I don't like to write about war. I don't even particularly like to talk about wars, be they ancient or modern. I don't dispute the value of military history or the importance of being able to defend one's territory militarily, but the glorification of battle makes me uncomfortable. I wrote the first draft of _Wyrden Eyes_ nearly a decade ago. I struggled to complete it because, to be perfectly honest, the story always felt a little tangled. Like it needed to be longer in order to be clearer. I felt like I should explain Janni's backstory. Expand it so that Cal has a chance to return at the end, and maybe save her, to tie up the narrative arc in a neat little bow. Maybe Janni would learn some critical lesson and embark upon a new path to evolve as a person right around the end of the first quarter of the book, like you see in a blockbuster movie — or is recommended by every "how to write a book" book I've ever read. There's supposed to be a pattern to these kinds of stories, and _Wyrden Eyes_ defies those norms. It's not a good story the way good stories are usually defined; I'm not even sure it's a good story the way _I_ define it, in that it's enjoyable or at least resonates with readers. It's hard to get a firm handle on exactly what side Janni is on. Her goals — and the goals of her target — are murky. The prose is more "elevated" than is my usual norm, and I'm not sure how to feel about that. As I was deciding which flash fiction piece to publish this month, I was also keeping up with the headlines — and rumors — coming out of Ukraine, and Russia... and Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. I've always known that war isn't like what we read in the books. I'll never forget But maybe this thing I wrote ten years ago — with all its confusing, messy motivations, "glorious" prose and disappointing ending — is a bit more honest than some other examples of the military fantasy genre, and maybe this week is the right time to share it. ## Further Reading - For the absolute best example of a story that pulls no punches about the nature of war while still being suitable for children, I _highly_ recommend the Animorphs. It's one of the few series I've ever read where the ending came as a gut-punch without feeling contrived. Every time I think about it, I appreciate it more.