Category: Uncategorized

R is for Rebel

Just as sprawling interstellar empires are a staple of space opera, so are the plucky rebels that fight against them.  From Star Wars to Battlestar Galactica, Firefly to FTL, there’s no shortage of characters in science fiction trying to stick it to the man. I’m not sure how it is in other cultures, but in… Continue reading R is for Rebel

Q is for Quark

If it takes a village to raise a child, does it take a group of like-minded creative souls to raise a writer? I don’t know, but in my case, having a writing community around me really helped.  That community was Quark, BYU’s Science Fiction & Fantasy club. I joined Quark my second semester of college. … Continue reading Q is for Quark

N is for Nebula

Of all the objects in space, nebulae are some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring.  These giant clouds of gas and dust span light-years, and often contain stellar nurseries where new stars (and with them, new planets) are born.  Few things can fill me with a greater sense of wonder than a detailed, high-res image… Continue reading N is for Nebula

I is for Interstellar

Right after I went through my Dinosaur phase, I saw Star Wars IV: A New Hope for the first time.  Instantly, all that childlike excitement and exuberance was transferred from paleontology to astronomy.  We had a series of about twenty astronomy books in my elementary school’s LRC (Asimov’s astronomy series, I believe–the ones with the… Continue reading I is for Interstellar

G is for Gravity

Possibly one of the most defining aspects of space is the sensation of free fall.  Of course, gravity exists in space, the same as it does everywhere else in the universe (probably), but in space we feel its effects differently because we aren’t close enough to a body of sufficient mass to feel a strong… Continue reading G is for Gravity

C is for Cryo

I think every science fiction writer has a cryo (aka “human popsicle“) story sitting around somewhere, even if it’s just in the back of their head.  It’s one of those tropes that keeps coming back, just like the alien invasion, the robot apocalypse, and the Adam and Eve plot. The basic concept is pretty simple,… Continue reading C is for Cryo

Trope Tuesday: Fridge Logic, Fridge Horror, and Fridge Brilliance

You know that moment after the end of the show, when the credits are rolling and the glory of that crowning moment of awesome is just beginning to fade?  When you go to the fridge to get something to eat, and all of a sudden that gaping plot hole or internal consistency problem with the… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Fridge Logic, Fridge Horror, and Fridge Brilliance

1000 posts and counting

According to my WordPress dashboard, this is the 1,000th post on this blog.  I was going to hold off and do something big and momentous for the occasion, but then I figured it would be better to do a quick footnote and get on with the regular program. Nine hundred ninety nine blog posts ago,… Continue reading 1000 posts and counting

I will turn this time suck into a powerful new writing motivator

Last night, I caved and bought the new FTL game that all my friends have been talking about. OMIGOSH. Six hours later, I was screaming in agony as my awesome starship went down in flames.  AGAIN.  In sector eight (on the easy setting, though, so not too impressive). Seriously, this game is AMAZING.  I haven’t… Continue reading I will turn this time suck into a powerful new writing motivator