A Kick in the…

Work goes on with The Tale of the Drakanox. I’m in a tangled spot right now because a bunch of the characters from the previous novellas are all together in one place after 40,000 words or so. They all need to catch the others up on what went on in those said novellas.

Zathi and the Badgers are explaining how Keilos died and that they know where a massive store of vitalis is hidden away deep in the Hornwood (The Tower in the Mist). Tisha and Cylass are telling how she broke the curse over Seofan Holl (Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts). Alemin is about to go over his bond with the broken tower of the Larder, and how he knows the ancient tales of the Shining Ones are all true (Prisoners of the Wailing Tower).

It’s a lot! And it’s a challenge to keep this section interesting, when basically they’re all just sitting and talking. I need to throw something else in, maybe a suspicion that someone is listening in on them. Something to keep it lively, but without dragging it out even longer.

At the same time, I’m reading a book that’s reminding me why I made some of the choices I did when I planned out the whole Minstrels of Skaythe series. No names and titles here, I don’t believe in trashing other authors’ work. Let’s just say that sexual violence is all over the place, in a book that’s supposed to be a rebuke to misogyny. I guess they felt like that’s how to illustrate the problem.

Or they thought that’s what the audience would want to read, which… really? Mass rape is gross. That’s a big no-thank-you from me. Some of you might recall that I gender-swapped the whole cast of The Tower in the Mist, specifically to avoid sexual violence. Reading this book is a good reminder of why I did that.

There’s also a lot of fat-shaming directed at male characters. The villains, especially, are grossly fat, while the heroes are trim and handsome. This is such a stale approach, and it made those characters fall flat for me.

Finally, the plot should never hinge upon characters doing things that are foolish and/or will blow their secrets wide open, while proclaiming “I have no choice!”

All of which is to say, it’s kind of kicking me into gear to keep on with The Tale of the Drakanox!

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