Manipulate (Book 1, Alien Cadets)

Author's Note - FAQ

Q: Where did you get the idea for Manipulate?

I originally wanted to make a sci fi retelling of the story of Daniel in the Bible.

(If you're not familiar with the story: Daniel's the one who got taken by the Babylonians after the fall of Judah and eventually became King Darius's right hand man. The king's advisers hated Daniel and tricked the king into making a law against praying to anyone but the king. Daniel continued to pray to his god, the God of Israel, and so he was thrown to the lions (as the law demanded), but God protected him. The king came to believe in Daniel's god because of his survival. You should read it if you never have, fascinating story of cultural conflict.)

The main components I stole from the book of Daniel were: the invasion by an 'alien' people, Sam's selection and training by the invaders (including a few references to how he ate differently than the other cadets), the lion's den situation, and his rise to influence. Manipulate obviously became it's own story as I continued, but that was my original idea.

Q: If this was based on the Bible, why didn't you talk more about God?

I deviated so far from the source material, I didn't want to make this seem like a weird reinterpretation of a sacred text. This is a sci fi novel, completely imaginary, etc. etc. :-) What I did put in the story was meant to show the sovereignty of God's control - managing things so that just the right people met at just the right times and ended up at the right places in the nick of time.

Lol, that could also be called sloppy writing, but I meant it to display an interpretation of God's providence, for those who look at things that way.

Q: How do I finish my own novel?

I wrote my novels during NaNoWriMo, so this is usually phrased, "How did you finish X novel in a month?" But what you really need to know is how to finish yours!!

I have 2 pieces of advice.

1. Write as fast as you can.

2. DO NOT tell anybody the plot of your story until you are done!

You can tell your friends that you are writing a story, but don't tell them anything else!! Talking about the end of your story gives you the same satisfaction as having someone read the end of your story. And then you have no motivation to finish! Your writerly soul is like a tea kettle on the stove - you've got to let the pressure and the heat build up until the whole story explodes out of you.

If you relieve the pressure by telling the whole story to your best friend, then your tea kettle will never boil that story out of you.

There have been studies on motivation and discipline that show if you tell people too much about your goal before you achieve it - you SERIOUSLY loose the motivation to finish. You get the emotional payoff without the work and it's very hard to push yourself into finishing.

This may not work for everybody, but that's my method! :-)

Let me know if you have any more questions about writing or about my stories that you'd like answered, and thanks for reading!