L: The Left Hand of God

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. I hope you'll also read my post at the IWSG group today where I wrote about letting it go.

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman is a cross between dark fantasy and alternative history fantasy. I'm going to reread it from the beginning to try and figure it out its genre. But there are elements in the book that kept me glued to the pages. It has everything. Perverted religions. Corrupt leaderships. Class warfare. Antiheroes galore. Love; unhealthy, unrequited and sweet. And the main character is young, never

older than his teen years throughout the series. Yet this book is far from a YA tale. The subject matter from the first chapter when the protagonist is still a child, is dark and scary. The abuses heaped on that young boy read like a horror story. And like many dark fantasies, there is no Happily Ever After for many of the characters. Well, nearly all of them. They save the world but not themselves.

Lesson: Religious fervor and conflicts make for great fantasy plots. There's a lot of leeway in interpretation of heroism. It's okay to convince a reader to love a character and then kill that character off. Even psychological damaged antiheroes really only want love. You can write a terrific adult story even if your main protagonist is a child or teenager.

"Silence is also speech." Yiddish proverb

"Any fool can have bad luck; the art consists in knowing how to explain it." Frank Wedekind (This book reminds of Paul Hoffman's series)

I hope A to Z is going well for you. It's fun so far. If you're starting to feel overwhelmed you might be trying to do too much. 

Do you find religious conflicts are common in fantasy novels? Has it always been that way or is the current world situation leading to its popularity? Can you name a book that has children as main characters but that written for an adult audience?

K: Kahn

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. Also find inspiration at the IWSG blog every day in April.

Kahn is a bad guy in the Star Trek universe. He's a genetically engineered soldier with some god-complex issues. He's brilliant, physically superior and the embodiment of arrogance. Soldier is the Kurt Russell character in an older movie. He's raised to be soldier after a very cruel upbringing to mold him into a merciless and tough fighter, trained to follow orders. In the movie, his generation of

soldiers are being replaced by genetically improved and younger soldiers. Both these futuristic science fiction play around with the idea of people trained or bred just to serve as soldiers and little value is place on their lives. Both of these movies gave me ideas for my bestselling series Recon Marines which is about genetically-engineered soldiers. The questions I asked myself about these two plots: Would the creators of such soldiers eventually come to fear them? Would these soldiers ever question their superiors? What would we do with them when they were too old to fight? If they were created in a lab, would they have the same human rights as others? How might their harsh upbringing and training influence their characters and personalities? Could they ever live as normal citizens? What would their emotional states be like? My Recon Marines are not like Kahn or Kurt Russell's character but my own creation inspired by those movies. I have a biology minor, so throughout the

series I was able to include real science about genetics.

Lesson: If a movie or show inspires you, watch as a writer and ask yourself what works in it that makes you like it. Use what you know to help you in your writing such as I used my biology background. Find ways to make sure the reader sees your protagonist as sympathetic. Asking yourself questions as you plot will help you deepen the plot and avoid holes in the story line.

"A fault denied is twice committed." French proverb

And since today is Thomas Jefferson's birthday here is a quote from him.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

If you saw the Star Trek movies with Kahn (old or new), did you ever feel bad for him at some point? Do you think our future might hold some type of genetic engineering to improve people physically and intellectually? Are there problems you would foresee with that? Are you keeping up with A to Z?

J: Julie Garwood

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. Speaking of inspiring, please visit the IWSG blog for A to Z also.

One of my favorite romance authors is Julie Garwood. Of all her many novels, there are none I like better than, For the Roses. Julie has a way with dialogue that makes you smile but in For the Roses, she creates a family of characters so interesting, you really don't care about the plot of the book or the developing romance. For the Roses starts out as the story of four homeless boys in Civil War era New York City who have banded together for protection. They find a baby girl in the trash and decide to leave the city and raise her in a good home and become a real family. It is a lovely story of family.

Even though this book is sold as a romance, the best part for me is the family dynamics between those four brothers and their little sister. The secondary characters make the story. I think this book could be used as a textbook for how to make your secondary characters flesh out and improve the basic plot. Their interactions with the main protagonists show the reader the hearts and souls of the main couple. The secondary characters were so popular, that Julie Garwood wrote a story for each of them in the years following the publication of For the Roses.

Lesson: Make your secondary characters more than decoration in your novels. When writing a series, introducing interesting secondary characters in the first novel is a great way to set up additional books. Everybody loves a story of family that overcomes hardship and challenges.

Today is also my turn to post on the A to Z Challenge Blog. I hope you'll stop in and share your views on Juggling.

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant." Anne Bradstreet

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." Milton Berle

Tomorrow is Sunday. Are you doing some catch up for A to Z or taking the day off? Is spring a big enough payoff for this past winter? Any book every stand out for you because of secondary characters?

I: Insecure Writers Guide to Publishing and Beyond

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. And take a moment to stop over at the IWSG blog for some April inspiration.

I feel very privileged to be a co-host of the IWSG blog. I've been part of this monthly posting group started by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Ninja Captain, since the start. Last year, Alex had the idea to put together a nonfiction book that would be compilation of posts by the groups' members. Out of his idea and lots of hours of work by my fellow co-hosts, the writing book, The Insecure Writer's Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond. Inside this FREE book, you find not only inspirational support but also a section on the

craft of writing and publishing, and a section on marketing and promotion. How do you write a blurb or a query? How do you make a header for your blog? What are some ways to promote that you haven't tried yet? And did I say it's FREE? The reviews are overwhelmingly positive. I learned so much in the making of this book and also refer to parts of it where I found out to do some things I previously had thought too complicated or time consuming to try.

Lesson: Nearly every writer had learned something valuable to be shared with others. Some of the people you meet and make friends with blogging, are actually experts in some areas. If you belong to a thriving and growing community like IWSG and you have a question, someone in that group will know the answer. Never pass up a free reference book.

"Creative activity can be described as a type of learning process where teacher and pupil are located in the same individual." Arthur Koestler

"I am not young enough to know everything." Oscar Wilde

Are you a member of IWSG? Do you take advantage of free reference books? Do you have an online community you can go to with questions? Do you remember being young enough to know everything?

H: Herbal Medicines

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and

TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. Also visit the IWSG blog and enjoy some inspiration for A to Z writers.

Even though I recently lost both my fantasy publishers due to their closing, I consider myself a writer of epic fantasy. Epic fantasy nearly always takes place in medieval settings. Think Game of Thrones like living conditions. During those times, many medical treatments involved the use of herbal medicines. To infuse my novels with elements of realism, I often use The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicines by Charles Fetrow and Juan R. Avila. I've had this book on my desk for years and refer to it often. During medieval times, many health remedies involved the use of herbal medicines, often served as teas. Some herbal teas were imbibed daily for good health and the same is true today. This comprehensive book lists over 300 herbal remedies.

Under each listing is a short history of where it was first used, a list of what people use it for, how they use it the the dosage, possible side effects, other names for the listing and what actual scientific research says about it. Many of the listings give warnings of the danger of using that herb or plant. So if your novel includes a poisoning, Herbal Medicines would give you some ideas. And one of my favorite parts of this book is the index. I can look up an ailment such as fever or rash and it will give me a list of herbs to check out to treat that illness. Quick and easy reference. I highly recommend this book if you're writing anything that involves herbal cures and potions.

Lesson: Use reference books to add realism to your writing. Don't make things up. Lots of people use herbal teas and treatments. Someone will spot your mistakes.

If you have questions or just want to shout out what a great time you're having on A to Z, you can stop by Twitter today from 1-2 pm or 8-9 pm and join the conversation at #azchat or #atozchallenge.

I hope it's finally safe to mention the weather.

"Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough." Earl Wilson (not sure I agree with ignoring adolescence but it is a little funny)

Do you use any herbal remedies or drink any herbal tea? Do you have remedies passed down from your grandparents? Ever spot a mistake a writer made that could have been avoided by using a little research? Think Wilson's quote is good parenting advice?

G: Terry Goodkind

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. Also stop by the IWSG blog for some April encouragement.

Terry Goodkind wrote and is still writing one of my favorite fantasy series. Picking up this book actually ignited my love of epic fantasy after I'd drifted away from the genre to read more romance and suspense novels. The first book in the series, Wizard's First Rule, introduced the two main protagonists. And woven into it was a dark history in the world Goodkind created as well as family secrets and hints at a history of war from centuries ago. It was epic. I couldn't wait to read the next one and then the next one and the next...  You get the picture. The series went on and on. One or two of the books after the first one were excellent but many of the others felt reworked. The male

protagonist discovers he's the most powerful wizard in thousands of years, yet too many times he couldn't use his magic for one reason or another. It got old. Most writers weave by accident or on purpose, some of their own moral and political beliefs into their books. A few books in this series shouted the moral beliefs behind the story at me. Even though I agreed with the viewpoint, I didn't want it so obvious in my fiction reading.

Lesson: If you write a series, don't drag it on and let your plots become redundant. I haven't written any series longer than four books. That's about the length I prefer for series I read also. Television series or movie sequels can outlive their uniqueness also. Don't use your novels to obviously preach. It can turn off your audience and make the book seem like a scripture parable.

Now that we're a week in to this month, here's a tidbit about April:
April come from the Latin, aperio, which means 'to open or bud' because plants begin to grow this month.

"You can use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou

Have you read series that went on too long? Can you think of a TV show that went on too long or a movie series that shouldn't have made so many sequels? Have you read a book where the writer pushes a moral or ethical lesson down your throat?

F: Firefly

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. Over on the IWSG blog, you find some more great inspiration for all of April.

Firefly, the show known around the world as one of the best, if not the best, science fiction TV series EVER. There were so many things that made the show successful. The writing. The characters. The uniqueness of the setting, but it had other quirks that made it different. Though it took place in space, it never overburdened viewers with tech stuff. Mal Reynolds often amused us with his pretended or sometimes not false, ignorance of technology. The characters weren't always the white-hatted good guys and walked on the work side of the law. But did the viewers ever doubt they were the heroes? The settings ranged from old west style societies to wildly advance space stations and government facilities. Settlements of outcasts or those who had little to do with the central government added color and provided unique plots. Joss Whedon made something special.

Lesson: Space adventures like I write don't have to be full of scientific jargon. Political dissidents make for interesting protagonists and antagonists. If we ever colonize among the stars, people have no trouble believing that the colonies will greatly vary in their levels of technological advancements. And lastly, you might write the best space adventure ever and still get ignored by the big decision makers.

FOX network made one of most infamous mistakes in programming when they canceled this show.

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."
Douglas Adams

And a special announcement since we're talking about space adventure.  Dragon of the Stars by Alex J. Cavanaugh is available starting today. I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book and let me assure you that it belongs on your 'keeper' shelf. It has everything a space opera needs. Interstellar conflict, mysterious beings, ambitious men all thrown together in a an adventure story you won't be able to put down. The hero, Aden must find the ship of legends to secure his goals and along the way figure out what is really important. Buy Dragon on Amazon today.

What is your favorite episode of Firefly? What would you expect futuristic colonies to be like if we ever settle on distant planets? The wild west or techno-wonders? What show besides Firefly would you like to see return to TV?