Thank you to all who participated in my 2016 Reader Survey! I learned some valuable things that have helped me make some important decisions for moving forward with my website and writing. Finally I have enough data to move forward knowing who is being blessed and responding best to my writing. Before I get into the fun stuff (for the changes I’m instituting for this year) let me share with you some of the survey results:
The vast majority of my readers are devout Christian singles under 26-years-old. They are most interested in getting more novels in The Sword of the Dragon series (including the Neverqueen saga). On my blog they prefer to read about Reinforcing Christian Values through Writing Fiction.
Writing a weekly post for my blog has become all-consuming of my writing time of late, especially with my other commitments. To be candid I am writing far too little fiction and making far too little progress in continuing the novels and stories you all have asked me for. So to free up my creativity I am going to assign my blog posts to the first Monday of each month, no longer putting out a weekly article. Every now and then I plan to throw in an extra writing tip or glimpse into what I am writing. This will allow me to focus on the best content for the website but also to focus on the fiction writing.
I am spread too thin and my energies have been less effective as a result. It is my hope that this will empower my writing to get back on track with the fiction writing, putting my mind back in the story creation process. I have so many good stories to tell and I so badly want to finish writing them. But all in good time!
The second change I am making is a big one for me. My novels have had broad market appeal, reaching people from many different political and religious persuasions. But the people who disagreed with my stances prove time and again that I cannot “straddle the fence” so to speak. Some who despise my Christian values have gone so far as to attack by calling me names or reaching assumptions that were not true. I know in Whom I have believed and I believe He is able to bring all to a knowledge of repentance and that all must repent of sin and turn to God. This message resonates with the readers who are my kindred spirits and I fully intend that my focus will now be on writing chiefly as a Christian author. Christian readers most appreciate where I am coming from, they know me best. They rally behind the right things and call out the things that are wrong.
We are in a spiritual battle, and the way I am gifted to fight the spiritual is to lead hearts and minds through powerful writing that convicts, uplifts, and strengthens the faithful as I grow in my walk with the Lord. It is time to narrow my focus to the Christian readership because there my writing is having the right impact on people’s lives. Please pray for me as I move forward with these changes. Some will not be happy with my decision, but I know that ultimately God will bless it.
Q: How does your faith impact your creative pursuits?
Well said, Scott!
Albeit I myself prefer super-heroes (ever heard of the Legion of Super-Heroes? Before Paul Levitz started to write them, they were GREAT!), and hence, don’t read fantasy novels anymore, I wish you much fortune with writing Christian Fantasy. There are FAR TOO FEW of you people out there.
Just don’t forget that people aren’t redeemed by reading fiction – even Christian fiction -, but by hearing and BELIEVING the Good Message. Don’t attempt to “lead them to God” through your books– it’s conterproductive, because Jesus ONLY can lead to God. The best (and worst) you could do is leading the readers to YOU instead of to God– as some fans (myself included, sadly) of the Chronicles of Narnia found out.
And YES, don’t write for EVERYONE. Simply write for the Christians. God will send you readers, if He wishes you to be a commercially successful writer.
Besides, those idiot God haters always whine whenever God OR Christianity is mentioned, named or implied in a positive context. IGNORE them. They are quite literally creatures of the ENEMY. They may claim they don’t believe in God, but they DO: Why else would the “topic” God so painful and fairful to them, that they try to drag His name through the mud any chance they get, or, if that’s not feasible, would rather NOT hear about Him at all? I mean, I believe neither in the Tooth Fairy nor a baby delivery service run by the Stork, but I certainly feel neither “provoced” nor intimidated by those fables. In fact, I kinda like ’em.
The atheists customarily claim unbelief in God to hide theyr hatred of Him. Trust me, I have met atheists, and always will they claim not to believe in Him, yet defend ANY other “faith”, even in canibalism, even as they mock God and slander us Christians.
Again, I aplaud you. It’s always GREAT to meet a “christian” fiction writer who’s REALLY a Christian, and (unwittingly) even PROVES it by resisting Greed’s lure to hide his faith.
I’m glad you DID resist. And just for that, if I ever should start again to read fantasy novels (instead of writing them and reading comics, as I did the last years), I’ll certainly give your books (some of them, at any rate) a try. But currently, I’ve so many problems that I lack even the quit and concentration to stomach even a summary or novella of one of your books. Unfortunately.
Cheers,
Andreas
Thank you for making this difficult choice. I am pretty sure that most of your readers will stand behind me when I say YOU made the right choice. And about the people that disagree with you remember Exodus 23:22
If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.
But also remember Proverbs 24:17
Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.
Thank you, Mr. Appleton, for making the decision to stand firm and fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). 🙂
In a lost world, we need more sound Biblical Truth in the fantasy genre that will turn the reader’s mind and (in turn) his heart toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Many voices and tongues shriek for their attention as is. Why not contribute captivating fiction that calls to them with His persistent, still, small voice (1 Ki. 19:12)? 😉
As for my faith impacting my writing, I can say that there are threads that God’s been pulling out of the fictional stories He’s planted in my mind. One involves human trafficking and how each individual is made for a reason => isn’t an accident. Another is a fantasy world that has the concept of seeing beauty in _all_ that God has made, despite it’s current fallen condition. And the one I’m currently working on has the theme of loving your enemies, even though it seems they’ve taken everything from you.
God has been directing my fiction and its underlying themes in ways that I couldn’t have known — and it’s been a wonderful adventure. 🙂
I agree with Quentin whole heartedly. He said it all for me so no need for me to rewrite it . Number one fan , Mike
The second change I am making is a big one for me. My novels have had broad market appeal, reaching people from many different political and religious persuasions. But the people who disagreed with my stances prove time and again that I cannot “straddle the fence” so to speak. Some who despise my Christian values have gone so far as to attack by calling me names or reaching assumptions that were not true. I know in Whom I have believed and I believe He is able to bring all to a knowledge of repentance and that all must repent of sin and turn to God. This message resonates with the readers who are my kindred spirits and I fully intend that my focus will now be on writing chiefly as a Christian author. Christian readers most appreciate where I am coming from, they know me best. They rally behind the right things and call out the things that are wrong.
I like that! I like the godly things in your stories, and when the characters do the right thing. I like how in among broken gods, the characters pray to the one true God and they turn to him. That was a wonderful scene! Salvation scenes in stories are great! Yes, we all must repent of sin and turn to God. Jesus saved me from the LGBT lifestyle, and what I used to read back then is completely different than what I read now! The world view was different. The content was disgusting, and I know you have fantasy violence and so does another series I like, Ilyon Chronicles, but it was not good versus evil. It was pure evil really. And the hinting to sexual immorality like when Xavien got tempted by the witch? Well, back then it wasn’t just temptation in the stories I read. It was full on evil, no good, no repentance, no explaining why it is wrong to do and certainly no Christian worldview. I also believe that marriage is for life and there are “Christian” books that have divorce and remarriage “romance.” Which I absolutely do not agree with! I love Christian fantasy.
Hi Sheena,
Your response is inspiring! Thank you for sharing this, because it encourages me to hear that you really understand and appreciate why I show both the good and the evil in my novels. It’s easier to see the light and desire its goodness when it shines against a dark background.