home. I parked my car and set off on the trail leading through the wooded area around a nearby lake. It was just what I needed. 

So peaceful and quiet. I could just walk and breathe and listen to nothing in particular. I could hear water running, ducks quacking and that was it. The leaves under my feet were too wet to crunch. After all the demands of me, of my attention and problem-solving, it was so nice to walk through a place that asked for nothing at all. It was a great way to decompress. 

And that's not all. 

This was a time of transition. After winter but before spring, there was no snow on the ground and only buds on the trees. It was the start of a time of renewal. It was invigorating to be amongst that. I couldn't see any buildings. The tree cover was enough that I could look forward and see only the path. It was so...not modern/urban/etc. that I could imagine walking around the bend and stepping into the Shire. That was a fun thing to imagine; to keep in my heart. 

That's still not all. 

There is this curved bridge that spans part of the lake, or an adjacent pond. I don't know how its divided. Anyway, I walked across this bridge, and I saw a person standing there. She had a camera. She was taking pictures and/or video of a duck on the pond. It was a nice little walk-by encounter; a thing that would only happen on that day and at that time. A special event for those present. 

By the time I made a loop around the lake, I felt refreshed. 

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Nature Walk by My Home - Winter 2023

Nature walks are wonderful, regardless of the season.

After work today, I closed up my work computer, put on my shoes and coat, and then headed out the front door for a nature walk. There is a trail next to my house that wraps around a lake. It has other paths, but I chose to stick close to the lake so I wouldn't get lost. Sunset was due in about 20 minutes. I planned it that way, so I could watch the sun go down. 

It was beautiful. This gradient of purple, yellow and then blue up to the sky; these bands of color stretching as far as I could see. I stopped to watch it several times. I turned around to look at it from the other direction. Red and orange, more vibrant and brilliant than the other side, sliding beneath trees and out of side. I wanted to see it all. 

The front lake provided a great platform to see it all. Yes, I walked out onto a frozen lake. I think that is the first time I did that. At least, such that I can remember. At first, I thought it was this big open area that I hadn't seen before. No, it was the lake and/or pond that I had passed by before on previous walks. The abundant snow and all the tracks through that snow disguised the pond as this surprise area. So, I walked across it for the experience, a new experience. It was pretty exciting. 

I was not the only one out and about. I passed by a handful of people walking the trail from other directions. I said "hi" as we crossed paths. There was even a guy out on a larger lake playing fetch with his dog. I didn't want my own walk to end quite yet, so I crossed this lake too, and I picked a steeper area of the bank to ascend back to the path. I wanted to experience that so I could better emulate the experience for my characters.

I'm writing a couple fantasy novels right now, and I've discovered that I am lacking tactile experience with certain environments. One cast is going through a forest, a deep and dense forest. What I have nearby isn't nearly a match, but I still enjoy it. I enjoy filling in those gaps, for the help it does for my writing, but also for the experience itself. When I arrived back at the housing area, I avoided the pavement for a steep and snowy area on the lake bank, just to prolong the walk a little longer. My socks stayed remarkably dry, considering I wasn't wearing boots and was up to my knees in snow. 

It was a new experience, the whole walk. The change in season made all the difference. It's like the theme song for Pokemon's first season in the Johto region, 

"It's a whole new world we live in. It's a whole new way to see. It's a whole new place, with a brand-new attitude, but you still gotta catch'em all, and be the best that you can be!"

To read about my spring nature walk in 2020, click here

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Princess Juniper of the Anju (read for fun)

I picked this up at a public library book sale because it sounded like fun. A good little adventure. Seeking help from your mother's tribe to fight off an invasion of your father's kingdom, and undergoing formal trials to acquire that help, that does sound like an adventure, doesn't it? On one hand, it deals with heavy stuff. On the other hand, the actual content is pretty tame. What I mean to say is, the premise of this book is violent but the events are not. They're rated PG, at highest. 

I'm having difficulty being concise about this book because of how well the author takes adult-level issues and makes them acceptable and/or palatable for children. Ammi-joan Paquette does a great job on that. 

An invasion of one's homeland is a serious issue, and it is treated seriously in this book. Juniper has to make a decision about what she should do, as a princess of Torr, as the queen of Queen's Basin, and what she can do realistically. She has to be diplomatic with people she doesn't like and also with strangers. She has to work through anxiety and uncertainty. These are all adult-level things. 

Yet, the book is not grim. It is not violent.  It has a steady stream of optimism. Be confident. Take things one step at a time. Focus on what you can take care of now, and don't worry about all the other things in the future just yet. Make friends, not enemies; if you can, find common ground with enemies so they might become friends. These are all great messages for children, and they come in a gentle but firm fashion. 

Also, I want to mention the world-building, landscapes and culture, that sort of thing. The author does a great job with this as well. The layout of Queen's Basin, the path to the Anju community, and then the Anju community itself are all gorgeously described. These are the three major areas where the book takes place, and they are expanded to the extent that they feel like real places; like fully realized environments. The culture of the Anju is built up magnificently as well. It is developed over the course of the book, bit by bit, and becomes an essential plot-point. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Princess Juniper of the Anju" an A+

Click here for my previous book review: No Game No Life - Practical War Game (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:  The Irregular at the Magic High School - light novel volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

D&D 5E Dungeon Master's Guide (Read for utility - and fun)

 Previously, I wrote a review for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeon Master's Guide for Dungeons and Dragons, and I useful I found it for writing novels. All of that applies to the 5th edition too, but more so. I much prefer this edition as a writing aid. Oh yes, I also find it useful for running a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. 

This book is split into three main sections, each describing the responsibility of the Dungeon Master in the game. They are "Master of Worlds", "Master of Adventures" and "Master of Rules".  The first is for creating the campaign world, the second is for creating the adventure, and the third is a list of rules to help the DM run the scenario, tweak situations to fit the campaign, and a section with advice on homebrewing elements. 

As a Dungeon Master, I find this book extremely helpful. I have several areas of it bookmarked for easier and quicker reference. One of them is the area for building encounters and managing random encounters. This helped break my previous conception of random encounters, which I picked up from video games.

 In video games, there is no point to a random encounter other to beatdown on the monsters for some droppable resource (Experience points, money, some form of loot). Then you move on. Not so in a Dungeons and Dragons session, where some groups play for 2-3 hours a week or even less. That can become tedious (as it sometimes happens in video games as well). This area of the book taught me how to make a random encounter more meaningful. There is a "Sylvan Forest" encounter table in here that I merged with another table in the Monster Manual to create the one for the area that my party is currently adventuring in. These "random" encounters provided the seed necessary to create events that are relevant to the here and now of the session. 

I also bookmarked the area that explains how to create maps for dungeons, settlements and wilderness, as well as adjudicating and describing what your players do in each. Because each area is different, different methods are used for each one. For instance, a dungeon is likely to be traversed room-by-room, as the player-characters check for traps and treasure. The wilderness, by contrast, is more likely to be a more general environment that does not involve the player-characters checking behind each tree or the top of each hill. Unless, of course, they are in a particular section of wilderness that doubles as a dungeon. 
Also, my players have done a lot of foraging recently so it is useful to have a table that enables me to quickly determine if they find something and how much they find. 

A third bookmark, of which I currently have seven in total, is a rule variant for chases. In Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, all creatures have a set movement speed, which makes chases deterministic and therefore less interesting. This area lists certain rules that can be used to add randomness to this otherwise pre-determined scenario, basically obstacles that both the pursuer and the quarry can run into, which can slow them down. There are also rules for determining when the chase begins, ends, or turns around and makes the hunter the hunted. 

Oh, I wish I had read this book cover-to-cover when I first started DMing. I thought I knew the rules well enough as a player and that I would do fine by imitating what our group's original DM did, but I didn't do fine. Not in the least. I have several embarrassing sessions under my belt, and this book could have prevented several of them. Particularly the Chase section; especially the Chase section. 

On another note, there is gorgeous art in this book. This review is mainly about the usefulness of the book for a Dungeon Master (and therefore also a novelist) but I have to mention the gorgeous art. You can see landscapes of everything from mountains and meadows to the Shadowfell or the Elemental Plane of Fire. You get portraits of an adventuring party consulting/drawing a map or in combat with a dragon. Most of the magic items listed in the treasure also get their own images along with their listing. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Dungeon Master's Guide for D&D 5E" an A+

If you want to read my review for the 3.5 E version, it is here 

Click here for my next book review: Ah! My Goddess - omnibus #1

Click here for my previous book review: Spice and Wolf volume 9

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Walking a Nature Trail is Inspiring - a brief novelist's perspective

Spring has come, and warm weather has come with it. So I decided to take a walk on a nature trail by my house. I haven't done that in a while, and it was a beautiful day. I am glad that I did. It was inspirational.

I don't see such all-encompassing nature often. Mostly, it is just the small and trimmed areas that line the roads on my way to work. These days, I don't even see that anymore. The only plant life that I have regular contact with is a tiny plant in my study, which I water every other day or so. I should probably do that less often because the soil is growing white moss. 

When I walked through that nature trail, by the water and among the trees, I realized anew why so many fairy tales take place in the woods.

They are so full of life. The many plants and many varieties of plants all around lead one to thinking of the world and all that it contains, and the little critters that one can spot can lead thoughts to other communities outside of human settlements. I spotted a family of ducks swimming by in the lake. They went about their business, maybe and maybe not noticing the large and alien creature that was observing them (i.e. me).

The tall trees and the foliage limit visibility, and so one can be surprised by what is just around the bend in the path. This happened to me numerous times. I trotted down this hill and was greeted by a new glade, mud puddle, or tree formation. I saw cross-roads, and those are linked to Fair Folk in stories. 
Take the wrong path and you might end up in the Land of the Faerie, a land renowned for its strangeness, wonder, and danger. To someone living on a farm, a forest would fit that description. 

You can meet strangers in the forest too.

A couple families were out enjoying nature as well, and our paths crossed going opposite directions. Naturally, we had to stay six feet apart due to COIVD-19 social distancing rules. I drifted a bit off the path to be that far away. I greeted them and they went on their way; a momentary meeting in the woods that happened by chance.

Shortly after that, I came across a bridge. Two bridges actually, one was made of wood and the other, metal. They span segments of the lake that is nearby. I like bridges. They represent connection between two places, and this can take many forms in the mind of a novelist. It could be the distance between two worlds, or a connection between two groups. With the woods on one side and a neighborhood of buildings on the other, this bridge was like the threshold between the world of humans and the world of Fair Folk. The metal bridge could add a layer of meaning to the connection; Cold Iron is supposedly poisonous to the Fair Folk, and so a bridge made of it would not a friendly bridge to the Fair Folk.

And so my nature walk came to an end. It was fun. I found much inspiration. So I decided to write when I returned home. 

To read about my winter nature walk in 2023, click here

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration). His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

A Grown Man Playing with Toys - miniatures as writing aides

When I was a child, I would stage battles with.my action figures. Heroes on one side and villains on the other for the "fight". I would speak for them and move them along my room's floor. My furniture was their landscape; a bedside table was a fort and my bed a mountain.

There were stories involved. Immature stories they may have been but I planned them out. One such story was a grand villain alliance trying to over-run a hero base.

As I grew older I stopped using the figures to tell the stories. I started keeping everything in my head. This was less expensive for someone as young as I was; my allowance went mostly into batteries for my Gameboy, and such. So the figures I already had watched me move myself around the room while I thought out the story.

Now, as an adult, I have come full circle. I am using toys to tell stories again. They may be D&D/pathfinder/etc minis instead of Transformers but the point is the same.

I use them to mark the positions of characters during battles.

It is a useful writing aide. In my newest story (after The Highest Power), I used them to keep track of six or so soldiers that fought my new protagonist. I moved them along the wall of a keep to flank her and then decided how she would respond. Without this aid, the scene would be less structured and clear. It most likely wouldn't have such a grand conclusion either.

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

Read for fun: Dungeons and Dragons' Manster Manual for 3.5 Edition

I picked this one up to add to my understanding of D&D and combat in pen-and-paper RPGs in general. A base of knowledge about monsters, and mechanics and varieties; this is certainly the place for it.

There is SO much more to them than the capacity to inflict damage to a player's health. Indeed, death-in-battle is the least of an adventurer's worries when there are creatures that can convert them into monstrous thralls, use them as incubators for its young, or trap their souls. Imagining all these creatures inhabiting the same world gives one the idea that the adventurers live in a terribly dangerous place. Granted, not all of them are in the Material Plane, that is, the world most humans inhabit. Even so, they exist and can cross over to join the native horrors.

It makes me think that stories such as "Goblin Slayer" or "Berserk" have the right idea of things. An adventurer is just one or two bad die rolls away from a dreadful fate, and even a skilled and experienced one may not be equipped to face a particular foe. It would be easy to become a Killer-Game-Master, and not even deliberately. The kinds of monsters appropriate for new adventurers are obviously outnumbered by the ones that are not, and even the weak monsters can get lucky or overwhelm with numbers.  How scary must it be, to live as a non-adventurer (a commoner farmer, for instance) in such a world?

It was a fun exercise, to look at the challenge level of each monster and work out what precisely went into that decision, and then compare it to other monsters. There's a particular plant monster, completely immobile and without a strength stat, that is a challenge level of 2 because of special abilities. This means it should be as tough as SIX goblins (challenge rating of 1/3 each). I didn't figure that one out. Then I came across a shadow-like monster with a higher rating, and a similar condition.

 I was puzzled until I realized a few things: it can only do strength-stat damage, and at zero strength, the victim turns into the same sort of creature within the battle. Every character has a lot more HP than strength and a non-strength character would go down faster.  I have a dwarf paladin at level 2 which has a strength stat of 15. Given initiative and maximized dice rolls, this shadow creature could kill him in as little as three turns.  I thought "this is something I'll fight from a distance".

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Dungeons and Dragons' Monster Manual for 3.5 Edition" an A+

Click here for my next book review (for fun): No Game No Life volume 5

Click here for my previous book review (a request): Misaligned

I also reviewed another useful author aide, the Dungeon Master's Manual.

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

My first experience with D&D

Do you recall that blog post some time back when I mentioned finding a place to play Dungeons and Dragons? I realized I never said what happened. Here it is.

So I found this café that has a weekly D&D night. The full place fills up with players in their own campaigns. I started at what is basically "beginner hour", the hour before this happens. The Dungeon Masters were already there and hanging out, waiting for new players like me to drop by. One of them helped me create my creature.

I couldn't decide between a dwarf paladin or a gnome ranger so I asked the dice. It decided on the former. So I made a dwarf paladin, and specifically a Hill Dwarf paladin because it had better specs than the mountain one in regards to paladins. Then we got further into backstory and starting equipment. I decided on a War hammer as primary and a mace as a back up (I would come to regret not choosing the throwing spears). Then I choose metal working and leather working to be skills, because I wanted this dwarf to be able to maintain his equipment or make upgrades. This might have influenced my decision to chose Guild Artisan as his profession, which enabled me to choose a bonus language and some other stuff.
The DM I worked with talked up the fifth edition as one where the character's backstory contributed to game mechanics instead of just being fluff. He didn't ignore it entirely (referring to the skills as "what did dad do?" to justify my character having them) but I still noticed a distinction. For instance, there is the Character Traits and Flaws section which he seemed far less interested in than other aspects of character creation (specifically, I think he referred to them as being optional) but he was still helpful there. On a humorous note, we came to a part that he said was "the hardest part of all" and something that "the guide couldn't help me with", naming the character. I smiled because I already decided on Kagen Holystone.

It turned out to be a VERY full night. For a while, I was afraid I wouldn't get to play at all. See, there is a sign-up page on the cafe's website and they had little room for walk-ins like me. Ultimately, the DM that helped me with character creation got a table and pulled together four other players. One was a new player like me, a third was more experienced as was the fourth,  and I think the fifth might have been another DM.

We played what I think was a pre-built scenario. It involved goblins raiding a country farm. The DM set the stage and I was ready for roleplaying but there wasn't much there. I had to ask for clarification that all our characters had already met and were traveling together. He skipped over that so I only got one person's character name, and none of the player's names. I remember them by their classes: another paladin, two rangers, and a bard.

On the other hand, there was still a fun moment where the party stopped by the farm in question and heal those who were injured.  My character, Kagen, and a ranger did medicine rolls on two of the family members and I used Lay On Hands to make sure the second would survive.

Then we went into the forest. At the entrance, the other paladin did this "come out evil spirits!" challenge from his horse, which was cool. Then we ventured inside. One of the rangers had a favored territory of "forest" which meant he couldn't get lost. The DM was really mad/frustrated about this because it was an obstacle that was auto-removed, and thus unavailable.

At the first encounter I showed my noob-ness. We found goblins on the other side of a river. I ran across the bridge shouting "DIE GOBLINS!" It took all of my movement to get to them so I couldn't attack that turn. The others kept their distance with ranged attacks, and even the other new player made good use of Faerie Light to aid the others. I, on the other hand, got knocked out on a critical hit. Fortunately, our bard healed me before I died. The battle ended in our favor and we continued.

The next encounter was at an old campsite. We were attacked by plant creatures over night. I double-teamed with the DM ranger to hack one of them up ("You've got firewood" as the DM said). We rested the night and arrived at the final location in the morning.

It was more goblins and a hobgoblins. This was the climax and it was fun. There was an added element of danger in the poison the hobgoblin was cooking up because he would throw it at us. The DM ranger got poisoned immediately but I/Kagen used Lay On Hands to cure him just as quickly. The other paladin moved to attack, the bard used music magic to make some of the goblins flee and the ranger used more Faerie Light.

Learning from my previous mistake, I advanced cautiously. I moved only half the distance instead of all of it and ended my turn in a defense posture (the technical word is "dodge). This granted me Advantage against all attacks until my next turn. Caution rewarded me by seeing me through unscathed.
Oh yeah, I forget to mention that these goblins exploded when killed. Part of this scenario was the hobgoblin experimenting on the other goblins with the poison and it made them explode, which required a dexterity saving throw to avoid damage. I don't recall any of us dying from it; even Kagen made a saving throw. I was surprised because he is a dwarf, in mail, with dexterity as a dump stat.

The Café was closing soon so the DM had to cut the game short. By this time we had killed or routed all of the goblins (I killed the one that was hasted) and we were still in good shape so defeating the hobgoblin was likely. He skipped forward to the reward phase.

There were potions of healing and a magic item that granted a bonus on saving throws. We rolled for that and I think the other new player got it. I was given a potion of healing because I used one recovering from my initial stupidity. Kagen also levelled up, which means he can use 1st level spells in his next campaign.

I left the café at 10:00 PM or so. Because of "beginner hour", I was there all afternoon and evening. I wasn't expecting to be as noisy as it was. I had trouble hearing what the DM was saying at times. Regardless, I had fun.


Brian Wilkerson is a freelance book reviewer, writing advice blogger and independent novelist. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

Read for fun: The Sword and the Mind

I picked this book up some time ago out of curiosity. It is about techniques and philosophy from the Shinkage school of swordsmanship. This book itself was translated by Hiroaki Sato; the original was
written by Yagyu Munenori in the 17th century.

It has three basic categories:
1. Historical context and introduction written by Hiroaki Sato (along with translation footnotes).
2. A list of techniques with instructions and illustrations created by the historical swordsmen.
3. Philosophy, school principles, mental techniques anecdotes to illustrate a point etc. also created by the historical swordsmen.

It's interesting stuff.

I enjoyed reading the historical context because I like reading about history, and having such context for the latter two categories is indeed helpful for understanding them.

The list of techniques and their illustrations are, obviously, most useful for those who will learn and practice them. Even then, this is not something that can teach swordsmanship on its own. Indeed, Yagyu Munenori frequently mentions how difficult it is just to describe the techniques, and also writes that something will "be transmitted verbally" because a teacher is necessary. Even then, the techniques themselves are only the first stage. Once the student has achieved the proper mindset through training with them, he no longer has any use for them.

The meat of the matter, from my perspective at least, is the third category, the philosophy behind the techniques that was crafted by the men in their historical context.

A summary would be misleading and insufficient but, in a nutshell, it advocates an empty mind. This does not one that is lacking anything but rather one that is not cluttered. A mind that is free to move around and indeed, does move around. This is the Zen influence, which both the author and the translator make note of.
It is frequently stated how important it is that a mind not "tarry" or become fixated on any given thing, including a desire not to be fixated. Interestingly, Yagyu Munenori states that Confucians are stuck at the beginner level because of their fixation on "kei", which Hiroaki Sato translates as "respect" or "reverence".

I enjoyed reading this and I found it useful but it is too far outside my usual grading rubric for a proper grade

Trickster Eric Novels gives " The Sword & the Mind: The Classic Japanese Treatise on Swordsmanship and Tactics" a +

Click here for my next book review ( a request): Misaligned

Click here for my previous book review (a request): The Tribute
 
Brian Wilkerson is a freelance book reviewer, writing advice blogger and independent novelist. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
 

Read for fun: D&D Dungeon Master's Manual

I finished reading the Dungeon's Master Manual for D&D e3.5 recently. In addition for its stated purpose, the game itself, I find it is also tremendously helpful in for novel writing as well. For me, at least, it does double duty as one of those how-to-write books. It is particularly useful because D&D is the root of my favored genre.

It has extended lessons and quick tips for writing plots and handling multiple characters. It has numerous plot prompts and story hooks, as well as means for investing both characters and players (or in my case, readers) into the adventure. It covers both long-term arc plotting as well as improvisation. There's lots of help for quickly creating NPCs. It even has rules for things like daily weather, which I tend to forget to include. These rules inspired me to create my own system so that I remember to include these little, background, things. This alone does wonders for setting and scene.

Just the initial distinction of adventure is a big help. There is the "kick in the door" style of starting at the dungeon and fighting everything inside, or the more ease-into-adventure that has more role-playing and narrative. That is the primary distinction between Journey To Chaos and my next flagship series, currently untitled.

Journey To Chaos starts with Eric and establishes his character, his conflict, etc. before there is any action. My next protagonist will be introduced beating the shit out of enemies. Currently, (first draft material) she will quickly find a story hook and go straight into the unknown world for adventure and plunder.

If I ever started DMing, I feel like this book will give me all the necessary tools.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Dungeons and Dragons: Dungeon Master's Manual E3.5" an A+

Click here for my next book review The Medieval Siege

Click here for my previous book review (also for fun): Sword Art Online Volume 10

I have now read and reviewed the Monster Manual for this edition

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

Don't let your Brain get in the Way of your Mind

What writer doesn't want to write more efficiently? This is not about the part of actually writing but getting into the general state of being that enables efficient writing. It is similar to my old posts on inspiration but is geared more towards the physical state of the writer than their mental state. I'm talking about non-caffeine methods of gaining the energy, stamina and clarity of mind necessary for writing.

1. Water

Staying hydrated is a big help. Just plain and simple tap water can do the trick. It helps with fatigue and clears away fog. I think it has to do with blood flow. A well hydrated body keeps the blood moving smoothly instead of like syrup and so oxygen is better delivered to the brain which invigorates the mind.

2. High Energy Music

I use music that is fast and energetic. It is stimulation for my mind. I believe others call this "epic music". I find that high energy music can push through fatigue. It can clear blocks when I am "not feeling it". A few certain songs can also aid focus by acting as white noise and/or creating a rhyme.

3. Food

As Sora from No Game No Life said, "The brain can function as long as it has glucose".
Mixed nuts and granola are my writing snack of choice. Whole grains are good for sustained energy. I think it's the combination B-vitamins and fiber that helps produce energy and stabilize blood sugar. Nuts are for protein, oils and stuff. Sugar is also good but in limited amounts to avoid a crash. Dark chocolate with only a little bit of sugar has worked the best for me in that case. For this to work you don't want "snicker bar level" sugar (20 or so grams per bar) but more like "Honey Nut Cheerios level" sugar (9 grams per 3/4 cup) and preferably less. This is not endorsement or warning of either product but more of an example. What you want is just enough to get that zing benefit.

4. Stand-up desk (specifically how I created my own)

Standing up is great. I get drowsy if I sit too long. Seriously, ten or twenty minutes of it makes me yawn. I find that standing up enables more fluid movement while I write which then aids my thought process. You don't have to buy anything for this. I didn't. The stuff I found on the market was either too expensive or had some flaw like the keyboard tray bounces or the structure as a whole was unstable. So instead, I took a cheap plastic trash bin that I had on hand, flipped it upside down and placed it on top of my desk. If I want to adjust the height, then I use a couple big and thick books. For the mouse, I have a cardboard box that is placed next to the trash bin. This set up is sturdy, stable, and easy to remove if I want to sit down for some reason.

5. Activity (martial arts personally)

This is similar to the stand-up desk. Motion is great for writing. It helps the blood flow, increases respiration, gets some internal chemicals moving and all of which helps with sending more oxygen to the brain. I do techniques for a couple minutes and I am refreshed.

6. Deep Breaths
From the diagram! Both during activity and writing itself, breathing deeply increases that all important blood flow. From the diagraph to get the deepest breath until you can't suck in anymore.

When following this advice, one needs to keep them in mind holistically. The stand-up desk and activity can be tiring without enough snacks and water, and no amount of high energy music is going to work if the user is sitting all day. The goal is to achieve a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" effect.

Those are my methods. What do you use to get into a writing mood?


Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Get to the Dungeon!

These days I'm writing the fourth book of the Journey to Chaos series, currently untitled. It's the ninth chapter and I was at a rut. Things were moving slowly. It was difficult to move the story forward. Part of this was a simple lack of framework for the arc to come but something else was in play; something more fundamental. My characters were not in a dungeon.

In the terminology of an RPG, a "dungeon" is any enclosed area where there are monsters, traps, treasure chests etc. that adventures pass through for the sake of the plot. A dungeon can be a forest, a cave, a literal dungeon of prisoners within a castle, the ruins of a town, etc. I'm not sure if a plain that one passes through on their way to something else would count as a dungeon, in the same way or otherwise, but the point is that a dungeon is where the action happens. That is where the fights occur, and the plot develops. A hero could, for instance, receive a mission from the king in a town and then go out to accomplish this mission in a dangerous locale. The town is only good for buying supplies/equipment, resting at the Trauma Inn, and talking with NPCS.

The early video RPG were entirely dungeons. I remember playing the original Zelda game and it plopped Link straight into the first dungeon without fanfare. I didn't play it far but I don't recall any towns or such. The second game had only minor, one-screen, towns where you couldn't do much. The dungeons were where stuff happens. That is where the hero fought mooks, engaged with villains, and pushed the plot of he game forward by pursuing the objectives of his mission.

FFXIII was entirely dungeon. It was a pretty neat trick, how the developers kept the characters (and thus the players) in dungeons throughout the entire game despite the fact that all of Cocoon was inhabited, settled or otherwise used by humans. There were nature preserves, mechanical grave yards, military installations, and when a character reached some honest-to-goodness town, some soldiers would show up and drive the NPCs away, and then it would become one more dungeon. The usual function of a town is fulfilled by the save sphere, which in this game is a high tech communication device for purchasing all sorts of stuff. Personally, I liked this idea. The plot never slowed down. In fact, I would find myself playing late into the night because I was driven by the energy of the plot.


I also remember playing the Dot Hack games and stuff always happened in dungeons. Specifically it was the bottom level of the dungeon. Even with its simulation of a MMORPG, events with "other
players" would occur inside a dungeon and at their bottom level. This was to ensure battles, treasure finding, the plunging of a new area and the development of characters. The town hubs were only good for finding equipment, party members, and quests to undertake within dungeons.

I struggled for days with the pace and direction of the ninth chapter of Journey to Chaos book 4 before I had this realization. So, without further ado, I placed them into a dungeon. Initially they were traveling to a peaceful town but that would lead to more talking. I realized that would be boring info dump and plot coupon-ish. So I altered the setting to make it dangerous. The details are naturally spoilers but in doing so the spoilers accelerate the rate at which I could move to the spoilers and introduce spoilers. This move suited the purpose of the plot but now it was easier to write and keep exciting. That change than accelerated my own discovery of the plot and this particular arc and its characters.

I'll have to keep this in mind for the next arc. It's of a different nature than the one I'm working on right now but if I keep this "get to the dungeon" thing in mind I believe that I will have a framework with which to progress.

Answering Review Request: Spirit Tales One - The Wheelwork

Rabbi Joseph asked me to review his book "Spirit Tales One: The Wheelwork". It's a girl with life problems having a divine experience which empowers her to overcome the problems. I will examine Plot, Characters and Polish and then assign a grade.

PLOT

There's a frame narrative of a grandmother telling "Spirit Tales" to her grandchildren. She makes a distinction between this and a "fairy tale" and it is of great importance to the author. The way I see it, a "spirit tale" is about God Almighty and a "fairy tale" is about lesser supernatural creatures. Both of them are about moral instruction. What follows is basically a Jewish vision quest.

There's a neat itemization of teenage earthly problems: hanging out doing nothing, peer pressure, bullying, boy chasing, lack of interest in school, feeling empty and out of place, both parental neglect and also pressure into a given career path.

The supernatural experience that takes place in the meat of this story is well handled. It has the majesty and otherwordliness one would expect of such a realm. The advice is practical; not at all Space Whale Aesopish. It sounds like something someone could do in real life.

Ending is good. There's a conclusion of conflict with some food for thought.

CHARACTERS

This spirit tale, like it's fairy tale cousins, is a morality tale. Thus, you shouldn't expect the most diverse of characters. The protagonist is an Audience Surrogate and the bullies are cardboard cutouts but all three of them serve their purpose. The same can be said of The Protagonist's Angel Guide "Understanding". He serves as The Protagonist's guide to new understanding about herself and life.

POLISH

No spelling or grammar errors.

The hymns and verse and such are in three scripts, which is kinda cool.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Spirit Tales the Wheelwork" a B

Click here for the next review request: Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss: The Secret Of A Successful Natural Remedy For Faster Weight Loss (Apple Cider Vinegar For Beginners)

Click here for the previous book review (which was a request):  Spectras Arise 1: Contract of Defiance

Personal read: How To Practice - The Way to a Meaningful Life

First, backstory. When I was a teenager, I experimented spiritually. I was fortunate enough to go to a high school that both showed respect for all religions and also promoted Christian compassion. There was a class called "World Religions" that sampled major ones like Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. Because of that, I bought "How to Practice" when browsing a store. It was only a month or so ago that I finished reading it.

It's about the Dalai Lama lecturing about how to live a "meaningful life".  It's not about how to live a meaningful Buddhist life, but one that can be universal, which I found both refreshing and respectful. It's about developing compassion, understanding, and peace of mind, while toning down vices like greed and vanity.

It's broken in sections for different aspects of the "meaningful life" that the Dali Lama speaks of. These include morality, meditation, (Buddhist) wisdom and also something called "Tantra". As a practicing Christian, I found the first two to be quite helpful.

Indeed, the morality one is basically "love thy neighbor". For instance, there is one thought exercise that goes like this: imagine a reflection of yourself (specifically, your negative qualities like greed) to your right and a group of suffering people to your left. Acknowledge that both of these groups equally deserve to receive happiness and avoid pain, but the compassionate choice is to side with the group on the left.  I didn't read anything in this section that is incompatible with Christian morality.  I'll likely read it again in the future to better understand and retain it.

Most valuable is that it contains a solution to The Problem of Evil that I found appealing. The Dalai Lama said that, (paraphrasing), bad things happen to good people to give those people a chance to develop qualities like patience and compassion and essentially become better people. He, of course, was talking more along the lines of karma than God's will, but it can work for a Christian like me.

 The meditation one is pretty secular. It's written in such a way that I imagine even an atheist would benefit from it; there's no invoking Buddha or contemplating nirvana or anything supernatural like that. It's about developing a peaceful and focused state of mind that can block out distractions of life, be they big or small, and endure life's suffering and disappoint with grace, be they petty or tragic.

After this, the usefulness to non-Buddhists goes down significantly because it goes further into  Buddhist philosophy like "non-existence" and exercises like calling on the Buddha and the bodhisattvas to help one become a Buddha. That's something I can't use. He occasionally says things like "You can replace Gautama Buddha with Jesus the Christ" but at times I get the feeling that he forgets he's not writing for an exclusively Buddhist audience.

I like the style of the writing. It's friendly and humble; not at all preachy. At times, he even makes jokes.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "How To Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life" a B+


Click here for the next book review (which was not a request): 7th Moon
Click here for the previous book review (which was a request): Negative Thinking

Inspiration of the Protagonist in Genres

Previously, I've written about the dichotomy of the protagonist (Loser or Champion) and how they can be used for escapism (Pros and Cons).  This post is going to be more about fictional inspiration and what happens when a protagonist does not bring this sort of strength to bear in a story.

It all started with a review I received for A Mage's Power. It spoke of its reviewer's dislike of the protagonist and how much more interesting the secondary characters are in comparison.

My protagonist, Eric, was written to be an archetypal loser. When I started writing him I wanted him to have nothing going for him; no special excellence to set him apart. This was to be a self-imposed challenge because of a trend I saw in the anime I watched at the time. They all had  special protagonist powers: great strength of will, hidden talents/chosen one status, or a superpowered evil side. I wanted Eric to have nothing and work up to the level of hero without such privileges.

At the time I didn't know as much as I do now about protagonists in general and that medium in particular. I didn't know that I was writing something similar to a Harem Hero but without the harem. The usual case for that sort of protagonist is that they are indeed less interesting than the characters around them. 

Tiza is a tomboyish glory seeker, Aio is a high energy prankster, Basilard is a veteran mercenary and all around strong individual. Even Nolien is defined with his healing and shifts between gentlemanly and snobbish behavior. Looking back on it now, I see that if one that does not feel sympathy for Eric then they consider him inferior.

I believe this has to do with what a reader is looking for. In other words, what they want out of the protagonist. When it comes to fantasy/adventure, Tiza or Basilard are closer to traditional protagonists, instead of Eric, who goes with the flow. This review was lukewarm; praised the secondary characters but didn't like the primary one.

Readers want to cheer for the protagonist. There are exceptions to this but, in many cases, they want to cheer. It's like a race; the front runners are the cause of excitement and the spectators are rooting for them. Eric is somewhere in the back of the pack, where no one can see him. The goal of my self-imposed challenge was to develop him into someone that was cheer worthy by the end of the book, but then the book's over and there's nothing to cheer.

Fortunately, there's the second book. I can safely say that the Eric of "Looming Shadow" is not the archetypal loser of "A Mage's Power".

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Originality is a Myth

Now that I have your attention, I will qualify this post's title. "100 percent originality" is a myth. No one can be one hundred percent original regardless of their medium because so many people have come before you. "Standing on the shoulders of giants" as the saying goes. To find these giants, I will use an idea common to the culture of Ancient Rome.

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, there was little in the way of literary innovation or experimentation. This was because everyone though it was pointless.  No one believed they could do epics better than Homer so no one tried. The idea was to meet that level through imitation.
Personally, I think this idea is absurd. I understand it but I believe it is defeatist and ultimately self-fulfilling. While I don't think I will surpass the talents of my favorite authors (not any time soon at any rate) it is a goal that drives me to improve. Nevertheless, I find writing is more fun when I add myself onto the chain they created rather than trying to make myself different for the sake of being different.

When I was in college, there was a random encounter with another student and for some reason I talked about my desire to write a fantasy novel. This student asked me what made mine "different from all the others" and I gave my response but I don't feel he believed me. Looking back, I wonder why he thought originality was the most important question to ask.  Trying too hard to be different is a novice mistake.  (To read about this idea in more detail, click here)

Tvtropes will illustrate my point.

TvTropes lists the conventions of storytelling and all the many works that have used them, from today all the way back to the oldest works we know of such as The Iliad, Epic of Gilgamesh, etc. As a result of this, the Troper Hive Mind has produced "just for fun" pages that deal with originality: The Tropeless Tale and The Zeroth Law of Trope Examples.

The Tropeless Tale is a thought experiment concerning a hypothetical author that tried to write a story without using tropes. He couldn't write a character on any point of the hero-villain spectrum and his plot couldn't be anywhere on the scale of Comedy-Tragedy; in fact, he couldn't write about characters or plot at all. He couldn't even write about formless nothing because there are tropes for that. In the end he decided that the challenge was impossible because even if he succeeded and wrote a story without tropes, the story would only create new tropes which means he would retroactively fail.

The Zeroth Law of Trope Examples is also known as  "Shakespeare Did It First". The Bard wrote many plays and sonnets and other literary works and within them one can find any number of tropes. There's Lampshade Hanging, Villain Protagonist, and even a "Your Mom" joke. To further drive the point home, Shakespeare himself was not wholly original because he adapted much older stories or historical events.

Originality is a myth and this is a good thing. There's no need to excessively worry about originality; write the story you want to write. Of course, you shouldn't plagiarize or infringe on someone's copyright but there's nothing wrong with seeking inspiration or doing a homage. The bottom line is that 100 percent originality, while something to strive for, is an Impossible Task.

For other posts about originality see Inspirational Monday-TvTropes, Originality and Tradition and   "Literary Innovation Is Not Always Good",
.

Inspiration Day: Author Independence

From now on I'm going to celebrate Inspirational Monday on the first day of the month (If not on the first then within the first week) because for the last several months I've missed it.  The first Monday could be the 7th and I would either go early or miss it entirely.  Thus, I will call it Inspiration Day.

When I thought about this it reminded me that I control every aspect of my writing. I have been an independent author for almost two years now.  It has been time consuming but I love the degree of freedom that comes with it. This Indie Freedom is my inspiration post for October.

1. Publishing

I have no deadlines but those that I set for myself. If I don't think the book is ready then I don't publish it. This way I can make it the best it can be. Naturally I'm not always correct on when that time comes (see the posts on beta reading and editing etc) but I choose who and how many opinions I seel and what I take away from them.

2. Pricing.

I control how much the book costs.  A publisher would not necessarily have my book's best interests in mind because they want to make a profit. If I want I can schedule days where the book is free and there's also a way to make it free every day in order to move more books at the expense of profit. It depends on my priorities. Since I'm more interested in getting my book into the hands of as many readers as possible, I chose a low cost; 99 cents.


3. Promotions

If I want to schedule a free day for this coming Friday, I can do that on my own initiative. If I want to buy a span of advertisements, then I can because it's my budget. Just the other day I decided to enter a contest (Reader's Favorite) and I'm considering a second (Wise Bear). I don't need anyone's approval because I am the Editor-in-Chief.

Pros and Cons of Escapism

Today's post relates to last week's post about the dichotomy of The Protagonist and deals more precisely on my views concerning escapism.  In a nutshell, my feelings are complicated.

Disclaimer: This my personal opinion. I mean no offense to anyone else's opinion.

On the one hand, it offends my sensibilities as a novelist. I don't like the idea that my novels (or the novels of others) are used as a disposable hiding place. It gives me a feeling of 'tissue paper' or, worse, 'toliet paper'; covered with crunge to provide temporary relief. This practice equates the novel to a feel-good drug that ultimately does nothing but harm to the user.

On the other hand, I DO like the idea that my novels (or the novels of others) could provide such relief to someone in need of it.  Life can be very hard and a disposable hiding place could make it tolerable. This practice equates the novel to cough syrup, something which dampens pain while the user works to overcome the source of the pain.

Originally, only the first paragraph described my feelings about escapism. When I was younger my perception of the world was much narrower, and so my feelings on most subjects in real life were informed by what I saw in real life (other people like me) and online (varied).  When I thought of escapism I thought of people whose only problems were boredom and laziness. I figured they played games, read stories, etc. in which they could insert themselves to relieve this boredom. I thought of Audience Surrogates who were fawned over by many beautiful girls (because the audience was too shy to talk to any in real life) or defeated demons (because they couldn't handle 'demons' in real life) and other wish fulfillment that shadowed what they wanted in real life, but were unwilling to seek in real life. They just wanted those things handed to them through a vicarious puppet; no challenge, no action, and no chance to fail, just easy fulfillment. 

This idea stayed with me when I decided to become a novelist, and the thought of pandering to this sort of audience to make a living made me ill.  Then I found the following quote on Tvtropes. Believe it or not, it was on the trope page for In-universe escapism, that is, escapism for the characters in the story.

Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?

— J. R. R. Tolkien, "On Fairy Stories" lecture, 1939

I didn't bother arguing with this point because I couldn't think of a valid point to argue. If I was imprisoned without hope of release or escape then I would certainly want to immerse myself in a more pleasant environment, even if it was imaginary. My problem with escapism comes from those that are not imprisoned or facing similarly harsh circumstances. The reason for this is summed up in this line from "The Oatmeal" website. I found it on the Tvtropes page for Escapist Character.

"By creating this "empty shell," the character becomes less of a person and more of something a female reader can put on and wear."
-The Oatmeal, 'How Twilight Works'

I don't want to write stuff like that and so Eric Watley is not a pair of pants for the reader to wear. I think I offended a few people who started reading "A Mage's Power" with this idea in mind. They're introduced to Tasio the Trickster at the start of the book, who speaks to the reader. Then they are introduced to Eric. Tasio laughs at Eric and tells the reader how pathetic Eric is. If a reader was identifying with Eric, expecting him to be their surrogate in the fictional world, then they might get the idea that Tasio was mocking them, i.e. that I, the author, was mocking them. That is totally not what I was trying to do in the first chapter of "A Mage's Power". 

My goal for the book was for Eric to better himself and become a stronger person without leaning on magic or a flock of beautiful admirers. It was a self-imposed challenge.  I had never heard the word "isekai" when I conceived this book. My influences at the time were General Shonen Anime, not Japanese light novels, so Eric was supposed to be the opposite of that. However, if someone were to follow Eric's journey and benefit in the same way then I would be thrilled. 

If the world that the reader escapes to is one that empowers them when they leave, then I see nothing wrong with escapism. If the world that the reader escapes to is devoid of the trauma that otherwise plagues them, I see nothing wrong with escapism. If the world that the reader escapes to entertains them in their leisure hours, then I see nothing wrong with escapism. It is when escaping to the fictional world becomes a means of avoiding problems that the reader can, and really should, take care of, that escapism becomes a problem. 

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.