Sunday Surfing

Flogging the Quill

Why Do We Keep Making Ebooks Like Paper Books?

Feeling Rejected? Join the {Prestigious} Crowd

Style, Fear and the Bias Against Creativity

Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize at Black Balloon Publishing

The Other Face of Rejection

The 9 Ingredients of Character Development

LTUE: First person POV

How can story writers and book authors hook their readers?

Very fascinating and a little spooky: Where No Search Engine Has Gone Before

Progress on my Magic Muse writing workbench application is coming along rather nicely thus far.  I'm still dealing primarily with interface design, trying to determine what features to implement and how they best function.

I'm sure the appearance will change as development continues, but here is a screenshot of how some of the windows look now.

Click image for larger size display

L is for Lightsabers

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of lightsabers.

On rare occasions, a person pulls something from their imagination that fires the imagination of others. George Lucas did exactly that when he created the ultimate weapon for the ultimate warrior.

Science fiction is replete with pulses and beams of light flying across the screen--or page.  Armories 'R Us sells ray guns, blasters, lasers and phasers at deep discounts from their oversized cargo holds every time they dock at a space station.

But lightsabers?  They're the perfect weapon. Reach back in time and grab a hilt from the surest of swords.  Pull from the future a most lethal blade of glowing force to add to it.  Combine that with some cool sound effects and let the dance begin. 

That meter's worth of light attached to a hilt lets your flair for swordplay flare.  It's what the Jedi do.

Lightsabers are definitely a reason I love science fiction and fantasy.

For the civilized warrior

K is for Kirk

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Kirk, Captain James Tiberius--the only man to ever win the no-win scenario. (And in two different timelines!)

Back in the 1960s, sci-fi wasn't exactly mainstream.  Gene Roddenberry pitched the concept of Star Trek to NBC as a wagon train through the stars.  The "western" setting even surfaced in an episode or two.

William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk

But everyone knows Captain James T. Kirk. He's bested everyone from Harry Mudd to the Klingons and done so in more places and in more time periods than almost anyone.

He was a worthy competitor at chess, but poker was his game.  And he bluffed the best of them.

Roddenberry, through Kirk and his crew, opened the door for science fiction to go mainstream.  Yet another reason I love science fiction and fantasy.

J is for Robert Jordan

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Robert Jordan.

I'm indebted to James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (aka Robert Jordan) because he inspired me to write fantasy.

Robert Jordan

The man was a creative genius. Oftentimes accused of being verbose, not to mention writing huge books comprising a huge series, he possessed a priceless talent.  He had a way of grouping and arranging twenty-six little letters that fired my imagination. Paint a picture with words? Jordan was a master at it.

One would be hard-pressed to find another world so fully rounded, so intricately detailed and yet so incredibly fascinating as the world he created for Wheel of Time.

I still recall the day I read of his passing. I was eating lunch at my desk at work and literally gasped.  A titan had fallen.  And he is sorely missed.

Robert Jordan, with the entertaining characters and immense world he brought to life, is high on my list for why I love science fiction and fantasy.

I is for Immortals

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Immortals.

Whether they're Greek gods or Scottish clansmen, immortals spark intrigue. Immortals come in the form of vampires, angels and even resurrected mummies like Imhotep. They sail the seas like Davy Jones or provide guidance like Lorien from Babylon 5.

Immortals fascinate us. We're captivated by their legends and quirks: Merlin living his life backwards, Kronos the Titan god of time swallowing his children to avert a prophecy's fulfillment, and Q continually playing with the space-time continuum--and the crew of the Enterprise.

Some walk among us unnoticed like Connor MacLeod while others like Tom Bombadil are larger than life.  We marvel at their diverse beginnings.  We read or watch, with satisfaction or dismay, their final undoing.

It matters not from where the immortals hail: the highlands, the continuum or childhood storybooks. They're all reasons I love science fiction and fantasy.

H is for Harry Potter

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Harry Potter.

I'm of the opinion that Harry Potter is perhaps the greatest story of our generation.  It's not that it's deep or profound or groundbreaking.  The prose isn't Shakespeare.  It's just a captivating story and great entertainment.

What makes it great in my mind is its impact.  Thanks to the Harry Potter series, thousands--perhaps millions--of children became readers for the first time.  The tale ignited a love of books in a generation attuned primarily to television and Xboxes.  A mindset fixated on fast food and instant gratification experienced the pleasure of kicking back with a good set of books.

Yes, we all love Harry and Hermione and Ron. We appreciate Dumbledore's wisdom and the allure of phoenixes and time turners and invisibility cloaks. The magic of Hogwarts entices us with its magical settings and spellbinding wonders.

I grew up with a spider who spun words in her web and a lion who saved a child. My Harry, Ron and Hermione were Charlotte, Aslan and Bilbo.  They were my imaginary friends.  They made me want to read.

I love science fiction and fantasy because of Harry Potter and his friends.

G is for Goodkind and Gandalf

I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because...

...of Gandalf. No wait, it's for Terry Goodkind.  But I love Gandalf!  But Goodkind is so awesomely great! arg!

Terry Goodkind

G would have been so much easier if Goodkind had created Gandalf, but alas, I must save Gandalf's creator for later in the series.  I suppose Gandalf and Goodkind will have to share my G post today.

I'll start with author Terry Goodkind because, well, he's real. And he gave us the Sword of Truth series, from which two seasons of Legend of the Seeker came.  Richard (Cypher) Rahl, Kahlan Amnell and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander all came from his imagination.  And for that, I thank him.

For the other G... Well, Gandalf is the very definition of wizard.  He's mysterious, powerful, seemingly ageless, wise and handy to have around when you need to cross a bridge.  He's known by many names, but I call him Balrog Slayer.

Wizard's First Rule? If you're gonna dance with a balrog, make it a dance to remember.  

Goodkind and Gandalf, both wizards in their own right, are two reasons why I love science fiction and fantasy.