Cathy Kelley Will Rizz 'em with the 'tism

 

Thank You, Deb Krishnadasan, for Kicking Michelle Caldier's Ass on Election Day, Yours Truly, Garrison the Autistic Schizophrenic

 

Paige Layle from TikTok vs. Adam Carolla from The Man Show: Dodging Accountability Like Alimony Payments

 

Anette Olzon vs. Garrison's Autism

 

I didn't actually go to a Q&A hosted by Anette Olzon, but I do rack up a lot of chuckles by refusing to speak.

Creative Crossroads

So…today marks the one year anniversary of when I got my critiques for the third draft of my fantasy novel Beautiful Monster. Ever since then, the quest to rebuild it from the ground up has gone…slowly. I’ve written back stories for Honey Valley (the main setting) and the Magetan religion (part of the elven culture). I’ve also created character sheets for anybody with a first and last name so that I can keep their extreme tendencies in check. I’ve taken several trips to Google Land so that I can learn more about the psychological aspects of my story. But as far as editing and rewriting the actual novel goes, that shit hasn’t happened yet. I’m taking plotting instead of pantsing more seriously this time around and I don’t want to fuck up on an apocalyptic scale like I did last time.

But here’s where my creative crossroads come into play. You see, the reason progress has been so slow on Beautiful Monster is because of all the mental exhaustion I’ve been experiencing throughout the year, which I owe to autism burnout, schizophrenic avolition, and the world being a general cluster-fuck of tiring news. Any little bursts of energy I do have are spent on other projects such as book and movie reviews, poetry, shorts, etc. I wear a lot of hats as a writer, but I only have one head. The creative process would be much easier if I was a hydra or a hellhound.

Beautiful Monster is a long-term project that will extend beyond draft number four. The last time I published something tangible on paper was in 2020, when I submitted Emilio & Marigold to the Hollow Hills anthology Raining Cats & Dogs. The last time I published something on my own was in 2018 and that was my third poetry collection Lunatic Justice. I’m not saying I’m in a rush to continue my legacy of publishing, but if Beautiful Monster isn’t going to see the light of day for a long time, it’d be nice to have something to tide me over until then.

I have a backlog of short stories and poems that could easily fit into another collection. I have 78 fantasy shorts, 69 nonfiction shorts, 83 contemporary shorts, and 252 poems that are just sitting in my folder doing nothing. Shorts and poems are less time-consuming to edit and rewrite since there’s less to keep track of than a full-length novel. But I also realize that some of these shorts and poems have aged poorly throughout the years and shouldn’t go into any collection whatsoever. Hell, Keith Richards drinking a jug of expired milk has aged more gracefully than some of my creative writing pieces. 

The best thing to do about this backlog is to hire beta readers to look them over and see which pieces will make the cut and which ones won’t. I’m also keeping my ears open to any suggestions on how the ones that have aged badly can become the best versions of themselves they can be. Don’t kill a bad story; fix it. But as I look at the prices of some of these services, I’m wondering how much it would cost to do fifty micro-stories or a hundred poems in succession, which is how these collections are going to be packaged. Would I be charged per poem or story? If so, how much would fifty or a hundred of them cost if there’s a minimum price? And now I feel like I’m a contestant on the Price Is Right. I better not overbid or else those sad horns will blast in my ears.

Here’s what I need advice on. Should I reduce the number of hats I wear as a writer and focus specifically on Beautiful Monster or should I take a minor detour and put out another collection just to keep my workload from becoming monotonous? Ultimately, it is my decision on what I want to do, but it’d be nice to hear other opinions as well. What do you guys think?

Vera Echo

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THE BASICS

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Name: Vera Echo

Nickname: Doctor Feelgood

Gender: Cisgender Female

Age: 45

Birth Date: 455 AM

Birth Place: The Xavier Village

Currently Living In: The Xavier Village

Species: Elf

Ethnicity / Race: Elf

Citizenship: The Xavier Village

Religion / Beliefs: Magetan Leftist

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FAMILY

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Father: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Relationship: Went missing after birth

Mother: Marian Echo

Age: Dead

Relationship: Smothering

Pet(s): Lovely (cat)

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PHYSICAL FEATURES:

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Height: 5’10”

Weight: 110 lbs.

Frame / Build: Slender

Hair length: Shoulder

Hair color: Black

Eye shape: Narrow

Eye color: Purple

Complexion: Light Green

Face size: Narrow

Voice type: Gentle

Foot size: Women’s 10

Tattoo(s): Angels on her right leg

Scar(s): Knee injury

Other notable accessories: Security teddy bear

Any other identifying mark(s): 

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SOCIO / ECONOMIC / POLITICAL

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Political Affiliation: Leftwing

Economic Class: Moneyless society

Social Class: Healer

Occupation: Psychotherapist

Income: Moneyless society

Residence: Cabin on the outskirts of the village

Transportation: Feet

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INTERESTS

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Favorite Food(s): Carrots and ranch

Favorite Sport(s): Yoga

Favorite Book(s): Fantasy romances

Favorite Show(s): TV wasn’t invented yet

Favorite Music: Harp and violin

Favorite Color(s): Purple and green

Clothing Style / Preferences: Religious robes and Birkenstocks

Hobbies: Knitting, doll collecting, and reading

Role Model(s): Mageta and Llewellyn Xavier

Likes: Naps, peace and quiet, love stories

Dislikes: Ableism, racism, and animal abuse

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PERSONALITY

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Good Qualities / Trait(s): Sweet, loving, empathetic, and kind

Vices / Negative Trait(s): Hypersensitive to raucous stimuli, easily burned out and traumatized

Strengths: Compassion and good conversation

Weaknesses: Fearful, knee injury, and cries easily

Habits / Idiosyncrasies / Quirks: Tosses teddy bear and catches it, bounces feet

Phobia / Fears: Missing out on life due to not only her smothering relationship with her mother, but also the limitations of her autism

Select one personality type below that best describes your character:

Confidant (INFJ) – Intensely private and committed to their beliefs. Highly intuitive, emphatic and dedicated listeners. Quietly forceful and sensitive. The rarest personality type, especially with males. Focused on fantasy more than reality. Fears doing the wrong thing. Tend to work quietly behind the scenes and influence people than be leaders. Perservering, especially when it comes to doing the right thing. Very individualistic, rather than leading or following, but can work with groups to accomplish a goal.

Define your character’s personality based on the following aspects:

a. Physically: Easy to approach

b. Psychologically: Wise, caring, intelligent, and loving

c. Spiritually: Devoted follower of Mageta, but empathetic towards people who are not

d. Emotionally: Cracks under pressure, but doesn’t let it show

e. Socially: Universally loved by her village, but hunted by perverted city men

Others things to know:

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HISTORY

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1. Describe the character’s childhood. Vera lived a sheltered life due to her mother’s overprotective nature, which in turn was inspired by the disappearance of Vera’s father. Vera originally wanted to be a soldier and defied her mother to pursue training with Edward Xavier. She sustained a knee injury that put her out of action permanently. Vera had a falling out with her mother over the “I told you sos” she gave her. She pursued psychotherapy as a career to make sure nobody else was as lonely as she was.

2. Name the good incidents that have happened in the character’s life. How has this shaped her personality? Whenever she wasn’t being smothered, she sneaked out of the cabin to play with her friends and that’s where she got her social skills from.

3. Name bad experiences that have happened in the character’s life. How has this shaped his personality? Not much outside of the knee injury and mother’s helicopter parenting style. She had been sexually harassed by Morgan Town humans before and starts to question if her mother was right all along.

4. What is the character doing when first introduced? What are her goals at this point? She’s sitting in on a Magetan sermon conducted by Llewellyn, only for it to be interrupted by a potential patient, Bijou Birdwing. Vera wanted to sign her on as a client, but Bijou refused.

4a. Do these goals change at any point in the story? Can’t answer due to spoilers.

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STORY DEVELOPMENT:

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CHARACTER ARCHETYPE: (Put an X on all applicable boxes)

[] Addict (Conspicuous Consumer, Glutton, Workaholic–see also Gambler)

[X] Advocate (Attorney, Defender, Legislator, Lobbyist, Environmentalist)

[] Alchemist (Wizard, Magician, Scientist, Inventor–see also Visionary)

[] Angel (Fairy Godmother/Godfather)

[] Antagonist (Opposing View, not necessarily the Evil Bad — see also Villain)

[] Anti-Hero

[X] Artist (Artisan, Craftsperson, Sculptor, Weaver)

[] Athlete (Olympian)

[] Avenger (Avenging Angel, Savior, Messiah)

[] Beggar (Homeless person/ Indigent)

[] Bully (Coward)

[] Catalyst

[] Child (Orphan, Wounded, Magical/Innocent, Nature, Divine, Puer/Puella Eternis, or Eternal Boy/Girl)

[] Clown (Court Jester, Fool, Dummling)

[] Companion (Friend, Sidekick, Right Arm, Consort)

[] Damsel (Princess)

[] Destroyer (Attila, Mad Scientist, Serial Killer, Spoiler)

[] Detective (Spy, Double Agent, Sleuth, Snoop, Sherlock Holmes, Private Investigator, Profiler–see also Warrior/Crime Fighter)

[] Dilettante (Amateur)

[] Don Juan (Casanova, Gigolo, Seducer, Sex Addict)

[] Engineer (Architect, Builder, Schemer)

[] Exorcist (Shaman)

[] Father (Patriarch, Progenitor)

[] Femme Fatale (Black Widow, Flirt, Siren, Circe, Seductress, Enchantress)

[] Gambler

[] God (Adonis, see also Hero)

[] Gossip (see also Networker)

[] Guide (Guru, Sage, Crone, Wise Woman, Spiritual Master, Evangelist, Preacher)

[X] Healer (Wounded Healer, Intuitive Healer, Caregiver, Nurse, Therapist, Analyst, Counselor)

[] Hedonist (Bon Vivant, Chef, Gourmet, Gourmand, Sybarite–see also Mystic)

[] Hermit (see also Wise old Man)

[] Hero/Heroine (see also Knight, Warrior)

[] Judge (Critic, Examiner, Mediator, Arbitrator)

[] King (Emperor, Ruler, Leader, Chief — see also Politician)

[] Knight in Shining Armor

[] Liberator

[] Lover

[] Martyr

[X] Mediator (Ambassador, Diplomat, Go-Between)

[X] Mentor (Master, Counselor, Tutor)

[] Messiah (Redeemer, Savior)

[] Midas/Miser

[] Monk/Nun (Celibate)

[] Mother (Matriarch, Mother Nature)

[] Mystic (Renunciate, Anchorite, Hermit)

[] Networker (Messenger, Herald, Courier, Journalist, Communicator)

[] Pioneer (Explorer, Settler, Pilgrim, Innovator)

[] Poet

[] Politician (see also King)

[] Priest (Priestess, Minister, Rabbi, Evangelist)

[] Prince

[] Prostitute

[] Queen (Empress)

[] Rebel (Anarchist, Revolutionary, Political Protester, Nonconformist, Pirate)

[] Rescuer

[] Saboteur

[] Samaritan

[] Scribe (Copyist, Secretary, Accountant–see also Journalist)

[] Seeker (Wanderer, Vagabond, Nomad)

[] Servant (Indentured Servant)

[] Shape-shifter (Spell-caster–see also Trickster)

[] Slave

[] Spectre (Ghost / Apparition with Unresolved issues)

[] Storyteller (Minstrel, Narrator)

[] Student / Scholar (Disciple, Devotee, Follower, Apprentice)

[X] Teacher (Instructor, see also Mentor)

[] Thief (Swindler, Con Artist, Pickpocket, Burglar, Robin Hood)

[] Threshold Guardian

[] Trickster (Puck, Provocateur)

[] Turncoat

[] Vampire

[] Victim

[] Villain / Shadow (Big Bad of the story; see also Antagonist)

[] Virgin (see also Celibate)

[] Visionary (Dreamer, Prophet, Seer–see also Guide, Alchemist)

[] Warrior (Soldier, Crime Fighter, Amazon, Mercenary, Soldier of Fortune, Gunslinger, Samurai)

[] Wise old Man (see also Hermit)

1. What are the motivations for the character’s actions? Not wanting anybody to be as lonely as she was growing up.

2. What are the character’s goals / ambition / dreams? To heal as many minds as possible without being vicariously traumatized herself due to her work.

3. What external conflicts would you wish for the character to overcome? Trying to survive attacks on the elven race.

3a. What are the obstacles in the character’s path that might make this difficult? Knee injury, inability to fight, and inability to process war stimuli

4. What inner conflicts would you wish for the character to overcome? To heal her own trauma with her Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques.

4a. What are the obstacles in the character’s path that might make this difficult? She doesn’t do it often enough because she’s frustrated by the slowness of her healing process.

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AUTHOR’S NOTES / MISCELLANY

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Character theme song: “Life” by Gene Kauer

Celebrity / IRL lookalike: Miyam Bialik