Insight of the day

So its easier to write about kids because I was actually a kid once, but I haven't ever actually been an adult.  At any rate, my poor characters frequently end up in messed up homes, etc, and they got problems, let me tell ya.  I don't think people generally realize how messed up kids can be.  Kids are messed up!  People think they'll grow out of it, but then, when they get to adulthood, they're just expected to be grown out of it.  Once you don't look cute anymore (if you ever did), no more leeway for you.

So, I figured that's probably how I'll express adults from now on, at least in fiction that's supposed to be contemporary.  Just old, broken kids.  I mean, we don't really have 'trials of manhood'.  You're supposed to go work in an office somewhere, what's that?  No warrior ethos?  How boring.  So I write my fantasy males (that sounds suggestive) obviously different than I write adult men in contemporary fiction.  Men in my fantasy stories (still sounds suggestive) are more manly.  In some ways they're much more balanced, excepting that they're all vicious, violent brutes...but they're happier, overall.  So that's my (somewhat depressing) insight of the day.

I still haven't figured out how to write women, though.  A weakness, I admit.  I guess I'll have to follow Jack Nicholson's lead from As Good as It Gets

So, yeah, mostly working on Secret in the Box, today, a brilliant story, if I say so myself.  I mostly can't plan a story out in advance.  I go almost completely by visualization.  I kinda have to do 'method writing'...anyway, so I mine my past a lot for ideas on how to mess up children's lives in my stories, which is great fun.  Not sure if its therapeutic or pointing to more signs of trouble.  Only time will tell!