Jay Cantrell: Blog

As some of you know, I rarely go back and fix errors in things already posted.

I believe in Out of Sight, Out of Mind. And most would agree that I'm out of my mind at even the best of times. The best of times for many people is when I'm out of sight.

My friend Pixel The Cat obviously needs to find more to do. He graciously has re-edited (or in many cases edited for the first time) some of my older works.

I am planning to repost the older stuff as time permits.

Because of a post in the Forum about a lost story, I will start with The Outsider.

I'll be honest and admit that I haven't really looked at the changes he's made. The level of trust I have in Pixel (and in BlackIrish before him) and in the proofer Zom means I don't have to re-read something I've read 50 times before sending it to them.

So I will post it as he's sent it to me.

Over the next few months, I'll gradually get to the rest of them (I hope).

So, if you open one of my older stories and think, "That is a lot better than I remember it being," you can thank Pixel.

I didn't want to leave the readers dangling too far out after Monday's cliffhanger.

So I offer a bonus chapter to get us through until Friday.

Yeah, maybe allowing comments in Learning Curves wasn't the brightest of ideas.

I took a moment to peruse them yesterday and could only shake my head a few times.

The main issue in many of the comments is about how immature the main characters are behaving.

Uh, newsflash, folks, the characters are teenagers, fresh off their first year in college.

I know very little for certain but I know teenagers.

Since September 2002, except for a couple of months in 2009, I've been responsible for the care, feeding and nurturing of one of the universe's most enigmatic creatures - the American teenager.

I know teenagers.

The oldest of those who consider themselves my children is 27. The youngest is still six weeks from his 13th birthday (which means I have one more shot to get it right). The two in the middle are almost 19 and just past 16.

I know teenagers.

The oldest two are girls; the youngest two are boys.

I know teenagers.

Over the past 15 years, I've had perhaps a thousand teenagers in my home for varying amounts of time. This doesn't include the college students who came to visit my wife, a professor, and with whom I had little to no interaction (for which I am thankful).

(Say it with me now!) I know teenagers.

The American teenager comes in many varieties - prim and slovenly; hostile and loving; funny and brooding; mean and sweet. Sadly, these traits are not only spread out among the species; all these characteristics are found in every single specimen!

I have watched best friends become mortal enemies for the silliest of reasons - and then return to best friends before the week was through.

I've seen them spend a year preening and posturing to gain the attention of a specific member of the opposite sex - only to lose interest the moment interest is shown.

I've witnessed them scrimping and saving for six months to purchase a ridiculously expensive article of clothing only to cut the sleeves off of it and wear it for yard week three months later because it was no longer in vogue.

I've seen hormones override better judgment (and common sense) more times than I can count on all of our hands.

I've seen amazing acts of generosity and maturity followed up 20 minutes later by something incredibly selfish and hurtful.

And I've watched in amazement as these creatures grow and learn how to be productive, thoughtful, caring human beings.

Have I highlighted the character flaws in Learning Curves? Yep. It makes the eventual growth more evident.

Have I downplayed the endearing qualities I try to add the characters I create? You betcha. Hinting at the good in the characters gives a glimpse into the qualities while still permitting (admittedly manufactured) intrigue.

Are the characters acting like spoiled, self-centered brats? For certain. It's because they are. They're kids, making their way in the world for the first time.

Is there a reason I've done things this way? Probably not. It's very likely because I've found most teenagers to be extremely egocentric. It's not a character flaw. It's just a part of growing up. They believe the world revolves around their wants and needs.

But we're about a third of the way through this section of the story, with probably 150 more chapters remaining in the total series (which will be split into two books).

I've noted before that I've found teenagers to be mercurial. I've also noted that I have no idea most of the time of what is actually going on in a teenager's brain. I do know that teenagers aren't exactly known for thinking through their decisions before jumping into action.

But I also know that teenagers eventually mature into adults - some sooner; some later. They learn from their successes and from their failures. At some point (for bad or good), they tend to emulate adults they respect (or the adults they're nearest to even if the respect is lacking).

Phil, Hailey and the gang will grow. Each trial they face is a new opportunity to learn one of life's important lessons. And some lessons come easier than others.

Over the past 15 years, I've watched those trials come in my own family and with my children's friends. I've had a ring-side seat for first loves and lost loves, for important decisions and errors in calculations, for first school dances and high school graduations. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly from the group of kids that have spent a good portion of their formative years in and around my home.

Sadly, there is a lot more bad and ugly about being a teenager today than there is good. There is a lack of personal freedom (and thus less chance to learn personal responsibility) because parents fear for a child's safety or because society has insisted on keeping young adults as infants as long as possible.

There is a lack of privacy because social media is so pervasive in today's society. There is a lack of role models both inside the home and outside the home so kids grow up looking elsewhere for guidance about appropriate actions and behaviors.

I was permitted to make many of my glaring mistakes in private when I was a teenager 30 years ago. I was given time to reflect on what led to the mistake and what I could do to change the outcome next time (if anything).

My errors weren't immediately cataloged and critiqued by friends and acquaintances that got to view them live on somebody else's Twitter feed, nor were they publicized by anonymous people on Facebook or YouTube.

I'm not sure I could have survived being a teenager if the whole world (or even my small section of the world) got to know every time I fell on my face.

But teenagers are resilient. With the proper support system in place, they can bounce back from pitfalls of growing up. I've seen it firsthand.

Will they learn the first time they make a mistake? Rarely. The same can be said for people in their 40s though (and I am living proof of that).

I try to create a sense of reality in the characters I manufacture. And, I think I've done a decent job of portraying these characters acting their age.

After all, I know teenagers.

Jay C.

I was multi-tasking when I posted the story and erroneously marked that the story was completed.

It is not.

Lazeez noticed immediately but I didn't get back to him until a minute or two ago.

I'm looking through the site to see how to fix my mistake.

Sorry,
Jay C.

As my way of thanking all the kind readers for the recent awards, I offer a bonus bonus chapter.

I have another planned for later in the month but this one stands on its own pretty well, too.

Thanks again for all your support over the years.