Author Appleton

Writing. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Mystery

productivity

An ultra portable writing device

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Having the right tools makes any job a lot easier and more enjoyable. I was reminded of this over the past couple of weeks because I got a new writing machine. It is the ultraportable Microsoft Surface Go and it goes (pun intended) everywhere with me.

Up until now I have lugged my gaming laptop, a Toshiba Qosmio, whenever I want to write away from home. Although it is a fantastic machine, being so heavy and large I cannot easily pull it out and put it away again for short writing sessions. It has suffered more than a few drops as a result of getting left on my bed or being carted around.

Two years’ worth of researching various devices narrowed my choices to the iPad with keyboard, a cheap 11-inch laptop, or the Surface Go with typepad. I settled on the Surface Go because of its premium build and full Windows capability. Full Windows capability is essential because I already own MS Word and I don’t want to pay subscription for Office 365. Also, I prefer working offline.

I’m a bit of a minimalist. I don’t like a complicated setup for writing. The fewer distractions on the device the better.

The impact on my writing of having this portability has been greater than I’d anticipated. In every spare moment that inspiration strikes I am able to set the device up and type immediately. It adjusts easily on my lap, a table, or even in bed. Fantastic! Also, the battery is sufficiently efficient allowing a full day’s use (for my limited purposes) without worrying about looking for a power outlet.

I have been stuck in my writing for a couple of years. Time, I thought, was my great enemy. Truth is, distractions were my greatest obstacle. Legitimate and good distractions. I have never mastered maximizing small bits of time to accomplish large projects, but with this device I have.

Swords of the Six is taking new shape, expanding and becoming a much better novel than I first wrote a decade ago. We learn a lot when we study our craft for years, and I am loving the process of improving the original.

If you are stuck in your creative process, consider what tools you need. I wish I had acquired a Surface Go a couple of years ago.

No note too small!

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During a recent conversation  with another fantasy enthusiast and writer I was reminded of the importance of note-taking. Even if you have a partial idea for a story or a character, or even a scene, or sometimes a setting… Jot it down immediately.

A pile of sketches and notepads filled with incomplete but promising story ideas are the  foundational materials for The Sword of the Dragon series. I believe that with every writer that pile continues to grow at a rate faster than it is creatively possible to keep up with. In other words, you will always have more story ideas then you have the time to write them.  And this is as it should be.

The creative process, at its core,  requires the mind to be free to explore all story possibilities. Without this freedom the writer becomes trapped in the expectations  they perceive from either their editor, their publisher, or even their reading public.

Keep it fun! Don’t forget that you are a writer because it’s in your blood and you love it.

Very few people want to read material from a gloomy person.  And writing should be a gateway to leading people on fantastical journeys that inspire them to be better individuals than they are.

What some people refer to as writer’s block can often be overcome by referencing your old notes and sketches. These bring the stories you are trying to create to life in your own mind, reigniting your creativity.

Q: How do you use notes and sketches in your creative process?

 

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?

Advantages of freeware for writers

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For over a decade I’ve been a dedicated and happy user of Adobe Photoshop for all my photo manipulation needs. From book cover creation to blog post headers the program has been invaluable. But now everything shifted to a subscription service. The result? I am moving over to Gimp, a freeware software. Zero cost and excellent tools for the same projects.

The problem arose that my budget for my writing endeavors is limited and limited funds need to be set aside wisely in order to produce quality products for my readers. I am not a fan of the whole  subscription-based idea. At $20 per month Photoshop now costs $240 per year. I’m not short-sighted… so I see the math of spending that money over the next five years. Yep, the same program that could have been purchased and installed on any desired machine for a few hundred dollars is now running over $1,000. To me that seems like Adobe greed and a foolish purchase on the part of a small business owner (such as myself).

You will notice that my recent blog posts have not featured header images (which I love to do). Windows 10 blocked my installation of Photoshop 7, which I’d used for many years, and even blocked the install of CS2.

The choice seemed clear now. I would need to downgrade to Windows 7 and buy one of the last versions of Photoshop that is available on disc. Discs can be used again and again… digital copies limit my options.

Another choice is one that I am currently exploring and achieving success with: Disposing with Photoshop entirely in favor of freeware version Gimp. My problem with Gimp has been the learning curve. At first I found it difficult to migrate to it from Photoshop. It does not feel as intuitive, more like it was designed for code experts. This could be due in large part to the fact that what I had is what I am familiar with, but Gimp does seem more confusing than any other software I’ve attempted to learn in a long time. And the learning curve requires precious time. I’ve been tempted to renew my subscription to Photoshop but then I think, “Get off your lazy butt and learn Gimp… and save yourself a hefty chunk of change in the process.”

Thanks to some youtube videos Gimp is growing on me. Initial challenges are being overcome and I am finding it simpler than I had thought to learn it.

Freeware is a powerful asset. One I am becoming more inclined to focus on. The products cost nothing but are often user-focused instead of created by companies looking first to their own profit. Freeware is created by those who do it for the love of it, not the profit in it. As a creative this is attractive to me.

We will see which wins out. My familiarity with Photoshop, or my frugal nature and the desire to conquer a new challenge. So far I see Gimp winning out in a big way.

Q: Do you have frustrations or celebrations of subscription-based software?

 

eBooks and increased literacy

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Buying a new iPhone that actually has a decent screen-size and far better memory reminded me of why I love ebooks. Kindle and iBooks are now more readily available to me (because I can’t have my iPad at work) and for a working father of four the ability to snatch bits of reading time when and where I can is invaluable.

Now I imagine you are a little surprised to hear me say that because I so often celebrate print books and decry the negative aspects of reading in the digital age. But though I am an ardent fan of collecting books in print I do recognize that ebooks are a wonderful opportunity for both writers and readers.

The benefits, I believe, are best summarized in one word: Accessibility. Accessibility is the key to literacy.

For writers: it is now incredibly simple to take your finished book and upload it to Amazon’s Kindle platform. It is an unprecedented means of delivering more content with more consistency, in a short span of time.

For readers: eBooks are instantly downloadable, most often cheaper to purchase, and offer out-of-print works that are often difficult to find in paperback. My wife has acquired many books free through Kindle and I have found some great bargains as well.

I have a collection of tiny books, most of them around a hundred years old. They are titled The Workman’s Library. No more than a few inches in width and height these books were designed to fit in the lunchbox or pocket of an average working citizen so that, in the previous few moments he had to spare, he could read Dante’s Inferno, Shakespeare, or Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

Digital books today are the equivalent of those tiny paperbacks. They can be brought anywhere, read in sweet snippets… But eBooks are superior. Within the palm of my hand I hold hundreds of books all accessible in an instant.

While I still prefer print books, eBooks are a wonderful asset to me both as a writer and as a reader.

Q: What are your thoughts on the advantages of eBooks?

Sleep, Reflection, and the Writer

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My mind is like an engine running overdrive. Ideas are pouring in all the time and I’m running with them. The visions I have for the future are pending realities I’m striving to bring to pass. This last few months has been crazy busy. Work, writing, website maintenance, travel, and now moving. Like it does every time after I run on burnout for so long, my mind has crashed. It reminded me how important balance of sleep and work is in the life of a writer.

Push, push, and push harder! It seems I fall into this trap again and again. Yet one thing is certain, that drive to achieve has been a great asset in my life. When my wife and I were first married I was working a decent-paying job at a factory. Then I finished my first novel and we spent, it seemed, every free hour driving to some bookstore or library to promote and sell my novel. I wanted it to succeed and, it did, but only after I quit my job and we hit the road for about five months. We hit around eleven states from New Hampshire to Georgia and I signed so many books that my hand cramped on multiple occasions.

That trip was a leap of faith. We had a vision for what God could do with my writing and we followed it. It was a scary thing to do at first, but the longer we stuck at it the greater the impact we had. When that first book tour was finished I remember feeling rather burned out.

This month we moved from Connecticut to South Carolina. Again, following the vision God has given me for our family. I feel burned out now. My creativity is a bit drained. Yet I know that I am reminded that I can return to that same productivity level if I persist and create a routine that achieves my goals.

It is easy to stay up until all hours working on various projects, but without sleep the mind reaches a state of exhaustion. When that happens we lose our ability to produce our best work.

Reflection is also important to the process. When I was a kid I had no responsibilities outside of the home. The result was that I had time to sit and read, time to ponder life and its intricacies. Reflection as to what kind of stories I wanted to write, what kind of man I wanted to be.

It is often in the silence, often in the stillness that we refresh our creativity. Our present society rushes from one thing to the next. Little if any value is placed on sleep, reflection, stillness. We can either become casualties of our own drive, or we can look at our future over the long haul. If we consider the effect it will have on our relationships and our physical needs we will prioritize proper rest and strive to take quiet time to reflect.

The writer cannot afford the cost of working overdrive non-stop. Take value in slowing down your life. Enjoy the moments. Enjoy the memories. Step back and let your engine cool before you take it on the road again.

Q: Do you give your mind the rest it needs in order to maximize creative flow?

The Challenge of Writing Part-time

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There have been a few seasons in my writing life when I could devote one hundred percent of my working time to writing. The challenge for me now has been that I have various commitments that vastly limit my creative and writing time. Here is a glimpse into the challenge I face.

This is not a challenge that I take lightly. Time to devote to writing equals greater productivity because my mind is not under the same pressure that it is now. When I get up in the morning I want to give attention to my three wonderful children and to my wife. I want to sit down with them for breakfast, read the Bible with them, pray with them, go over the kids letters, help teach the kids to read. Then I head off to my day job. I work full-time in sales for one of the largest furniture store chains in the country. It is a good job. It pays well. I work under a good management team, and with some great colleagues. This job requires different disciplines than my home life. I must maintain a working list of potential and past clients, and generate new business. This job puts food on the table and the roof over our heads, and more. But it also requires working every weekend and most holidays and is straight commission, which equals higher stress because every week I must put the same drive into it that I have done in the weeks previous.

When I get home I am usually a bit tired. Not physically, for the most part, but mentally. I want to devote evening time again to family (though a few evenings per week I don’t get home until late).

I do not say this to complain, but rather to show you the challenge of being a writer. It requires commitment and vision. For now I chip away at big writing projects that before would have taken me a mere matter of months to complete. Often my writing time is after everyone is in bed. I should be sleeping now because I am tired, but if I don’t write, the books will never be written… and I love to write them. The stories are always building in my mind, urging me to share them.

For now I write part-time, out of necessity. But I am scheming to return to writing fulltime. It will happen again. I have faith that God has given me this drive for a reason and when the time is right He will open the necessary doors. For now my energies are divided in several directions… and it slows the process. The primary thing is to not lose sight of the dream, never give up on the goal, and always take the writing commitment seriously.

Question: What are your challenges in pursuing your dream?

Is debt your puppetmaster?

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Before I was a published author, before I was married, before my book tours, I took a fantastic trip to New Mexico to a writer’s conference. There I formed my first valuable connections in the publishing industry, which eventually led to my books getting published. If there is one thing I would change regarding my early 20’s it would be to not get into debt!

Debt is easy to take on. As soon as you start building credit the world seems to open up for you. “Wow! I can get this amount with a low monthly payment!” Little by little the debt grows until suddenly its chains totally stifle your ambitions and dreams and your effectiveness. Each debt adds a string. One pulls your hand, one pulls your arm, another pulls your mouth, until one is even attached to your heart. Debt can ruin your effectiveness.

To make the trip for my first book tour I took on a small bank loan. At the time it did not seem like a big deal. Looking back, though, it was the first puppet string I allowed to be attached. Debt made the first few years of my marriage more difficult and pushed back the timeframe when I could reasonably achieve the professional and personal goals I set for myself. The puppet had a master and that master was money.

Last year I finally eliminated the vast majority of my debt. I started by getting rid of the brand new car (which I loved) and paying cash for a minivan instead. That was just one step that has now put me back in a position to say, “Now I can make a timeline to achieve my dreams, get back to doing what I love, and be more effective spiritually.”

If I can give one piece of advice to younger folks, it is that they stay out of debt. Debt does three things that hurt your chances of success:

  1. Makes you a ‘servant to the lender’
  2. Puts your dreams on hold
  3. Builds stress in your life

A debt-free person can be:

  1. Free to pursue their dreams
  2. Emotionally empowered
  3. Governed by wisdom in their actions

What we are able to achieve is only limited by the emotional strings we are able to cut.

Question: Have you considered how debt limits your dreams?