Galactic Lore

Captain's Log, Conference Date 20163007. Today was a test of endurance.  Sleep deprivation techniques by an alien mind probe woke me up far too soon, followed by a mild cold. However MedBay prescribed a sustained treatment of DayQuill and Coffee that kept me going, if somewhat in a fog.   The morning started off by attending a spiritual discussion led by the esteemed Steve Laube. This talk centered around waiting on god and asking a single question four ways. What are you waiting for? (A group of beings known as Grammaticals, grew agitated when this question was asked, but they were mollified by a quick reference to an obscure style guide reference). This question was altered to show how the emphasis would change the meaning: 1. What are you WAITING for? - This signified the agony of impatience. A reminder that while we may be in a hurry, God is not. 2. What are YOU waiting for? - Signifying the futility of self-reliance. We stick to our pride and resist putting our l

Captain's Log, Conference Date 20162907, My expedition among the gathering of the Realm Makers continues. And the marvels continue to unfold. The day started off with some strangely familiar characters fighting it out over the light and dark sides of editing. A dark and explosive man named Kylo Ren, sought to teach all how to conquer  win over their audiences by using the Force without the need for editing! But he was bested by the mysterious Rey, who showed the light side of the force, and a snickers, to be stronger. It was truly an engaging start to the day. Not to be outdone by forces form far, far Away, keynote speaker Thomas Locke gave a strong an inspirational talk about the discipline of writing and learning to identify the areas of control in your writing. Some key thoughts that stood out from this most enlightening talk. Forge a discipline around your creative clock. And build a boundary around this time. If you hit a wall, feel free to walk away and let y

Captain's Log Conference Date 20162807, I have arrived at planet Villa Nova for the gathering of the Realm Makers. This strange assortment of beings all have the incredible power to bring worlds into existence merely by willing it to happen through words and pictures. Exactly how this phenomenon comes about will have to be explored through further research, but my science officer says that it appears to be powered by an exceptional mix of creativity and passion. Here are some of the things I witnessed today. After arriving in this hot and muggy land, I ventured into the cool interior of a gathering place for these beings. There I had the privilege to witness the wisdom and insight of the amazing duo of Suzanne and Shaw Kuhn. This session for the "Early Birds" gave invaluable advice about finding and protecting your Brand. Some key data points: 1. You Are Your Brand - Your brand is your identity to your audience, it is why they see you as. And it is you

Short update for tonight. I finished the first draft of the first chapter of the latest iteration (the 4th I believe) of Starfire's sequel. I'm not as far along as I wanted to be by now, but it is progress. I've also laid out Monday night and all day Wednesday as writing time, with Tuesday set aside for packing, and more writing. I'm really enjoying this version.  Picking up with Rathe about three Saurian months (a Segat for those who are curious, each equates to 3 earth months) since we last saw him at the end of Starfire. Rathe's struggling to come to terms with the events that ended Starfire, the cost that is still being paid, and what his new role is in the changed world. He has to contend with those who want to choose what his destiny will be, and with those who will stop at nothing to ensure he has no destiny. Friends may be foes, foes may be friends. And in the end, everything he thought he knew will be thrown to the stars. Which, reminds me, I

On April 2nd, 2016 my wife and I attended the 8th annual, Write In the Springs conference put on by the local Colroado Springs ACFW chapter. It was a simple, one-day conference, one that I wasn't really looking forward to, not because I didn't think it would be good, but because I have been struggling with guilt about my writing. ACFW Conference, Denver 2009 Starfire released on April 1st, 2009. And was incredibly well received.  But since then my attempts at writing the sequel always fizzled out. As time passed, I felt more like a failure and like maybe I had missed my chance. But the truth is, I was only failing because I chose to fail. At the Write in the Springs conference Allen Arnold, the speaker, handed out notebooks to all of the attendees with a special note written in the front. Each message was unique, a note from God meant specifically for the person who received it, delivered in faith. The note in the front of my notebook cracked the shell of guilt and

The first scene in Starfire is one of the places in the novel that was re-written the most. I had a lot of information to convey about Rathe and the world he inhabited all while trying to set the tone for things to come. The original opening line of this scene was a highly clichéd “A storm was brewing.” Not exactly attention grabbing, eh? But it was a good reminder to me that I wanted this opening scene to begin laying the foundation for so many things yet to come. A big piece of writing advice is to start your story off in the action! Grab your readers by the throat and don’t let them go! I didn’t really follow that advice. Instead I wanted to start planting questions in the reader’s mind. Make them as curious about the world as they were about who this strange Yanguch named Rathe was. Apart from all the craziness of an alien storm with exploding plants, I wanted to plant the seed of the Saurians being something of a cursed race by touching on Rathe & Rakjear’s reaction