Great Scott! It’s the Future
Back in 1989, Back to the Future Part II came out in theaters. Unlike its retro predecessor, this movie looked ahead to the future, which arrived this past January 1st. (Yes, we now live in the future, in case smart phones and 3D printing weren't heavy enough hints)....
Sci-Fi Time Capsule: Back to the Future Edition
This week in a special edition of Sci-Fi Time Capsule, a look back at the Back to the Future trilogy. This is not a seminal time-travel movie. Jules Verne and Mark Twain both paved the way for such fare long before, and The Terminator had a dark take on time travel...
New Year’s Resolutions for 2015
The theme of this year's resolutions is "Taking My Own Advice." So, looking back on what I blogged about in 2014, what should I focus on for 2015? Keep up with writing reviews for the books I read As a self-published author, reviews show prospective readers that my...
My Holiday Book Acquisitions
Well, Christmas 2014 has come and gone, and my relatives have once again piled me with books to get next year's reading started. As I continue my quest to dip my toes in the water of every notable series I can lay my hands on, 4 of the 5 books are either first in a...
How to Handle Surprises
Most people like surprises. For this discussion, we're going to ignore the ones who don't. We're also going to skip discussing unpleasant surprises, like finding the last page of a book missing, or a sudden abandonment of the main plot. So how do you handle a...
The Twelve Days of Fantasy
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3 Tips on How to Write a Setting
Without a setting, your story takes place on a blank stage, with characters and actions without a backdrop. But how to go about presenting your setting is a balancing act. What's the right mix? Appropriate to the Story Your description of scene needs to convey an...
Sci-Fi Time Capsule: Fringe “Safe”
This week in Sci-Fi Time Capsule, the spiritual successor of the X-Files, Fringe. Season 1, Episode 10 is "Safe," which is about a bank robbery where a man gets stuck inside a wall. (WARNING: Spoilers begin below) Brief Summary It starts with a bank robbery, where the...
5 More Self-Editing Tips
A while back a gave a list of tips for authors who wanted to edit their own work before sending it out to an editor. Well, here are 5 more tips for those of you who want to make your best effort at fixing your own manuscripts before pawning the work off on someone...
Movie Review: Hunger Games, Mockingjay Part 1
So, I've gone to see Hunger Games: Mockingjay (Pt 1) and braved the opening weekend crowds to do so. To to be up front about it, I haven't read any of the books, so there will be no comparisons between book and movie. This is strictly a view of how the movie stands on...