Accidentally Mentoring...

I have no idea how this keeps happening. I've picked up a third mentee. Very much closer to home than the other two. One I'm helping with their English. The second, I'm helping mature as a writer. The third?

That's my eldest kid. Known as Mayhem for reasons that quickly become obvious the more you hear about his childhood.

He's just starting with the world-building, but he has some PLANS. His plans' origins? Spite.

Honestly, it's one of the better reasons to start writing. My pet Sci-Fi Universe began that way. I was pissed off that they were cancelling DS9 and created my own universe based on my own sense of humour and little teeny bits I made up about the station in fanfics I wrote back in the day.

I still have a shapeshifter in there, and my teen-generated Original Character Do Not Steal. Pretty sure nobody wants her, but I've had her since 1980-something and I think I'm the only person who loves her. But I digress.

The source of Mayhem's ire is Isekai Slop. He's got a whole list of Isekai tropes that he despises. He's come up with two potential Isekai type adventures and they already sound so much better than a lot of Isekai stuff I've heard about. Admittedly, I've heard about them via Mayhem, so the source is biased.

I am, for the record, very glad that my kid has started writing.

I'm infecting them with my madness...

Either way, we have lots of time to spitball about his worlds in progress during the long drive there and back again. It's amazing fun and I hope his Isekais turn into bestsellers.

My second mentee is reworking her original premise to be more coherent and we're exchanging plot point ideas and bits of evil for the fictional villain.

As for the one still learning English? It's fascinating watching him grow.

We're all at different stages in the journey to being paid authors, including myself. I don't know how or why I wound up with three mentees, but it's amazing.