Author Appleton

Writing. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Mystery

creativity

Death in life: a writer’s perspective

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This year I have seen three elderly family members pass on. Two of my great aunts and also my grandfather on my mother’s side. Last year it was my grandmother . . . I realize that in the midst of life, there is a constant flow of death, but I think the focus is typically on life in death. As in, life after death. Stopping to consider the value of death itself puts an interesting perspective on life.

When someone we know and love dies, the world around them is either greatly impacted through their absence, or not. Personally, I find this to be the primary concern where death is considered.

When we die, what sort of hole will we leave behind? Will it be a poisonous well, or a spring of blessings to our families and our society?

I suppose you can add a third alternative, which of course is to leave behind nothing. To not be missed. To have made no lasting impact. To be really and utterly forgotten. A sad condition. Not only for the departed soul but for those who are left behind.

Legacy is everything. Our children will die. Their children will die. Unless you are an Alexander the Great, a Leonardo DaVinci, a Joan of Arc, or a master of Psalms like David, or a renowned man of wisdom like Solomon, the following generations will not remember you.

While it is true that legacy is also passed through our children (I consider my children to be such) it is also less about me and more about my values. The values pass generation to generation with proper teaching and strong love.

But, profoundly, we cannot speak with our loved ones when we have died. Death is the impenetrable barrier. It is only after one is dead that we miss being able to converse with them. Fascinating isn’t it?

There is one blessed group of people for whom this is not true. While the rest of the world dies and is heard from no more, the artists continue to speak. Their paintings stir up conversations and their writings speak for them long after they are dead.

This is what writing is for me. My words to the generations that will follow. My perceptions to make them consider, my convictions to challenge them, and my love to strengthen them. When I die I will have a legacy that I cannot put a price tag on.

This is the value of Death in Life. We live and we see death, and death reminds us to make a lasting impact on those who will follow us.

Q: What are your thoughts on death? Does it motivate you to leave a legacy?

Why not buying a new iPad set me up for a better 2017

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It was one of those moments. A struggle. For a few months I’ve debated whether or not to upgrade my iPad 2 (which I’ve had for over five years) to the new and impressive iPad Pro. A little more than a week before Christmas a retailer offered a great price on exactly the iPad I want. I thought it over hard and caved, running into the store after work to make my purchase… The very next day I returned it and my reasons for doing so will help you understand my vision for 2017.

Returning the iPad Pro was hard. I really was excited about my purchase. It is an excellent machine and I’d really like to get handy at creating original digital artwork with the Apple Pencil. But it all came down to one thing for me: Priorities!

While it is true that my iPad 2 runs slow and can’t effectively update anymore, it is still serving the limited purposes to which I use it. Checking email, researching on the web, streaming videos, and keeping tabs on my book sales. I have found it to be a lot easier to use my iPad for many applications that I used to use my laptop for. It is my intention to get an iPad Pro at some point in the near future with the intention of using it to replace both my old iPad and my laptop computer. My current devices are fully capable of taking care of the work I now do with my writing, publishing, and other creative endeavors.

In 2016 I accomplished a few of my goals but not as many as I wanted to. So for 2017 I have come up with a resolution statement that I hope will help you, as well, to keep proper focus as you set your goals.

I have all of the resources that I need in order to achieve the quality of life that I desire for myself and my family. This year will be a focus on creative endeavors and appreciating life without the need for new “things.” Things cannot bring happiness or success and coveting only leads to discontent and a non-productive life.

Why are we always looking for the next best thing? All that we need is right here at our fingertips. God, family, ambition to succeed. The greatest visionaries do not consider the limits of their assets, but they rather grow despite those limitations.

A child who is given everything will grow up with an appreciation for nothing. In the same way a man who has everything will have appreciation for nothing.

If we can approach this new year with contentment and a strong work ethic, imagine how our souls will feel renewed!

Q: Do you recognize the correlation in developing good character in one’s self through adversity?

Frustration of time-constraints on writing

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For many of us the greatest hindrance to getting writing done is the constraints on our time. And on a deeper level we are hindered by the frustration that those constraints cause to our creative process. If the frustration is removed our brains act creatively to produce better writing. Looking back over the past seven years I recognize how this affected the writing process.

The first novel I wrote was while living with my parents. It was just after high school and my mind was free of most of the responsibility I carry today. I had a full-time job, dated infrequently, and later started seeing my future wife and got engaged. During that time I wrote for hours on end, late into the night, in the early morning hours.

Creativity ran on a full tank unhindered (mostly) by the burdens of responsibility.

By comparison, today I provide for my wife and four kids. Having young children takes a lot of creative energy and while I don’t resent that in the least (in fact I love it) I also recognize that I am in a different stage of life. Frankly speaking I cannot get the long hours of stress-free and distraction-free creativity that I used to luxuriate in.

When I updated my cellphone recently I found I could write blog posts and such in the small moments I have free. I am getting it done when I am away from the house because my mind knows I am not going to be called upon by a family member who needs me.

Small moments are proving more fruitful than late nights.

Time-constraints on our writing produce frustration and some writers resort to boatloads of coffee and late nights in order to accomplish the task. I will admit to doing that sometimes myself (albeit with dark chocolate and yogurt instead). But a well-rested writer will be less stressed, and one whose mind is free will be more creative.

One of the keys in continuously improving as a writer is to find those moments free of distraction. Time to meditate, center and clear your mind for the creative task at hand. Writing comes from the heart. A story is grown in the mind. Do everything you can to clear your mind to write from the soul because frustration only ruins productivity.

Q: How do you deal with frustration as it relates to creativity?

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?

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?

Balancing fatherhood and writing

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It is not always easy for me to admit the areas of the writing life that I find difficult. But one such area is a direct result of being the father of four wonderful yet energetic kids. These little ones are precious to me and they are a heavy responsibility. God has entrusted them to my care, leaving me without excuse to be with them through the good times and the bad. But though juggling fatherhood and writing is not easy, its blessings outweigh its challenges.

My dad worked two to three jobs throughout my growing up years. He worked hard and even though I could tell that he was often worn out, he still kept his arms open and the spirit of a child in his heart. He loved his children (he still does). Nothing seemed to be more important to him than our dreams, our education and our Christian upbringing. In the midst of all his work I always saw that struggle between his love for his family and his hearty work ethic.

Today, I attribute much of my balance of family and work to my father’s legacy. There is no greater gift that a father can give than to set an example for his children to follow of a hard-working attitude.

Before I was married I filled my “free” time with writing. Soon my wife and I had our first child. He has been a great blessing, but I must admit that being a writer in conjunction with children, especially when they are restless or sick, limits my creative time a lot more than I realized it would. One of my youngest has been restless the last few nights, so my routine has been practically non-existent. I work my day job, get home some time in the evening, then tuck the kids in bed after watching an old show with them. Normally I like to work on writing after everyone is in bed, but sick kids and restless kids change that.

Remarkably I think I am getting better at juggling the two. After all, the challenge is making the time and continually reminding yourself that you are doing this to provide for your family.

So for now I accept this stage of life as a means of maturing as a man, learning more about humanity, developing greater patience, and in all of these things I find that I continue to improve as a writer. The key is to write in the moments, being willing to sacrifice sleep where needed in order to get the writing done. And that is certainly the greatest challenge: getting the writing done. It is easy to put it off instead of sitting down and pouring out the writer’s soul.

Through this more challenging period of life we writers can grow into better storytellers. The children only add to our growth and our imagination. I find that my children are growing quickly their imaginations. And their creativity is feeding me with fresh writing material every day.

Q: Do you know writers who are young parents, or are you one yourself?

Why passion drives better stories (as Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

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There is a vast difference between a storyteller who is passionate for the story they are telling, and a writer who is simply creating something of interest to them. The case seems to be aptly demonstrated with J.J. Abrams who is famous for rebooting film franchises. Not long ago he recreated Star Trek and recently his Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit theaters with a thunderous response from critics and viewers. After watching the film myself I realized that the love of the story made a huge difference here.

Long-time Star Trek fans, almost as a whole, did not care for and some even despised Abrams’ remake. Vulcans lost their emotional control to a level not hereto seen, big bad villains ruled the screen, and action packed the screen time instead of relationships and good ol’ theoretical science. Transformers had met Star Trek. Many people speculated that the cause of this failure to catch the loyalty of long-time Trek fans was due to Abrams’ personal admittance that he was never a Trek fan himself. In addition to that it turned out that much of the cast had not even watched Star Trek, with the exception being Karl Urban who beautifully embodied the beloved Leonard McCoy also affectionately called “Bones.” Urban was himself a Trek fan and it showed in his part. The consequence was a movie that did not leave die hard Trek fans thrilled, instead it left them asking for a return to the old style of storytelling. The fans’ passion for the Star Trek universe has now successfully launched a rather impressive series called Renegades and other fan-funded projects are well on their way to success as well.

The point in all of this is that good storytelling requires a passion for the material.

As a long-time Star Wars fan Abrams’ approach to The Force Awakens has paid off. Rather than changing everything that we know and love about the Star Wars universe he has taken the look, feel, and the light and the dark again into familiar territory. While there was much good action throughout The Force Awakens, it never feels forced but rather melds with the drama each character is experiencing. Old characters are treated like old friends, with numerous hat-tipping to the original Star Wars trilogy. Quite unexpectedly (even though Disney officially declared the Expanded Universe of novels and video games irrelevant to this movie) there were several blatant steals from the EU… and they were good ones. They pulled a few choice elements that I was hoping to see carried into the new movies, though they did change it up a bit.

Writers need to be passionate for the stories they are creating, otherwise the effort leaves no lasting impact. Abrams demonstrated with this film that he truly is passionate for the Star Wars universe. What a difference it makes when a creative individual works at something because they love it!

Q: How do you see passion driving better storytelling?

How writing changes our world

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I once wrote a short story titled Trapped In Imagination and it was an exploration of how a writer creates a story. I have always been fascinated by the creative process. It is a gift and it has the power to effect change at the behest of the writer that crafts the words. A writer can quite literally change the world.

Recently I watched a fun Twilight Zone episode where a writer literally brings people into existence through his writing. The concept was fascinating to me and entirely entertaining to watch. In my own mind I have often thought what it would be like to actually bring to life the characters I write on paper or type into my computer.

This fascination is brought on by the deep impact that the writing process has on my mind. As the writer, I sink my mind deep in the stories I create. The characters become real to me, in my mind. The imagination of them is powerful. I can relate to their fears, their hopes, and aspirations. There are moments when I almost cry over the story I am writing. Other moments I feel almost giddy with happiness.

It is that utter abandoning of one’s self to the power of story that makes one realize its power. Through writing we can effect change. Not superficial change only, but real change. Consider the impact of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or the negative impact of Hitler’s Mein Kampf. What of the rise of western civilization through The King James Bible. The list goes on almost indefinitely.

Writing changes the world. It impacts hearts and minds for good or ill. It is our responsibility as writers to impact the world for good.

Q: How do you see writers impacting real change in the world?