THE MINDSET OF A WRITER

Due to my imagination and autism, I tend to see the world in a unique perspective. The creative side of my mind is always active even while I am at my job or school and portray my surroundings in colorful ways. Whenever I experience something positive, I tend to feel as though the world became brighter and I could imagine an individual transforming a hurricane into a gentle breeze or sunlight glittering off the surface of a lake. Whenever I experience something negative, such as when I hear about the evil ISIS is spreading, I imagine the skies darkening or the landscape being drowned in an infinitesimal torrent of blood. Often times, I ask myself philosophical questions about the world such as “Do I exist?” or “Is a utopia possible?” or “If you have superhuman powers, are you still human?” In each of these questions, I can envision countless possible answers and scenarios, which I sometimes use in my writing. When I dream, I experience scenarios that are so profoundly stupid that they can never be funny. Overall, the creative side of my mind is always at work even while I am asleep.

SUPERPOWER: SHAPE-SHIFTING

A common ability that is depicted in fiction is shape-shifting, which is the ability to assume to form of any object, creature, or person the wielder chooses. There are several applications that could be utilized with this power. For example, it could be used to infiltrate a location by turning into an individual who has access. Another example is you could turn your hands into weapons such as blades, hammers, and so on when you are engaged in a fight. Also, it could be used to blend in with a crowd in order to avoid being discovered by pursuers. Shape-shifting has appeared in my series before when the demon Fanoxean disguised himself as a prisoner. In my sequel series, a character will be a shape-shifter, but I will not say whether they will be a hero or villain.

CONCEPT: FUTURE LIVESTOCK

When I contemplate the concepts that a future civilization would hold, I consider what kind of livestock it would use. Due to the fact that the Young Guardians’ final battle will produce an apocalyptic event, the possibility exists that traditional food sources would be destroyed. So, the survivors would need to seek an alternative protein source. I have seen in many documentaries that insects are great sources of protein and are delicacies in several parts of the world. The human race has been eating insects since prehistoric times and continue to do so to this day. With this in mind, would a futuristic society of a post-apocalyptic world use insects as a type of livestock to replace the traditional livestock that were lost in the disaster? This is an interesting idea to consider and I will research this further for my sequel series.

WRITING UPDATE: FUTURE CHAPTERS (SEQUEL SERIES)

As I continue to work on my sequel series, I am planning the groundwork for future chapters. For example, the first few chapters will involve introducing the characters, both the heroes and the villains. The first chapter involves brutally introducing all seven villains while the second chapter introduces the main character, who is the idealistic member of the team. Now, the third chapter will introduce the darkest most intelligent of my main characters as well as a hint of the villains’ master plan. The fourth chapter will involve the introduction of the female lead, who is the most compassionate member of the team. The fifth chapter will introduce the most aggressive member of the team while the sixth chapter will introduce the most eccentric member of the team. In each of these chapters, various elements of the futuristic world will be revealed. Eventually, all of these characters will converge and the real story begins.

CONCEPT: FAMILY TRAGEDY

I have studied many superhero stories and I noticed that the most common motivation for a superhero was family tragedy. Whenever something terrible happens to a loved one, a superhero would be compelled to avenge their loved one. While creating my superheroes, I decided to follow this tradition and have my characters undergo this life-changing event. The Young Guardians lost their families at the hands of their first supervillain, Cyber Shadow. Confronting him for the first time was the defining moment that made the Young Guardians choose the path of the superhero. Now, as I write my sequel series, I have decided that my main character would undergo this rite of passage. By doing this, it will result in his reclusive and despondent personality.

WRITING UPDATE: SEQUEL SERIES (CHAPTER 2)

I have completed the first chapter of my sequel series’ first volume. The super villain’s introduction was dark, brutal, and has a hint of humor. Now, I am beginning the second chapter, which will introduce the main character of the series. I am particularly eager to write about this character because he is not only potentially one of the most powerful characters I ever created, but he is also one of the most psychologically vulnerable. I am thinking of giving him a personality that is similar to my younger self when I had less control over my autism, which reflect in his lack of control over his immense power. This chapter will depict his origin story and the aftermath of the traumatic event that will push him down the path of the superhero. The sequel series is so interesting to write that I can’t stop writing! Since New Years Day was not too long ago, I think one of my New Years Resolutions will be to finish the first volume by the end of the year. Wish me luck and I will keep you updated.

CONCEPT: SUPERHERO UNIVERSE

All my life I have indulged in several superhero universes, primarily the universes created by Marvel and DC Comics. Upon seeing in many comics and graphic novels how heroes and villains interacted with one another. This created worlds in which heroes and villains rise and fall while portraying a constantly unfolding history. Upon understanding the inner workings of a superhero universe, I decided to create my own superhero universe. As I continued to create my superhero universe, I made sure that the characters evolved while developing a series of events that shaped the infrastructure of the setting. In keeping with the tradition of a superhero universe, I am using my sequel series as an opportunity for a new generation of superheroes to rise. Thanks to my autism, I cannot forget ALL of the information of my superhero universe that has yet to be written in my books. I cannot wait to see how much my ongoing superhero universe will evolve in the years to come.

SHOW REVIEW: DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

I watched the Pilot of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and it has exceeded my expectations so far. I must say that this is a very intriguing collection of superheroes and I am particularly eager to see more of the Atom and Firestorm. My only complaint is that Captain Cold and Heat Wave are on the team because they are notorious supervillains, but I think it will add more suspense to the story if there are a couple of characters who could potentially jeopardize the team’s mission. I look forward to see how these characters will cooperate as a single unit. Also, I am pleased that Vandal Savage is the main supervillain because he was an infamous and prominent supervillain in the comics and it will be interesting to see what his immortality and age-old resources have in store for the heroes.

SUPERPOWER: LIGHT MANIPULATION

Imagine being able to control light particles in your surrounding environment. With this power, you could utilize abilities such as lasers, illusions, invisibility, and blinding flashes among other things. In some works of fiction, some characters could mold light into shapes in a similar fashion to Green Lantern’s power ring. One of my characters, Cynthia Andrews, can use this power in addition to being able to control shadows. Also, in my sequel series, one of the main characters will possess this ability, but will wield it more prominently than Cynthia. I believe being able to control light would be symbolize a superhero’s allegiance to the side of good.

WRITING UPDATE: SEQUEL SERIES (VOLUME 1)

I have started the first volume of my sequel series and the words are flowing as I write. I am describing the landscape that was created by an apocalyptic battle and how such a landscape would affect a futuristic world. While depicting this landscape, I am drawing inspiration from the conditions of Chernobyl, which had a nuclear accident that was so devastating that the entire area would remain uninhabitable for 20,000 years. Also, I am about to introduce the supervillains who will represent the Seven Deadly Sins. What I have planned for their introduction chills my blood since they will be some of the most sinister supervillains I ever created. I will keep you updated on any further developments.