In Future Mrs. Vasicek’s writing group, we were talking about plotting and I remarked that plotting didn’t seem to be one of Frank Herbert’s strengths in Dune. Looking back on it, though, I think that the plot was pretty solid, but he chose to focus on other things instead—such as all of the machinations and… Continue reading Extra Sci-Fi S3E6: Dune – Plots and Plans
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The Paradox of Choice: A chilling glimpse of an all-too possible future.
In cases where there may be severe deformities… I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. The Paradox… Continue reading The Paradox of Choice: A chilling glimpse of an all-too possible future.
Extra Sci-Fi S3E5: Dune – Origins
It’s always fascinating to learn how the big name authors got their start. As a fan, it pulls back the mystique a bit and makes those authors more relatable, and as a writer, it’s enormously encouraging to learn that even the big names had to pay their dues too. I wonder what Dune would have… Continue reading Extra Sci-Fi S3E5: Dune – Origins
The Slow Mo Guys do Lightning!
Few things are more awesome than a lightning storm, but a lightning storm in slow motion is certainly one of those things!
Extra Sci-Fi S3E4: The Return of the King
Okay, I think the folks at Extra Credits got it wrong with this one in a really big way. Gollum didn’t redeem himself. That’s the entire point. Redemption is an important and very Christian theme of Lord of the Rings, but so is the problem of evil. Several comments on the video point this out:… Continue reading Extra Sci-Fi S3E4: The Return of the King
What Falls from the Sky by Esther Emery
This kind of book isn’t my usual fare, but I discovered this author through some YouTube videos on homesteading, and when I read in the description about how she went for a year without the internet, I thought I’d give it a try. I was not disappointed. Esther Emery has had an interesting life. With… Continue reading What Falls from the Sky by Esther Emery
Extra Sci-Fi S3E3: The Two Towers
This episode of Extra Sci-Fi got me to thinking about a speech that Orson Scott Card gave when he visited BYU back in 2007. He said a bunch of interesting things that have stuck with me over the years, including (to paraphrase) “conservatism is the new counterculture.” He was probably ten to fifteen years before… Continue reading Extra Sci-Fi S3E3: The Two Towers
Pros and Cons: Print Books vs. Ebooks vs. Audiobooks
One of the long-term things I want to do is build a home library. Last weekend, I started cataloging my books and putting together plans for how to do that. I’m sure I’ll be posting more about that in the future, but the big question at the start of it was this: What are the… Continue reading Pros and Cons: Print Books vs. Ebooks vs. Audiobooks
New goal: bog every day (except Sundays)
For a long time, I’ve struggled to figure out exactly how this blog fits into everything that I do. And while, in the past couple of years, I think I’ve figured out a better way to integrate it with my other creative efforts, I still occasionally go through periods of time where this blog gets… Continue reading New goal: bog every day (except Sundays)
All titles 50% off on Smashwords for Read an Ebook Week!
From now until Saturday, March 9th, all of my books are 50% off on Smashwords for the annual Read an Ebook Week sale! Simply head over to my Smashwords author page, select the books you want, and apply the coupon code at checkout!