Breaking George Bailey this Christmas

AuthorAppleton on November 23, 2015

Every Thanksgiving I look forward to watching It’s A Wonderful Life. When I was growing up my parents knew how to throw a great Thanksgiving. They cooked a fantastic meal and invited a bunch of family over. My Dad would, at some point later in the day, flip through our limited selection of channels. Besides watching the parades, I remember him stopping when It’s A Wonderful Life came on. And I now try to make that movie a part of every Holiday season.

The tale of George Bailey is such a sad one. He has wonderful friends and he is endearing to almost everyone he meets. He is genuine, honest, and fair. Yet he lacks confidence in himself. He dreams big but always puts the dreams of others before his own, and in doing so he loses everything. By his generosity and fairness he makes friends with the poor and the sick. And when his uncle could go to jail for fraud, George takes the blame. Even at his lowest point he does the good thing, continuing his good deeds despite all expectations to the contrary.

The most beautiful thing about this story is that George does not broadcast his good deeds to everyone. He never “toots his own horn” but rather turns the spotlight onto those he has helped. I prefer to watch this movie in black and white as the absence of color is an artful way of emphasizing that the story is not about the lights and glitter, but rather about the hearts of people.

Why do I bring this up now? Yes, it is Thanksgiving and the Christmas season is practically upon us. But I have recognized within the fictional character of George Bailey the struggles of all honest, hard-working men who never get credit for what they have done. They do what is right because it is what they must do. It is the character they have established within themselves.

Contemporary fiction is filled with a lack of faith in the human spirit. Everyone is shown as liars, cheats, and backstabbers. But I am tired of that kind of story. I want more George Baileys. Characters of people who are broken, brought to the very end of their hope, yet still do the right thing by the people around them. This Christmas I want to revel in the spirit of good deeds and restore my faith in humanity.

We live in such a pessimistic world, yet there is so much good going on all around us. We need only look for it in others and in ourselves. I believe God has given us that ability.

I love how It’s a Wonderful Life demonstrates the true reward of doing right by people and doing good without expectation of reward. When it appears that George Bailey has nowhere to turn it is the poor, the sick, and his family that come to his aid. Kindness reciprocates kindness. We live in a world of great fear, but if we reach out with love we will see love return to us.

This Christmas let’s remember the real reasons this season is special. Let us leave behind the greed and the selfishness in favor of sharing Christian love with all people.

Q: Did It’s a Wonderful Life similarly impact you?

How past success motivates current endeavors

AuthorAppleton on November 9, 2015

It’s amazing looking back over the past six years. So much has changed. I am a goal-oriented person and I am pleased to see that most of my goals have been reached. With the release of The Phantom’s Blade this past week I now have five published fantasy novels. It is important to reflect on what we’ve accomplished. It sets our mind in a positive way, looking ahead to greater things to come.

I can remember the thrill of holding my first copy of Swords of the Six in my hand. It was a dream come true. And somehow that feeling is duplicated every time I hold a copy of a new release in my hands. Each book represents numerous hours of thoughtful, sometimes painful attention to story and detail. Trying to make each book a work of art is always my goal.

Every time I hold a copy of one of my newly released novels in my hand I feel thrilled and relieved. Finally the hard work has paid off. Finally I can share with readers the story that has been banging around in brain, screaming to be released. Each story is a piece of my soul, as it were. A sharing of my deepest convictions, conflicts, fears, and hopes.

Storytelling is a beautiful thing. The task of writing a new novel is enormous. Each time I begin the journey the end seems insurmountably far off. But when I look back at the works I’ve already published I find encouragement and it helps me persevere until the task is completed.

Q: Do you get a thrill when you craft a story? Or when you read a new book that impacts you?

The interrupted writer

AuthorAppleton on November 2, 2015

A writer is an artist and as such when we are writing our creative process is subject to the same rules as any other artist. We can be interrupted, discouraged, and our creativity can be drained. Writing takes patience and time. If you’re a writer who has been interrupted, or if you are someone with a writer in your family… you need to read this.

Many times I have found that people who are close to me have the greatest difficulty in giving me that space to be creative. When I am sitting in front of my computer or a notebook for an hour or two and I have written nothing, I can understand why they approach me. I’m sure from their perspective it looks like I am either bored or being lazy. But the opposite is true.

These times of quiet are necessary to producing a great piece of writing. It is not dissimilar to a painter staring at the blank canvas, staring for hours, contemplating, envisioning what they can create. A writer needs that time just as much as the painter does.

Requests by family members to help with a chore or run an errand may seem insignificant, but they are not. The creativity that was flowing for that last hour, once interrupted, is difficult to recover. Portions of story that I was piecing together, conflicts of emotion that I was envisioning for my characters, all of that is put in jeopardy when I am interrupted.

To the observer the writer is a fragile, unpredictable creature. Once interrupted they might turn in anger, or they might respond sweetly to you. They might even seem to display profound sadness.

These reactions are true of me. When writing I am unpredictable. I am best left alone. The creative process drowns me in a universe of emotions that are unfulfilled and until the creative process has finished I am in the same emotional state that I am dwelling my mind upon.

When you interrupt the writer you do not know if you are speaking to the hero, the heroine, the weak, the strong, or even the villain. The writer is all of these things as they write. They become all things for their story so that their art is perfected.

Q: Are you the interrupted writer or the interrupting family member? How true is this for you?

How characters with conviction drive story

AuthorAppleton on October 19, 2015

It would be impossible for me to recollect how many times I have heard people say to me, “All religions are really the same. So I don’t believe in any of them.” I think they thought it was impressive to say it, perhaps politically correct and socially accepted in our culture. Besides betraying a lack of knowledge or understanding of what divides religious groups, what they were really saying was, “I’ve given up on searching for absolute truth, so I am not accountable to any worldview.”

Interesting? Not really. It’s sad. Sad that an individual will fall into the trap of giving up on finding the basis for their convictions. Their ethics become based on feelings and emotions, as they are subject to no supreme authority. It brings to mind that verse in Revelation 3:16. It is pertinent to quote it here: “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.”

Conversely, I have encountered people of faiths that differ from mine who will tell me in no uncertain terms where they stand. People like that I can respect, even if our beliefs are polarizingly opposed. They know what they believe and why they believe it.

When writing fiction this is an important consideration. What kind of characters do you want to create? Do you want generic individuals so that you have to rely on the plot? Or would you rather have characters of conviction who stand firm on what they believe and why they believe it?

Looking at history demonstrates this repeatedly. If a simple monk had not stood against the Pope, we would never have heard of Martin Luther. If Hitler’s worldview had not been so polar-opposed to Stalin’s socialism, he may not have turned on Russia.

A story that is filled with characters of conviction leaves a lasting impact on the reader because the reader finds themselves rooting for some while condemning others. Characters with conviction can be praised or condemned for their choices and actions. Characters without conviction follow the whims of society and leave little lasting impact.

Conviction feeds growth. It makes people uncomfortable or inspires them, but it certainly leaves an impact on society. Characters of conviction drive story. We can root for them or watch them fall.

Storytelling is a powerful vehicle for exploring the best and the worst in humanity. But characters without conviction fade into the background. They neither angered nor thrilled us… Well, perhaps I am wrong in that. Sometimes they do anger us in the same way that those types do in real life.

Q: Do you recognize what convictions drive your favorite fiction characters?

The Necessity of Vision

AuthorAppleton on October 12, 2015

The existence we know is not the world we reach for
We see things above and beyond ourselves
We grasp at a vision of things to learn
And worlds yet to be explored.

The world around us is bound in the present
Yet we reach into our God-given creativity
Nothing unattainable or insurmountable
And our vision extends to the future.

Vision to see beyond the present curcumstances
Imagination to improve and grow
We will let nothing deter us from achieving our dreams
And the dreamers become the doers.

Vision must be tempered by humility
Without it we choose unwisely
Only with it can we attain our dreams
Our learning is empowered by this path.

The existence we know is only a first step
We see into the future and dream
We begin building the vision in the present
And over time we explore those new worlds.

Holding our Creator’s hand
We are people of vision
Undaunted by setbacks and discouragement
And the future is ours to fearlessly face.

Following in our Creator’s steps
We are people of conscience
Looking beyond this world of sin
And our vision is to stand in good conscience.

Q: Who is guiding your vision?

How my Grandmother’s book keeps giving

AuthorAppleton on October 5, 2015

Growing up I read lots of books. I loved a good story. The tales of King Arthur and his knights, of fairy tales, of Christian allegories… they fueled the fire for storytelling. I grew up in rural Connecticut where small towns and their tiny libraries were the norm, and it’s amazing the treasures that could be found on those old shelves.

As a writer you can mine treasures from old books. It is an unparalleled feeling to look through a long-forgotten volume that, to your knowledge at least, may be the only copy remaining to the world.

Those little old town libraries had great book sales. Often you could pick up a hardcover copy of exactly what you wanted for a dollar, or a paperback for fifty cents. But what I was always on the lookout for were the old volumes. Hardback volumes printed at the dawn of the 19th century, or in the 1800’s. I focused on historical books because their accounts were not burdened by the modern perceptions of the author. Little did I know that some of the greatest treasures could be found in short story collections and poetry.

Some years ago I was visiting my grandmother (my father’s mother) and I told her my vision for using my own publishing company to bring old, long-forgotten volumes back into print. She went and retrieved a couple of books for me and I’ll never forget how pleased I was to get a heavy volume titled The Children’s Book of Poetry. It was printed in 1879.
old book page excerpt
I’ve not finished this book… not by a long shot! It is not merely a collection of poetry, it is an arsenal of stories drenched in variety and, most importantly, morally constructive.

The value in this book is that I can read these old pieces, none of which are thus far familiar to me, and find fresh inspiration. Inspiration that will help feed my creativity for years to come. All thanks to my Grandma. She is the sweetest lady and I’ll always hold this book with fondness, knowing that she gave it to me. I’ve already gleaned some great ideas from these “lost” pieces.

You see? The value in an old book (from the writer’s perspective) is the content it offers. Not its value or interest as an antique.

Q: Do you have any old books from which you might glean inspiration for new content?

 

My intention with “The Phantom’s Blade”

AuthorAppleton on September 28, 2015

I do not write stories simply to tell them. I do not look for the stories to merely entertain. I want them to have staying power and so they reflect the moments of my life. My next story explores the grim reality of loneliness and the hope of companionship. It shapes a future that is ever brighter because we must place our hope not in ourselves, but in the strength we find in doing good. Enter The Phantom’s Blade (The Sword of the Dragon book 4).

November 6th is the date! Finally it’s time to continue The Sword of the Dragon series and see what happens next with Ilfedo, Oganna, and Ombre.

I am so excited for this! It’s been a few years that I’ve been working on the material for this novel. The hardest part for me when writing Key of Living Fire was to leave a slew of newly-found characters in the underground city of Dresdyn. There are elements of the Hemmed Land’s history that have long hinted that they came from a land long lost. A history where technology was far in advance of what Ilfedo’s people currently understand as they exist in a near-medieval condition.

This book was written with sweat and tears… almost literally 😉 as I struggled to balance the many things going on in my life. Family, work, illness, moving to South Carolina, my fourth child being born, and now moving into our first house. It’s an exciting time as God has opened the doors so that now I can build a home business of writing, speaking, and editing. When your read my novels you are reading a reflection of what has happened and is happening in my life. My confusion, my revelations, my times of pain and of joy. The characters are put through much so that I can continue to evolve as a writer. So that my writing is not merely the telling of stories, but rather the sharing of visions striven for and attained.

Stories change hearts. Stories make a difference in our lives and in our culture.

So be sure to mark your calendar and warm a spot on your bookshelf for The Phantom’s Blade (The Sword of the Dragon book 4). Available on November 6th 2015.

How writing strengthens relationships

AuthorAppleton on September 21, 2015

It is an interesting thing to sit back and reflect on how we relate to other people. Some people communicate best verbally… but some of us can only make people understand exactly what we mean by writing it out.

Have you ever found yourself talking too much? Suddenly you realize that the conversation died a long while ago and the person you’re conversing with is no longer interested in what you have to say? Well, you suffer from the same condition I do. You may feel something is wrong with you because your verbal communication is less effective, but in fact you experience suggests you are a born writer.

Not all of us are gifted with our tongues. Some of us are wired for the written word. We can only explain what we feel after careful consideration or even meditation. For us communication is a process of creativity and the end goal is communication that feels like art to the recipient. When we write our thoughts flow uninhibited.

What is more amazing is that other people read what we write and suddenly they clearly understand what we’ve been trying to tell them all the while.

This has always been my struggle. When I talk, people have an easier time losing interest. They often can’t follow my reasoning as well as needed to arrive at the same conclusions I do. I watch in their eyes as they try their hardest to follow my line of thinking.

When I write out my thoughts the reverse is true.

My wife and I have had our share of disagreements and I fault myself for many of them because I cannot verbally communicate what I really mean. It takes me a while to get around to the point in the conversation. But I remember back when we started dating that I wrote her many a letter conveying the depth of my thoughts and feelings. Doing that really drew our hearts together and helped me lead her spiritually.

If you are like me your written words are more impactful than your spoken. If you are born to write then you can make people relate to and understand you through writing.

Use writing to strengthen your relationships. Use writing to lead people and to confound your adversaries. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword. Some people speak and their words reach people to change hearts and lives, but their words are gone after they are spoken. For us our writing is a path into changing hearts and minds. You can use writing to effect change… and your words will be preserved from generation to generation, leaving the same impact with each. That is a solemn responsibility and a glorious opportunity.

Q: Are you using writing to strengthen relationships, and change lives?