aroslav: Blog

STICKS AND STONES may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

False.

In fact, words can be and are devastating. Want a different old adage?

The pen is mightier than the sword.

Plus one minus one equals zero. It’s like quoting the Bible. For every positive statement there is an equal and opposite negative statement. Still, we hide behind words as much to conceal our intents as to reveal them.

The worst part of that is usually the words are misused or at best misunderstood. For the most part, learning comes in layers. We are given simple rules as children with the expectation that as we mature and have more capacity for understanding, we will learn more complex linguistic uses that change the simple rules we’re given as children.

In English, nearly every child is taught the spelling rule, ‘i before e except after c.’ But by the time you’re in high school, you should have understood that the exception is when ‘eight foreign weightlifters deliver their counterfeit sleighs to Keith.’ By college, we learn there are more words in the dictionary that are an exception to the i before e rule than there are words that follow it.

Yet we continue to teach the rule to children as if it is the most basic commandment that will ever be pronounced and they should follow it forever. When someone makes a spelling error, we are all too happy to parade the rule out from second grade and chide them, even ridiculing their lack of education or poor spelling skills as a way to put that person down. I’ve seen it hundreds of times. People who got stuck in elementary school English and never advanced.

Let’s take another time-honored rule of the English language. ‘Never end a sentence with a preposition.’ Grade school writing instruction codified into a hard and fast rule that absolutely no one can keep from breaking. Perhaps you’ve heard of the conversation between the Southern Belle and the Yankee Princess:
“So, where y’all from?” asked the Belle
“Where I’m from, we don’t end a sentence with a preposition,” sniffed the Yank.
“So, where y’all from, bitch?” asked the Belle sweetly.

Well, it conformed to the ‘rule,’ right?

In reality, that was never a real rule of the English language. In the seventeenth century, ‘educated’ authors like John Dryden attempted to transfer Latin grammar rules to English. Latin does have a rule against prepositions at the end of a sentence. But in both spoken and written English, it is common to end sentences with a preposition.

A famous, possibly apocryphal, story of Churchill being upset by a young clerk’s editing of his speech declared, “That is something up with which I will not put.” Which fails on two counts. The falsity of the rule stated above, and the utter lack of understanding of complex forms of English. To “put up with” is not a preposition. It is a verbal phrase and is not considered a preposition at all!

But once again, we’ll trot the old rule out as a way to ridicule someone who may speak a different dialect or have a different level of education, even though they are using the language correctly.

The ‘rules’ when they exist are often meant to be broken for effect, especially in creative writing. When I released my Hero Lincoln Trilogy back in 2016, I received messages as soon as the third book appeared, explaining to me in elementary detail that the correct phrase was ‘going for the jugular’ which was a vein in the neck and I should correct the title immediately. I had to explain to each of the people who pointed this out that novelists often use what is called a ‘play on words.’ In this case, the target in the story was a circus performer and the villains were going for the juggler, a person who throws items into the air and catches them. Hence, Going for the Juggler.

And I confess that I nearly fell into the same trap when I read Lazlo Zalezac’s Thunderbolt and Lightening. But I restrained myself from the instant reflex to correct someone, and discovered late in the book that the title had a specific meaning to the main character and marked a change in his outlook on life.

Going for the Juggler is volume three in the Hero Lincoln Trilogy set in Lazlo Zalezac’s Damsel’s in Distress universe. It is available in eBooks at ZBookStore and in a single paperback at online retailers.

Most recently, I’ve been targeted for my use of they/them when referring to a non-binary person. I have been scolded repeatedly for using they/them as a singular and told the terms are exclusively plurals. I’m told in absolute terms that I can’t use a plural for a singular in the English language. If I must use a term other than he or she, the term should be ‘it.’

Of course, that is absurd. The pronoun ‘it’ is not used for a person of non-specific gender, but rather for an inanimate object. Furthermore, English speakers have historically used they/them/their as a singular when referring to a person of indeterminate gender. For centuries! Take, for example, the statement that might be heard over any school PA system. “Would the person who left their backpack in the hall come to the office to claim their property?”

But it is so much harder to accept that usage when we are looking at a person we have already determined doesn’t have a right to bear that usage. That’s what we are really saying when we try to cite this rule of the language. “You don’t have the right to exist as someone I can’t define.” We’ll go so far as to make it illegal for such people to exist in many states even though they have been known in hundreds of world cultures for millennia.

And need I remind you that we use a plural for a singular all the time? You. It makes no difference if I am speaking to an individual or a crowd. I say ‘you.’ And I always use the plural verb, ‘you are,’ even when I am speaking to an individual.

Get the fucking pole out of your ass and just refer to people the way they prefer! There is no ‘rule’ in English that forbids it.

I’ve scarcely scratched the surface of how we attack people using words and how that can be used to dehumanize people who don’t use words according to our rules.

I was instructed just the other day that my use of a phrase, ‘For a while,’ as a stand-alone sentence was incorrect and that I should make it a full sentence. People in conversation use phrases instead of complete sentences all the time. The cited instance was in dialogue. “I went to college. For a while.” It indicates a post-sentence qualifier in a conversation. Is it a full sentence? No. Does it matter? Only to a pedant who can’t stand to have people talk in a way that is outside their comfort zone.

Do not mistake me. My writing is far from perfect and I accept feedback and corrections gladly. I depend on my editors. I cite these instances as ways we disguise our true intent with the weaponizing of words. I object to corrections and rules only when they are used to assert dominance, denigrate others, and dehumanize people. At that point I am a crusader for the rights of all people everywhere.

This is number 144 in the blog series, “My Writing Life.” I encourage you to join my Patreon community to support my writing.

I’M DEVON LAYNE and I’m an addict. I admit it. I thought I could just try it a couple of times and see what the fuss was about. Then the opportunity came to just veg out and let my mind wander, so I tried it again. It wasn’t long before I was ‘using’ several times a day and I couldn’t stop!

I’m not talking about drugs or alcohol. This is far more insidious. It’s available twenty-four hours a day right in my own home. And it’s free! I’m talking about short dramas, the video reels that are in my Facebook feed, all over YouTube, on Instagram, and TikTok. And even though they are all essentially the same, there is something strangely captivating about them.

There was a time in my life—some fifty years ago—that I openly laughed at people who had to get home by 3:00 to watch As the World Turns or The Edge of Night or All My Children. Soap operas seemed to rule their lives. Miscellaneous fun fact, prior to As the World Turns in 1954, television serials were all just fifteen minutes long.

Now I understand.

Though today’s short dramas aren’t constrained by a broadcast television schedule, they are every bit as addicting.

So, what is this short drama I’m talking about?

Back in the olden days, if I could scrape together fifty cents to spend an afternoon at the movies, I didn’t get just a double feature of two-hour movies. They started with a cartoon, a newsreel, previews, and even an entertaining short subject—perhaps a Charlie Chaplin silent or another melodrama.

I don’t bring that up to emphasize the rising cost—$12-$18 for a crappy 80 minutes of computer-generated special effects—but rather to point out that the short drama has been around for a very long time. And we’ve all loved them! Think of The Simpsons when it started as a five-minute break on The Tracey Ullman Show thirty-nine years ago this month.

Today, we’ve progressed past television and even streaming podcasts to the mobile internet platform. Since they are made to be viewed on a smartphone, short dramas are recorded in a vertical format. They are episodic in nature with each episode lasting as little as a minute or as long as twenty minutes. And they are often elaborately produced with incredible settings and acting.

Some of the most beautiful performers in the world are known for their short dramas. I’m looking at you, Li Ke Yi. I know she looks twelve, but she’s twenty-four and has starred in nearly thirty short dramas in the past two years. She’ll probably still look twelve twenty years from now.

Short dramas tend to have simple plots and somewhat fewer characters than most big budget dramas. Armies of thousands are depicted by fewer than a dozen armored extras. Even though Chinese short dramas are the most popular (often AI dubbed or subtitled) there are versions in nearly all Asian countries—anime, K-drama, etc.—but it doesn’t end there. They have appeared in American reels, in western European dramas, in Hindi, and in nearly every culture that has a written or recorded entertainment industry.

That includes written serials on several platforms. My friend, MaryEllen Brady, releases some incredible serialized short dramas, even blending fantasy and the Wild West as in her series The Outsider. Addictive!

As I was writing this, I realized I’ve written short serials before. My most recent Halloween stories—The Key to Eve and Alienable Rights—are short serials. Chapters are somewhat shorter than my usual serialized novels, and the entire story is no more than twelve chapters. They both come in at far fewer than 50,000 words. And people liked both of them, even though most readers have a low tolerance for anything that involves politics, even satire.

It was only a matter of time before I tried my hand at deliberately writing a short drama, following the major structure and tropes of Chinese short drama, but set in the US with completely American characters.

Trial Balance is an introspective short drama that follows Cal, a beleaguered accountant whose life seems cursed by bad luck—and by the whims of an author who keeps killing him off and bringing him back. Cal’s journey is a rollercoaster of personal setbacks, from disastrous relationships and health crises to corporate sabotage and murder attempts. As he uncovers financial fraud at a major development firm, Cal’s awareness of his fictional existence adds a layer of humor and existential reflection. Surrounded by a cast of colorful characters—including his ex-wife, her scheming lover, and two strong-willed women who may be his salvation—Cal must navigate betrayal, danger, and the absurdity of his own narrative. Trial Balance delivers dark comedy and a fresh take on the drama genre.

My unedited first draft of this story is now posting three chapters per week as I write it, exclusively for my Sausage Grinder patrons. It will run through May. It’s a great time to be a Sausage Grinder tier patron. SOL readers will get it when it's been rewritten and edited.

The chapters are shorter than my typical works. Each could be read aloud in less than 20 minutes. Each has a complete scene and a bit of tease that will make you impatient to see the next chapter. The chapters have a lot of action, romance, and suspense. I’m working with a comprehensive outline that indicates there will be about twenty-five chapters all told.

Short dramas have a number of tropes that occur in piece after piece. There are some that I won’t touch in this story, and others that I fully embrace.

There will be no martial arts or supernatural abilities—like x-ray vision or prediction of the future or ability to heal. There will be no time travel of modern man into distant past where he uses contemporary science and technology to change the destiny of his character. There will be no ‘system’ that grants benefits based on a game-like program imbedded in his brain. No one will be drugged with an aphrodisiac. There will be no secret CEO pretending to be a beggar while building up their wife’s or husband’s business with his vast fortune. No one is going to get slapped.

There will be a scheming ex-wife who regrets her decision. There will be a rescue that creates bonds between the hero and the heroines. There will be a miraculous recovery from death. A hidden treasure will be revealed. One or more scheming partners or their children will try to take over the company. There will be circumstantial misunderstandings that gradually bring the main characters closer together. There will be a lot of blushing. There will be short term amnesia that changes the storyline when memory is recovered.

A less common theme that I’ll use is the main character’s awareness that he is in a short drama and a struggle for control between the author and the characters!

As the story begins, we look into the mind of the main character who narrates:

I get killed on page 18, but the author says not to worry because I’m alive again in the next chapter.

That’s not the only detail Cal reveals!

I expect serialization of the fully edited story on SOL sometime in July, probably while I’m on the road north, pulling my home behind me.

This is number 143 in the blog series, “My Writing Life.” I encourage you to join my Patreon community to support my writing.

I NEVER ANTICIPATED that I would ever write a book that could be classified as ‘Family Drama.’ Maybe some of my books could be, if you tried hard enough, but certainly none would be.

Then, while drafting a simple time travel story about a man sent back in time to plant a genetic code in descendants, I ended up uncovering an exceptional amount of family drama.

I guess, some of it is my own, though you wouldn’t recognize it.

And today, the drama gets shared on StoriesOnline with the launch of the serial The Inheritance Paradox!

I didn’t have a close relationship with my father, who died of cancer when I was 27, all the way back in 1976. In fact, we occasionally had a what I considered irreconcilable differences. Like the time he tried to teach me to drive a stick shift. When I got that old Ford Falcon station wagon home after an hour of him screaming in my ear, I took off running as hard as I could, never thinking of going back.

I did, of course. But I didn’t want to talk to him—not that I could have after running as hard as I could for two miles, all while screaming at the top of my lungs.

I was in my senior year of college and working as the designer and technical director on our production of King Lear when my father showed up on the stage. I dreaded it, because all through my life, he’d been a domineering person who took control of every project I’d ever worked on. He was strapping his tool belt on as he strode across the stage toward me.

“What do you need me to do?” was all he said. I gave him the project of cutting plywood and building a throne into what would become a rocky wall. I gave him a student assistant, and I was amazed to see how patient he was with the guy. It was the first time I ever felt my father respected me or what I was doing.

He passed away four years later after a long battle with cancer while I was in my first year of grad school.

Fathers and sons. It can be a difficult relationship.

When I have written about fathers in my novels, they are normally patterned after what I wished my father had been to me. My older sister, rest her soul, read my Nathan Everett novel The Volunteer right after it was released in 2013. Her immediate response was, “We must have had different fathers. The father in this book was nothing like mine.”

I had to tell her he was really nothing like mine, either. There was a lot of healing involved in writing about a father I admired, loved, and respected.

The Inheritance Paradox is a tale that blends time travel, historical intrigue, and heartfelt family drama. The story follows Nathaniel Holbrook, a technical writer, as he uncovers the enigmatic past of his father, Eugene, a former minister turned time traveler. Eugene’s journeys across centuries reveal profound connections, moral dilemmas, and a mission to save humanity. These actions ripple through time, leaving behind descendants who unknowingly hold the key to humanity’s survival.

As Nathaniel delves deeper into his father’s secrets, he discovers startling connections to his own life and family, challenging his understanding of identity, morality, and reality. Alongside his sister Megan, a geneticist on the brink of a groundbreaking discovery, Nathaniel pieces together the extraordinary legacy of their family.

Set against vivid historical backdrops like the founding of the Continental Marines and the Great Chicago Fire, the novel explores themes of redemption, love, guilt, and the enduring bonds of family. With a rich tapestry of characters and a narrative that seamlessly weaves past, present, and future, The Inheritance Paradox invites readers to reflect on how the choices of those who came before us shape our lives—and how we, in turn, shape the lives of those who come after.

A thought-provoking journey through time and generations, this novel will resonate deeply with readers, leaving them pondering the profound impact of legacy and love long after the final page.

I have in mind a post on ingrained prejudice and hatred and how it comes out in literature and language. It’s still a little raw, but I think I’ll be ready in a couple of weeks.

Yes, that is the end of Forever Yours, posted this morning. Thank you to everyone for your support and comments. The eBook is still available on ZBookStore and the Signature Edition paperback from my website.

What's next?

March 29, I will begin posting my new story, The Inheritance Paradox.

The Inheritance Paradox is a multi-layered novel that blends elements of science fiction, historical fiction, and family drama. The story revolves around Eugene Holbrook, who embarks on time-traveling adventures to implant a genetic marker that could save humanity from a future catastrophe. Narrated by his son Nathaniel, the novel explores Eugene’s mysterious past, his struggles with guilt, loss, and redemption, and the impact of his actions on his family. The narrative alternates between Eugene’s time-traveling escapades and his family’s present-day efforts to uncover the truth, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected timelines and relationships.

The Inheritance Paradox is an ambitious novel that challenges readers to reflect on their own family histories and the legacies they carry. It is a testament to the enduring power of love, the complexities of human relationships, and the interconnectedness of humanity. This novel is a must-read for fans of time travel stories, family dramas, and speculative fiction that pushes the boundaries of imagination and science.

The Inheritance Paradox will be available for pre-order at ZBookStore this weekend and will release on March 29, 2026. That is also the date it will begin serialization on StoriesOnline.

This is number 142 in the blog series, “My Writing Life.” I encourage you to join my Patreon community to support my writing.

I learned a valuable lesson from the Doobie brothers in 1979: “What a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.” I know Kenny Logins sang it first, but I don’t remember ever hearing his version. It’s one of the reasons I seldom comment on social media posts from friends and relatives I disagree with.

It does bring up a significant issue for writers because what a character believes, sometimes no amount of “proof” to the contrary will change.

I freely admit that assuming I understand Asian culture because I watch a lot of Chinese short dramas would be equivalent to assuming I understand Native American culture because I watch a lot of westerns. Yes, many people have an understanding of one culture or another based on fiction portrayals. We as authors fuel that with everything we release.

But my addiction to ‘short dramas’ has helped me see and identify a significant trope in a lot of fiction, including my own.

I’ll start by saying there are many short dramas that seem to follow the same script. In fact, for many, the script has only changed the actors, location, or names. One script that I see often is the story of a poor common person who runs a food stall, is a courier, is a security guard, or is a janitor who is later revealed to be a billionaire CEO, martial arts god, legendary healer, business genius, or combination of all of the above.

The conflict comes when, in the process of being revealed, a former classmate, family member, ex-spouse, or business rival, will insist the protagonist is not the legendary hero because he “knows” him. This person will have an objection that convinces all the other characters the protagonist is a fraud.

This is in the face of superior characters who identify the protagonist, documents and symbols proving his/her identity, demonstrated martial arts, business, or healing skills, and other incontrovertible evidence. The antagonist will insist the evidence is fake, the documents are forged, the blow was just lucky, the stock price fall was all a coincidence, or the witness is mistaken. Sometimes I look at these people and think, “What idiots!! The evidence is right in front of you!”

I’m thankful to short dramas for being so obvious about some of these storylines. When a plot device is so blatant and is used in story after story, it is easier to begin to spot it in other forms of fiction, like my own writing. For example, the ‘Give me a minute” ploy.

I came across a Dungeons and Dragons meme the other day that took an interesting twist on this ploy. I don’t play the game, but this scenario was obvious enough that I could identify it at once. The monster demon stops the troupe of adventurers and says, “You can’t go forward until you make a deal with me.” The Paladin immediately steps up and says, “This is so sudden. Can you give me five seconds?” The demon laughs and says “Sure.” Five seconds later the Paladin says, “Okay, let us pass.” Everyone is amazed because the Paladin proposed a deal to the demon, “Give me five seconds.” The demon agreed. Five seconds later the deal was completed. The demon watches the party go on.

I think there are fewer gambits that work out so smoothly for the players (characters) in short dramas. In the storyline, the first level offender is defeated and says, “Just you wait. I’m calling my big brother.” He gets on the phone and begs his big brother to save him because he’s being bullied. A minute later, big brother shows up. He gets beaten up and says, “Wait five minutes! The boss will be here.” Five minutes later, the boss and a batch of thugs show up and get beaten up. And so on. It is an ever-escalating battle until the CEO shows up, recognizes the protagonist and apologizes for his underlings’ behavior. Then go back to the ‘Fool believes’ scenario above.

Later, the scenario is reversed. In the big reveal scene, the antagonist shows his ‘proof’ the protagonist is a fraud. The protagonist picks up his cellphone and barks, “Have Joe Smoe here in three minutes.” Joe Smoe is the antagonist’s father or boss and arrives three minutes later to apologize to the protagonist and discipline his son/employee.

Then someone else shows up who backs the opposition and the cycle continues to escalate until all the most powerful families/corporations in town have been wiped out.
Of course, it’s a serial, so in the next episode, some discontented antagonist is going to come back with reinforcements and try to force the issue again.

I’ll keep an eye out for other insights as I entertain myself endlessly with short dramas and the B1G Women’s Basketball Tournament.