Sunday Surfing

How Many Spaces After a Period? Ending the Debate

A wonderfully balanced post on the Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing

How to Make a Blog Button

Creating Emotional Frustration in Your Characters

The Funnily Enough

Nice long list of articles at Linda Rohrbough

Answers to 14 questions you're too afraid to ask literary agents

F is for Firefly

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Firefly.

I almost went with the Force from Star Wars here, but chose Firefly instead. Firefly took science fiction in a direction it doesn't often go: a wild wild west frontier-esque direction.

The cast of characters were distinctly unique, interesting and ever-so-entertaining. They were a band of misfits scraping out a living by taking one shady job after the next.  A little smuggling here.  A heist there.  Scavenging and calling it salvaging.  And they did so all from the comfort of an antiquated ship always on the verge of falling apart.

Murphy wrote his famous law after watching this show.  The show lasted a single season and was wrapped up in Serenity, one of my favorite movies.

Firefly, with its fresh take and distinctive flavor is one reason I love science fiction and fantasy.

E is for Eragon

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Eragon, the first book in the Inheritance Cycle.

I suppose that in truth, this post is as much about Christopher Paolini as it is about Eragon itself.

Christopher Paolini is, to me, an inspiration.  He was born less than a year before I married Myra.  And before my children were out of school, Eragon had been self-published.

It didn't remain self-published for long, of course.  Alfred A. Knopf picked it up in 2003 and Paolini--at nineteen--became a New York Times bestselling author.  And then there was the movie made from it as well.

The story tells of a farmboy named Eragon and the bond he shared with the dragon, Saphira. It's a tale of wonder and discovery, of coming of age, and of personal growth.

Eragon--and his creator--is one reason why I love science fiction and fantasy.

D is for Dragons

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of DRAGONS!

More than distant landscapes and legendary relics...
More than medieval battles and wicked wizards...
More than castles, moats, armor and shields...
More than even magic itself, I love dragons!

I love them, be they good dragons or bad.  Sly, wiley or wise; ancients and hatchlings alike, I love them all.  I love their cunning, their power, their mystery and majesty.

Dragons are what I love most about science fiction and fantasy.

And dragons bearing gifts, I treasure above all!

C is for Computers

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

 ...of computers.  What would science fiction be without them?

They inform.  They serve.  Some, like Star Trek's holodeck, entertain.  But sometimes, they turn on us like the Cylons of Battlestar Galactica or SkyNet of the not-too-distant future.

My Favorite Computer

But usually, they just do what they're told, good or bad, like the Terminator or the HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

And then we have computers that we learn to love.  Like Lt. Commander Data of Star Trek or David from A. I. Artificial Intellegence.

Who doesn't love a little A. I.?

Computers come in almost every size and shape imaginable.  They have been a part of my life--and my job--for many years.  And they're yet another reason why I love science fiction and fantasy.

And for my brief IWSG portion of today's post, an encouragement:

If I hear you ask, "Can I?" then my answer is, "Yes! You can!"

There are at least three-hundred-sixty-five days in every year. Few of them come to pass without us questioning ourselves in some capacity.

Will I ever be a good writer?  A successful one?  Do I have what it takes?

I've come to believe that questioning ourselves is prudent, even healthy. A little doubt can balance a swollen ego.  But doubt--like ego--is good only in smaller doses.

You can write.  You can learn, improve. And with a fair amount of effort, you can succeed.

The only sure way to fail is to never try. 

B is for Bilbo

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of characters like Lord of the Rings' Bilbo Baggins.

Bilbo Baggins was no wizard.  He was no magnificent warrior nor a fulfillment of prophecy.  He stole away no princess to marry and ruled no kingdom. But he did something that has inspired me for decades.

He went on an adventure!

And what an adventure it was!

Through his eyes, I saw trolls and dragons, dwarves and gold.  I witnessed him bantering with the coolest of wizards and riddling with the most tortured of souls.  I beheld awesome landscapes and glimpsed a golden ring that would change not only his world, but mine as well.

Bilbo Baggins, who lived in a hole in the ground, was the first reason I loved science fiction and fantasy.

A is for Aragorn

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of characters like Lord of the Rings' Aragorn, son of Arathorn.

Tolkien introduced him to us as Strider, a Ranger of the North.  Only later did we learn that he was the heir of Isildur and rightful claimant to the thrones of Arnor and Gondor.

He was human and doubted his ability to prevail.  It was his ancestor that chose not to destroy the One Ring when the opportunity to do so presented itself.  That history gave him pause and caused him to doubt his own resolve.  "That same blood flows through my veins. That same weakness," he said.

But his resolve held true and his honor remained in tact.

This was no mere Ranger of the North.  Elrond's daughter, Arwen, chose a mortal life to marry him.  He returned as king and united Arnor and Gondor.  And his character is one reason why I love science fiction and fantasy.

And... A is also for Arlee, as in Arlee Bird from Tossing It Out.  All A to Z Challenge participants owe the prompting of their next thirty or so posts to him, seeing as how he created the challenge.  Thanks Arlee!  A is for you!