Author Appleton

Writing. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Mystery

writing

Refusing the Villain

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A villain is not someone to look up to,
They should not be.
A villain chooses evil over good,
They choose a damnable fate for their soul.

Faces for the reader to remember,
Visions for them to interpret.
A villain is the worst among humanity,
Yet we see them extolled by viewers and readers.

A story needs to communicate to the reader,
It needs to reinforce the proper values.
The villain should remain the villain,
Unless a different path they choose.

Redemption is the answer,
The only answer.
Repentance is the only gate,
And it is a difficult one to open.

Consider well the path of a villain,
Do not glory in his destruction.
The toll his acts take on those around him,
Most importantly the consequences.

Know your soul,
Understand what you aspire to be.
Know your enemy,
Do not look to glory in the villain.

Refuse the villain and learn from his errors,
Rising in honor and glory.
Where he fell in pride,
Look to rise in humility.

Villains are to be condemned,
Their story a blight on the journey.
Villains will never rise again,
Ultimately their path leads to death.

Q: Do you see villains despised or glorified in contemporary fiction and films?

Pondering: futility of godless stories

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Ponder with me the shallowness of stories that omit any divine purpose. Any intervention or God-given purpose. As writers creating fictional realms we have the opportunity to omit God… or do we?

A story I moderately enjoy centers around a Buddhist monk who is on a quest to find the equivalent of the chosen one. The chosen one must have certain qualities and the monk seeks out a man with those qualities. In his quest he relies heavily on a prophecy that gives him signs he can follow so that he will know for certain he has found the one. There is never a mention of divine intervention. The story as a whole is devoid of God and in this missing element it becomes shallow.

It makes no sense for there to be a prophecy unless there was One to inspire the prophecy. And it is contradictory to choose one man based on moral qualities and yet ignore where those moral qualities come from.

Is it not interesting? While purporting high moral standards, secular stories miss the all-important question, which is, that if there is a moral law then Who gave that law. And if there is no Divine giver of moral law then morals are dictated by mankind. And if mankind dictates morals then he is not responsible to a higher power, and without that responsibility mankind is free to follow their own moral codes. One person may say that a thing is wrong while another will say that it is right. Who is to say which is which? They are both men. They are both fallible. More importantly there is no Judge to hold them to a standard of morality.

You cannot have moral law without a Lawgiver, and the same law loses its power if you deny the existence of the One who established and enforced those laws. In truth there would be no solid consequences to immoral actions because no one could say that the law was any better than the lawbreaker’s moral opinion.

Q: Do you ponder the necessity of God in stories?

 

When books were shorter and excellent

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A few years back I approached my publisher with a proposed new fantasy series that would tie in with the previous one I wrote for them. They turned it down. Not because it wasn’t the type of story that they liked but because the manuscript did not exceed their minimum word-count requirement. That book was Neverqueen and I subsequently released that title through my own company. The word-count guidelines are something that I totally understand publishers need to have guidelines on, but what I find interesting is that seventy years ago shorter books rocked the publishing world.

Two prime examples of short works of fiction are a couple of my absolute favorite titles: The Time Machine and The Wizard of Oz. Other examples would be several of the Chronicles of Narnia titles. There’s an old saying that bears bringing back to life: “Short but sweet.”

I would like to make the argument that shorter works are needed. In fact, there is a nearly untapped market of readers out there who love to read but have very little time for pleasure reading. High school and college students are immersed in homework and textbooks. And fathers and mothers of young kids are swamped with work, life, and all that it entails. Picking up a four hundred page novel is not practical for them. But if they could find some shorter reads that were nevertheless just as fascinating as the longer works, I bet they would pick them up.

Neverqueen was my first test of this theory and it has proven to be accurate. Readers are snapping that book up and their responses have been overwhelmingly positive.

Years ago when I established Flaming Pen Press I intended to release an entire line of fantasy and science fiction novellas, mostly from new authors. But unfortunately we suffered a major financial setback and everything had to be scrapped. But I have not lost that vision. In fact, I have been plotting bringing back Flaming Pen Press with a line of new titles. There are details still to work out, but what I’d like to do is release the next line of short books that will capture the imagination just as The Time Machine and The Wizard of Oz did for me. Currently I know of only one publisher that is successfully doing this (TOR) and I am pleased to see the result is positive for them as well.

Q: What do you think of novellas?

Materialism: the writer’s enemy

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Recently I took my wife and kids to the mall. It is only about twenty-five minutes from our house but I had never been. In fact, it had been a long while since I had been in any mall. Firstly, I am not a big shopper and second, I find malls are filled with clothing above all else (which generally I find clothes shopping boring). We only moved to South Carolina in the past year so there is much of the area yet to explore. But in my trip to the mall I was reminded of the dangers of materialism and specifically how they impede creativity and writing.

After eating dinner we had walked through a portion of the mall. As I said before there were many clothing stores but there were also other shops. The myriad of jewelry stores, a few department stores, various kiosks in the aisle offering anything from bracelets to perfume. Then, on the lower level, there was an apple store. You must understand that I am not an Apple-only customer. My laptops have always been Windows machines due to the flexibility of the programing. However, I bought an iPad2 a few years back and have been thrilled with the quality of the product. Battery still holds almost 10-hours of life. I’ve dropped the thing on a tile floor and still it works seamlessly. But I have never been inside of an Apple store, though many people have told me it is fascinating because they carry the latest gadgets.

I love gadgets. Technology fascinates me and I do not mind spending good money on tech that lasts longer and gives me greater flexibility in my life. My wife stopped at one shop and I walked off with my youngest boys in the stroller to check out the Apple store. When I arrived I stood outside of the doorway and looked in. It looked like fun. But the desire to go in and fiddle with the new tech left me. I found myself thinking about all of the good in life that I have… and I have it without creating new cravings for more stuff.

Do not get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with shopping for good tech. But in that moment I realized that I have all I need. A beautiful wife and four great kids, a house and a bit of land, and a good job. Above all of that is God’s love surrounding and feeding that contentment.

No greater illustration can be given of this struggle than that of Pilgrim’s Progress, in which Christian carries a burden of sin along his journey to the Celestial City. The writer is Christian and the burden is Materialism. Especially in America where we are given so much and given the opportunity for so much more. Materialism consumes many of us. It drowns creativity and exterminates healthy ambitions.

I do not want to be always desirous of the things in this life, I want to be creative in expressing the love, the satisfaction, and benefits I enjoy. Writing is my way of expressing myself and when I write I convey the things that matter most to me and why they matter most to me.

Materialism is the writer’s enemy. Seeking after things only leads to more lust. Seeking instead to find that inner peace and communion with God leads to an abundance of creativity.

Q: How do you view materialism?

The New Fantasy Beast

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Innovative fantasy creatures are born from strange ideas. In my writing experience it is easy to invent creatures. But it is not enough to create new creatures, they must be memorable in their uniqueness. They must be believable in their physical and behavioral traits. …Such a creature is the Cat Beast.

Some of the creatures I created for The Sword of the Dragon series were more successful than others. The most popular so far have been the Megatraths. Six-legged monsters of an ancient lineage that has been lost to legend. Offspring introduced these beasts with a cruel Megatrath whose consideration of humanoids was that they were little more than playthings for his cruel amusement. Then we trekked into the desert homeland of the creatures and met Vectra, matriarch of the Megatraths. The Megatraths are neither cruel nor thoughtless. Cunning, yes. Of great physical strength, definitely. Breathing fire, exhaling poisonous vapors.

In the Neverqueen Saga I wanted to introduce a new beast that would hold us with a similar fascination as the megatraths. This may be same storyworld as the primary books in The Sword of the Dragon series, but here I wanted something that would personify the different sort of stories these books will tell. Neverqueen is more about finesse and beauty that hides souls in pain. It may sound a bit strange, but Hey! let me apologize. This is the writer’s mind.

What creature is more subtle than a cat? More resilient than a mountain ram? What sort of beast would rival a dragon in a fight even if it possessed no scales and could not breath fire?

The Cat Beasts are rarely seen. Possessing the strength of a dragon and near a dragon’s size, but often rivaling a dragon’s intelligence. They seem to be all but extinct. A couple are known to remain of the species… until the events of Neverqueen2. But there is one more truth that could determine our perception of them: they serve the wizard, Turser.

Such beautiful creatures. Yet such a pallor of uncertainty and fear surrounds them.

Q: What type of beast most fascinates you?

Your greatest asset in writing a novel

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I can’t tell you how many times I encounter people who, after hearing that I am an author, tell me that they had a book idea and someday they will write it. You want to know the truth? Most of those people will never write a book. Most will start at some point, then they with either lose interest or prioritize other tasks. They discover that writing an entire book is not so easy as they thought. Yep, it takes blood, sweat, and tears. The majority of people lack the key asset needed to finish a novel: perseverance.

To set out and write a novel means you are committing to writing 50,000 to 80,000 or 100,000-plus-words. Not a small task!

Perseverance will be your greatest virtue.

During the writing of my novels I have encountered so many obstacles that could have stopped me from completing the task. But writing is a love and a passion. It is an unquenchable desire that grows and must be exercised in order for the soul to find a measure of contentment. Distractions of family, friends, work, home, and entertainment can all stop you from completing your novel. But if you persevere through the distractions you can learn to use them to advantage.

The distractions are a tool for you to use. Family and friends provide inspiration. Just listen to the people around you. Watch their behaviors, their interactions. Listen to the way they speak. Try to understand their motivations and their convictions. Then process that information into inspiration for what you are writing. Inspiration for your characters and their world. Persevere through the distractions to find the inspiration. Persevere to finish the work you started.

In our world of instant gratification the greatest liability we face is our own distraction. We need to center our minds, hone our focus. Discipline is our ally and perseverance is our greatest asset. Without perseverance nothing noble can be accomplished. With perseverance anything is possible. Writing a novel is hard work, yet the reward of having completed it and then sharing it with others is vastly satisfying.

Q: What is the greatest hindrance you face in completing a novel?

Unspoken laws of fantasy fiction

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While fiction is itself an exploration of human imagination (and some might add an exploration of ingenuity as well) it must remain bound by laws if it is to impact the reader’s thinking in a positive way. The writer’s philosophies, persuasions, convictions, all of these things create the laws that bind their fiction. And this is a necessary difficulty for the writer because without laws fiction can confuse minds, even persuade them of non-factual things as factual. The unreal and imagined can be made to seem more important than reality.

If a reader is of a confused mind, or a troubled mental state, they are prone to falling for falsehoods. If a reader is, for example doubtful of God’s existence or is inclined to wish that God were not a supreme authority in the universe, the right fictional story could turn their mind against that authority. Fiction can create an excuse, which is a means of escape from the reality.

Truth and lie can be confused in story in such a way that it reinforces confusion in the reader. It may even persuade them that they are not accountable to the same laws that we know to be right and good.

For example, let’s say we have a fantasy story where the main character, a male protagonist, goes through multiple tragedies. With each tragedy he becomes angrier. First at the perpetrator of the tragedy, then at himself for not stopping the tragedy, and then at God for not stopping the tragedy, and then at God for not giving him the means to stop the tragedy. “If there was a good God then why would this have happened?” he would ask himself. Then later, as the story progresses, he submits that there is no God because cause A should have led to effect B. Therefore God, if he exists, is not good but indifferent or, worse, is himself evil.

Now to most readers this sort of transformation in the protagonist’s mind would seem tragic. We would see him as slipping into self-delusion as a result of his reaction to the tragedies he’d experienced. We would pity that protagonist, perhaps enjoy the journey as he seeks out revenge on his adversaries, but little else.

But to other readers this transformation becomes one of their own minds. They who suffer tragedy and feel just as the protagonist does. Instead of blaming the fallen sinful world in which the events occurred, they blame God. These readers find themselves relating to the protagonist, even learning from him despite the fact that he is a fictional character.

This is the power of fiction. This is the power of storytelling. This is the heavy responsibility of the writer.

To show that the man who falls to this is not a hero, but instead to show the negative consequences his thinking. Or, better still, to show a protagonist who rises above the tragedies and humbly accepts his bitter role in the created world. These are unspoken laws of fantasy fiction, to deliver truth and instruct in good and not in evil. To demonstrate what we should be and to show the consequences of wrong actions and even wrong beliefs. We look to show the good and encourage the faithful.

Q: How do you think writers should deal with unspoken laws of fantasy storytelling?

The importance of message in story

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While it is important that a fiction piece not “preach” a message to its readers, it is of even greater importance that the story does communicate a message. A lot of stories written today seem to focus on action and romance, or something similar. But the real power in storytelling is to reinforce cultural values, or even to destroy them. We learn best by observing others in what they do and should not have done. We learn by those things… and stories have the ability to mold our thinking.

My first novel, Swords of the Six, delivered a few messages. The heroine in the story fell in love but her life blood was not human and thus in order to give birth to a living child she had to give up her own life. The heroine was left with an internal battle as she realized that giving birth would separate her from her new husband. The story was a message, a way of demonstrating the immorality of abortion and reinforcing the Biblical value for human life.

Without message the story has no real impact on the reader. It becomes generic. Action and romance are necessary elements in story, but in and of themselves they are not sufficient. Story needs soul. Story needs conviction.

Have you ever read The Pilgrim’s Progress or Hinds Feet on High Places? They are allegories of the Christian life and their value to the reader is powerful because it challenges your thinking. It causes you to evaluate who you are, what you want to be, who you want to be, and helps you recognize the flaws and pitfalls in modern thinking. Nowadays many writers are afraid of hurting the reader’s feelings or alienating people by writing messages that the reader disagrees with and that society may frown upon. But that is exactly the strength of literature.

You need to be challenged, motivated, and encouraged. I once used the line that my books were written to “enlighten, enliven, and enthrall people of all ages.” That is still where I stand. Stories have the ability to reach into hearts and change minds. As a Christian I recognize the power of message in story. We need to embrace it and share it with people around us. It will strengthen folks to stand for things wholesome, right, and good. And to live without fear because we know the message is greater than our comfort.

Q: What messages do you appreciate in stories you’ve read?