2024 Y : Youth

 

The word for the letter "Y" is unlike the previous posts in the challenge for "Y." Those all acknowledged, you the reader. Maybe it was hitting a milestone birthday and a milestone anniversary that reminded me of advancing age. And the flip side of that is lost youth. The actual inspiration for the topic came from a cartoon of a middle-aged woman stating, "Old age is always 15 years older than you are."

Which brought back memories of oldsters (who at the time are now 20 years younger than I am now) whose favorite saying besides the "Back in my day..." was "Youth is wasted on the young."

Those sentiments may not creep into my writing, but one of the requirements for today's authors is to ensure that the characters change. And sometimes that means to grow from childhood to adulthood, or to transition through various stages of adulthood with their varying lifestyles and responsibilities. 

 

This particularly evident in a series.The character of Anastasia of Clan Miller who started as a young woman in the first book of the Dragshi Chronicles. Then in later volumes, her youth is left behind and she became a mother and a leader of her people.

Lady Ellspeth of the House of Cszabo, captain of Sea Falcon, had already left her youth behind and was an accomplished leader at the start of the Windmaster Novels. However, while there is no youthful transition to adulthood, her later years are recorded in the successive volumes and sees her childhood through that of her children. It also sees her taking on new leadership roles as she and the archmage Lord Dal fight to same the future of magic.

Anastasia and Ellspeth appeared on the cover of a book in their respective series. And for a fun addition, an early image of me.

The challenge is almost over. I hope you enjoyed the snippits and thoughts.

~till next time, Helen

 

For more information on the Dragshi Chronicles or the Windmaster Novels, click on the individual covers in the banner or select the series from the drop down menu.

 

 

If you're following other blogs in the challenge, here's the master list of the other participants.