Fantasist's Scroll

Today is Frank Herbert’s Birthday.

Of course, we haven’t had him with us since 1986, the year I graduated from high-school, but his work lives on. Mr. Herbert is primarily known for his seminal work, Dune, and the Dune books that followed. Though, interestingly enough, he never intended to write sequels.
Often refered to as the science-fiction Lord of the Rings, Dune and the books that followed detail an amazingly rich science-ficiton culture. The novels are some of the first to have detailed political and sociological sub-plots, not to mention ecological sub-plots! The way Mr. Herbert used religion in his work is quite interesting as well. In a genre that often avoids discussing religion, he explored the topic in detail and with a depth that was personally inspiring.

There hasn’t been anyone else quite like Frank Herbert and I am in awe of the ways in which he influenced the genre, which is why I celebrate this every year.

How cool is this?!
The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society has produced a “silent” film, much like would have been produced in the 1920’s, of Lovecraft’s most famous work, The Call of Cthulu. The movie is done in the classic style of the silver screen and has “mood” music background. Also, the DVD has a “making of” documentary and other bonuses. I can’t believe I haven’t heard about this soon, considering how much I love HPL and his work. Anyway, it exists and now the word is out.
The trailer is here and the DVD available for purchase is here.
Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!

This is funny to me.
The daughter of a favorite author of mine has written an entry in her blog about writing a “literary” novel that’s good enough to sell. Sadly, I’m afraid that she may well be right!
According to the entry in her father’s blog, this was inspired by the fact that she was forced to read a “literary” novel that didn’t agree with her mental digestion. And, interestingly enough, the author himself got started in response to the statistic often quoted about authors getting a “mere” $2000 for their first novel. Apparently, his thought was “For two grand, I could do something that bad. In fact, I think I could so something a little better.” And, I can think of worse ways to get inspired. After all, $2000 not bad, frankly, for a kid in high school with literary aspiration and some free time.
Hmm, maybe I could do better, if I follow her formula and put out a little effort…

Well, maybe tomorrow. Today, though, I revel in the fact that it’s Friday. Enjoy the link!

According to Writer’s Almanac we have three birthdays to celebrate today.

First, there’s novelist Herbert George (H.G.) Wells, who was born in Bromley, England in1866. According to the note I got from Writer’s Almanac, Wells had a job writing biology textbooks until he developed a respiratory illness in his late 20s. Since he thought he didn’t have long to live, he left his wife and ran away with another woman, after which he began writing furiously. In roughly three years, he published all the novels for which we know him: The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds.

It’s also the birthday of the novelist Stephen King, born in Portland, Maine in 1947. His father was a merchant seaman who left the family when Stephen was just two. He has no memories of his father, but one day he found a whole box full of his father’s science fiction and fantasy paperbacks, and that box of his father’s books inspired him to start writing horror stories.
He was working as a teacher when he wrote his first novel about a weird high school girl with psychic powers named Carrie White. He gave up on the book at one point and threw it in the trash. His wife rescued it. Carrie was published in 1973. The hard cover didn’t sell well, but then his agent called to say that the paperback rights had sold for $400,000.

Lastly, but, perhaps, most importantly, today is the birthday of the man who first put high quality literature into paperbacks, Sir Allen Lane, born in Bristol, England in 1902. He was the founder of Penguin Books.

Finally, a personal note. I am not evacuating during Hurricane Rita. I have nowhere to go, really, so I’ll stay and brave it. I’ll blog, as long as I have power and an Internet connection, at Diary of a Network Geek, my other blog. Take care!

Ever wanted to make your own language?
Well, if you’re like me, you have, but you may not have always known how to go about it. Don’t worry, there are lots of places on the web to help you figure out what you need to know! Of course, I’ve mentioned LangMaker.com here before, but just recently I came across the KICKS Academy Fictional Linguistics on-line course. It’s an easy “course” of material on the web that you can take at your own pace. They have plenty of references and handy worksheets to help you get through the design of your first language. They cover everything you need to know here, though, if you really enjoy yourself, you’ll probably want to branch out into some other, less traditional, areas of linguistics.
I think you’ll find it to be lots of fun, once you get started.

I can’t believe I’ve never written about this before!
At least, I couldn’t find anything about it when I searched for “font”. Anyway, this is a super cool little toy, even though it’s Java based, that lets you create your very own random and unique TrueType font. It’s some kind of art experiement or something, but, as far as I’m concerned, the Alphabet Synthesis Machine is just plain cool and fun. Of course, you can loose hours without realizing it playing with this sucker.
So, it’s a perfect way to waste time on a Friday afternoon!

No, actual menus!
Have you thought that much about the details of any fantasy world that you’ve created? Sure, you have a language and a history and even a legal system for your freshly minted culture, but what do they eat for lunch? Well, if you haven’t thought about this, it’s not a bad idea to flesh it out. Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone. Over at the Zompist Web BBS, Dewrad has a thread started for just this topic called, Concuisine. Also, if you’re not familiar with this place, it’s a great source of information about any number of topics. And, there’s always someone willing to chat with you about ideas, even if they’re half-baked.
Go check it out!

How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!!
Yes, this is a real book. No, it is not serious. However, if you’re designing a villain, it’s not a bad place to start. No, seriously! Here in one book are the collected cliches of bad guys. Everything from talking when you should be shooting to the “Rube Goldberg” killing machine. You name the tragic mistake that any and all James Bond villains have made and it’s in this book somewhere. So, in a humorous way, it’s a guidebook for what NOT to do when creating your literary villain. In fact, part of the book is a warning to up-and-coming super villains on what to watch out for in heroes and the big mistakes that the “average” villain makes that costs them their victory.