C. David Belt's Blog, page 9
May 6, 2019
Earle is a Great Guy
My friend Earle and I disagree. A lot. And that’s okay. But more about that later. First let me tell you about Earle.
I have a pair of very good friends—Valerie and Earle Gardner. Valerie is a talented author of medieval fantasy. (Check out her “Blood of Ancient Kings,” “Dracona’s Rebirth,” and “Servant Queen,” written under the moniker, V.J.O. Gardener.) Earle is not an author. He is simply a great guy. He is clever, inventive, intelligent, and above all, friendly. He is the kind of guy who will help anyone at any time. Valerie, Earle, and I have been friends for years. We’ve spent countless hours together at Renaissance faires, writers’ conferences, and other events—anywhere we can sell our books.
When I do my medieval weapons shows/presentations/workshops, Earle and Valerie pack up my arsenal (often with the help of their adult son, Thomas), transport it to the event, and set up the tent/pavilion and the display. They man the arsenal, keeping everyone safe and making sure no one walks off with one of my lovely, lethal treasures. They carefully monitor the weapons as they are passed around among the patrons during the show/class. They carefully wipe off every single weapon—more than eighty pieces and growing (who knew swords, spears, and axes—oh my!—proliferated like that?)—to get all the fingerprints off the high-carbon steel so the swords won’t rust. After each class, they help me answer questions, help keep everyone safe (and above all protect my weapons), and basically make sure everyone has a wonderful, enlightening time. At the end of each day, they pack up the weapons, pavilion, etc., and transport it all home (or store it safely away for the next day). After the event, they transport the entire arsenal back to my home and help haul it back up to my office (a.k.a. “The Armory”).
I have had two major surgeries in the past two years—I’ve had my Achilles tendon repaired and a total knee replacement. For a couple of years before that, when I was in extreme pain and taking medications to control that pain (medications that made me very sick and didn’t do all that much to mitigate the pain), Earle and Valerie did ALL the work for the workshops—except for the teaching itself. Physically, it was all I could do to teach the classes. I couldn’t do any of the physical labor. When we loaded up from my office, my family and some of my neighbors would help haul things up and down the stairs, but the rest was all Earle and Valerie. (Thankfully, I am able to help out more and more now as I’m slowly regaining my strength.)
But there’s more.
Earle has invented and constructed clever and durable display stands for my various suits of armor, breastplates, helms, and spears. Valerie has sown coverings for the helmet stands and for my English longbow. Earle has engineered containers and strategies to safely transport the weapons. He is constantly thinking of ways to improve the displays and the process. The man is a genius!
Now, why would Earle and Valerie do all this? There is certainly some mutual self-interest involved. Valerie sells her books and I sell mine at these faires, conferences, and other events. Often, Valerie and Earle will do an event out of town that conflicts with my service in the Tabernacle Choir—so I can’t attend—but they take boxes of my books and sell them right along with Valerie’s. Sometimes, we sell a lot. Sometimes, we sell few. Sometimes, Valerie sells more than I do and visa-versa. But we are selling books. So, there is that aspect, to be sure. But Earle is there, pitching both Valerie’s books and mine to anybody who is interested. But that’s not all there is to it. Not by a long shot. There has even been one event where I was allowed to sell books (because I was invited to participate), but Valerie was not. And yet, they both came and did their thing anyway. I am constantly amazed and profoundly grateful. I cannot thank them enough.
So why? Why, especially on those occasions when there is little or nothing to gain, would Earle and Valerie do all this? Because they are just great people.
Now back to my opening statement.
Earle and I disagree about a LOT of things. A lot of IMPORTANT things that we are PASSIONATE about. We have strong, often, conflicting opinions. We’ve had discussions online and in-person about these important things. They have never devolved into arguments. Not once. We’ve never even exchanged an angry or a harsh word. Not once. And while we can find common ground many times, I don’t think either of us has ever converted the other to the opposing position on anything. We’ve exchanged ideas, opposing viewpoints, and left it at that.
And that’s okay. We can disagree about fundamental things and still be friends.
What a concept!
Earle has never once accused me of hating people who are different. He has never accused me of despising the Earth, clean air, clean water, or bunny rabbits. Earle has never called into question my character or my honesty. Not once.
Today, I texted Earle out of the blue: “Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Cisco, or Archer?”
His response was “What?” (I’m pretty sure he thought I might have been on some serious drugs. Or that Ferengi had stolen my phone.)
I replied, “Star Trek captain.”
His response? “Janeway.”
Seriously? Janeway?
Okay, so Earle is very clearly WRONG on this fundamental and important issue. The correct answer is obviously Kirk (or possibly Archer).
(Actually, John Sheridan is THE best, but I didn’t give Earle that option, now did I?) But, Janeway???? Janeway?????
Guess what? We are still friends.
March 10, 2019
The Right Question
“What do you want to happen?” That’s what my wife asked me Thursday afternoon. We were discussing a rather important plot point in my latest work-in-progress, “The Witch and the Devourer of Souls” (a sequel to “The Witch of White Lady Hollow” which is coming this December). A lot of things hang on which way this particular plot point goes. (And no, I DON’T have the book all plotted out—that doesn’t work for me.) I’d been stewing about this point for more than a day. So, Cindy and I were discussing it on the phone as I was driving into Salt Lake City for Tabernacle Choir rehearsal. (Yes, we discuss HORROR as I prepare for Choir. It works for me.)
I thought for a moment, but just a moment, and then I said, “That’s not the right question.”
“What’s the right question?”
“It’s not important what I want to happen. What’s important is what would happen. What would the characters really do? I mean, in real life?”
THAT is one of the reasons why I cannot plot out my novels—because if I force a character to do something that is, well, out-of-character, the story NEVER works. It isn’t honest.
So, Cindy and I discussed the plot point further, and in the process of talking things out with my favorite (and loveliest) sounding board, it came to me. I realized exactly what the character would do, whether or not it served my immediate story needs. And it worked. It actually made the story better.
Because I let the character be himself. Or herself.
Notice I didn’t say I let the character do the right thing. Not everything a character, even a protagonist, does is good and right. Human beings don’t always do the right thing. I don’t always do the right thing. I try, most of the time, to be a decent person, but I, like everyone else who has walked the earth (except for Jesus Christ), fall short. People have flaws. People has quirks. People are selfish and selfless. We are brave and cowardly. We are petty and noble. And all at the same time.
We are human.
The great adventure of being human is to strive to overcome our faults, to strive to better ourselves, to rise above the dirt and the filth. And even more important than bettering ourselves, we need to help lift our fellow travelers on the road to eternity.
But lifting is not forcing. I can’t force my characters to be good or to do the right thing. If I do that, the story doesn’t work. Ever. That would make me a bad writer and a dishonest storyteller.
And in real life, trying to force someone else to be good or to do the right thing is, well, Satanic. That was Lucifer’s plan. Forcing others to be good doesn’t make them good. And worse, it makes the one doing the forcing evil.
Heavenly Father’s plan is the opposite. He teaches us, He leads us, He may even chastise us along the way, but He lets us fail. He lets us fall. He lets us hurt ourselves and those around us. Because He will not force us to be good. But when we are ready to pull ourselves out of the muck, He sends His Son to help us, to cleanse us. But He will never force us to be something we are not. He will only help us to become who we want to be. He gives us situations, circumstances, trials, difficulties, and fellow-travelers that can help us to grow and to become. But He will never force us.
I want my characters to grow, to progress, to learn, to become better. But I can never force them to do that. It just doesn’t work.
February 11, 2019
The Arawn Prophecy is a 2018 Whitney Award Finalist!
“The Arawn Prophecy” is one of five finalists for the 2018 Whitney Award for Best Speculative Fiction!
December 2, 2018
November 23, 2018
November 21, 2018
Silent Night
So humbled and blessed to have been a part of this. Merry and sacred Christmas.
October 26, 2018
Fizzbin and the Game of Life
I love the game of Fizzbin. I haven’t played since college, but…
What is Fizzbin, you ask? Oh, you poor, uncultured, geek-challenged… I’d wager (if I were a betting man) that you are deluded enough to think that Jean-Luc Picard was the greatest starship captain ever, which OBVIOUSLY not the case.
Fizzbin is a glorious card game played with a standard set of playing cards. And the “standard” set of playing cards is ALL that is standard about Fizzbin. You see, the rules of Fizzbin change constantly, depending on the day of the week or whether it’s day or night or just how gullible you are.
Fizzbin was brilliantly invented, on-the-fly, by Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Here is one of the craziest and funniest scenes from Star Trek (yes, the ORIGINAL series):
When I was in a sophomore in high school, some brave and clever trekker compiled all the rules of Fizzbin, added a few more to make it more interesting and complete, and published them. Once I educated my friends about the glories of Fizzbin, we would get together on some Friday nights and play. (Yes, as a matter of fact, I DID go out on actual dates with real GIRLS. You know, pretty humans of the feminine persuasion? I was, after all, a geek—not a nerd.) I don’t remember all the rules, but I DO remember that in the case of a tie, the winner was determined to the first one who could pin his opponent to the floor…
Here’s a link to the rules as originally published in 1976: http://nazarenespace.ning.com/profiles/blogs/just-for-fun-how-to-play-fizzbin-only-trekers-will-get-it
If Fizzbin sounds confusing, well obviously, it was meant to be. After all, it was invented by the greatest starship captain to confuse those who held Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy captive. And it worked. Fizzbin saved the day!
Imagine, though, if real life were like Fizzbin. Imagine if the rules constantly changed, sometimes without our knowledge, and what was right was suddenly wrong…
The ancient Greeks and Romans (and the Norse, as well) believed in gods that were, well, mercurial. The gods changed their minds. A lot. And mere mortals were constantly tossed about by their divine whims. One could anger the gods without knowing it. One might anger one god even while gaining the favor of another. What a way to live! But then again, the gods were jealous and petty and FLAWED. In other words, they were modelled after mortal patterns of behavior. The GODS reflected US.
But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob does not change. The great Jehovah does not vary from His eternal course. He turns not to the right hand nor to the left. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Some practices may change (e.g., going from a three-hour meeting block to a two-hour meeting block on Sundays or changing from home and visiting teaching to ministering or being forbidden to eat pork and shrimp), but eternal truths do not change.
I recently read about a group of “faith leaders” blessing an abortion clinic, saying that the murder of the most defenseless among us is a “godly act.”
Oh, my.
How could we have possibly convinced ourselves that evil is now good and good is now evil? Because we think we’re smarter than God? We imagine up unto ourselves a god who changes with the times. Modern churches seem to morph and twist themselves to suit the prevailing wisdom of man. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9) Things that were unconscionable not so long ago are now celebrated and called “godly.”
Sometimes we listen to General Conference and hear the voice of the Lord as spoken through living prophets and apostles… and we are offended. Why? Because we have become invested in something we know is wrong. Because we think our circumstances or that of someone we love must justify our standing in opposition to what the Lord has said time and time again, has been saying for millennia. We seem to expect that the Lord will someday “figure it out,” that someday the Lord will see things OUR way. Because we are now more enlightened than the exalted Being who sees the end from the beginning?
I’m currently reading the Book of Job in my personal scripture study. Job does NOT understand why he has been afflicted. His friends think it is because Job has sinned. We have all sinned, yes, but Job maintains his integrity and asserts that he has lived a godly life. At the end of the book, the Lord rebukes Job’s friends, but the Lord also rebukes JOB. The eternal Jehovah tells Job that He knows and sees all. He sees what Job does not and cannot. And how does Job respond to this rebuke? Job humbles himself before the Lord. Job REPENTS. He submits to the Lord’s will. Because the Lord is perfect. The Lord does not change. He is omniscient. And after Job humbly submits to the Lord’s will, the Lord blesses Job doubly.
God does not change with the times. Jesus Christ is smarter than I am. He knows all. And I take great comfort in that.
Because, after all, as much fun as a game of Fizzbin can be, I don’t want to live my life that way.
August 31, 2018
Another Advance Review for “The Arawn Prophecy”
When the author offered an ARC to review his new book, I was curious. Having not read his previous novels, I was intrigued by the premise of combining the genres of Christian fiction, LDS fiction, and horror. I wasn’t disappointed.
The story is well crafted and researched. I loved learning about the lives of the Roman legionnaires as I met Marcus. The trials of being a former princess, now defeated as a slave, as I met Maelona. The conflicting emotions of loving a human, but being compelled to kill those who do evil, when I met Branwen. I say met, because that is what it felt like. The characters are easily pictured, well written, and easy to connect with.
The word “Prophecy”, as written in the title, plays a major part in the story. Marcus has the Gift of Prophecy, and each chapter begins with one quoted. I enjoyed the challenge of first trying to determine the meaning, and then discovering it as the chapter played out.
Don’t let the idea that this is part of a series, or the horror genre, turn you away. There is enough back-story given to catch you up with the extra characters, and Mr. Belt does a wonderful job of letting your imagination fill in the details that constitute the horror. This story is easily read as a stand-alone novel. Bravo, Mr. Belt!
Cydnie Dial
South Jordan, UT
August 27, 2018
Author’s Note from “Time’s Plague” (coming September, 2018)
I once had the privilege of meeting James Doohan (“Scotty” from the original Star Trek television series). He was a genuinely nice guy and very gracious to me personally. However, when I first met him, I noticed immediately that he was missing the middle finger of his right hand. Of course, I didn’t ask him how he lost it. I was fifteen at the time, and I thought it might be rude.
I immediately sought out a mutual friend who told me that Mr. Doohan had landed at Juno Beach with a Royal Canadian Artillery Unit on D-day. It was his first combat experience. Let me say that again—D-day was his first combat experience. James Doohan was a bona fide WWII hero.
Being a young, rabid trekker—I was never a trekkie, and yes, there’s a difference—I had seen all of the original Star Trek episodes, most of them many times. This was in the unimaginably distant past when we didn’t have DVDs or VCRs. I had to run home from school to be able to catch the show in local syndication. And from that day forward, I watched every episode, paying special attention to Scotty, looking for that missing finger. Although extra care was taken not to show his right hand directly, there were times when it was unavoidable. I was astonished to find that, while I had never noticed the absence of a finger before, once I had “eyes to see,” it was easy to see it—or rather to not see it.
Mr. Doohan personally inspired many, many people to pursue engineering and astronautics. He was awarded an honorary degree in engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering where half the students polled said that “Scotty” had inspired them to study the discipline.
But it was Mr. Doohan’s passion for Shakespeare that inspired me. Mr. Doohan told me that his greatest ambition was to play King Lear. As far as I can determine, he never achieved that goal. And that is a shame, because he was a great actor. He would have made a great King Lear. Perhaps he is playing Lear for the angels now.
After meeting Mr. Doohan, I took a special interest in the story of King Lear. I read the play a number of times. I was most fascinated by the story of Edgar, Edmund, and Gloucester. Here was a tale of love, loyalty, and betrayal, of hatred and madness, of violence and horror, and of honor, sacrifice, and friendship in the unlikeliest of places. King Lear is Shakespeare at his tragic best.
Time’s Plague, while inspired by King Lear, is not a retelling of Shakespeare’s play. I have borrowed character names and themes—Shakespeare himself borrowed and adapted stories from other sources—but I have not attempted to repaint the Bard’s masterpiece with a sci-fi brush, except perhaps in the very broadest of strokes.
At its heart, the central theme of King Lear and Time’s Plague is blindness, both physical and spiritual. Lear cannot see Regan and Goneril for what they are. He cannot see Cordelia’s love. Gloucester cannot see Edmund’s perfidy or Edgar’s nobility and loyalty. And this spiritual blindness costs him his eyes.
Which brings me back to Mr. Doohan. After Star Trek, he had a hard time getting work. Nobody could see past “Scotty.” And I, for one, believe that this cost the world a truly great King Lear.
C. David Belt
August 7th, 2018
unwillingchild@hotmail.com
“Time’s Plague” Cover Reveal!!!!
“Time’s Plague” is scheduled for release in September. And here is the front cover by Ben Savage, Cover Artist Supreme!
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