Author Appleton

Writing. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Mystery

writing

Storytelling comes first

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There is a cute little book store a short distance from my house. In fact, it is inside of an elderly woman’s brick home. I don’t know how long she has been running that business, but she uses the front two rooms to showcase and sell used books. Upon a recent visit there, I was thrilled to find a small paperback of First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells. It’s one of those old 50-cent copies that you can almost tuck inside your pocket, and as I started to read it I was reminded of my growing conviction that Storytelling comes first.

Before the mechanics of how to tell a story, before grammar, before structure. Without a good story to tell it is not worth the telling. I have a similar paperback of The Time Machine (another classic!) and it astonishes me that Wells was able to pack so much world building, characterization, and fun into such a short book. It makes me think that I should start writing some shorter tales along a similar vein, told as a narrative to be as memorable as possible. I’ll admit to not feeling entirely up to the task yet, but that’s due to my own lack of faith in my ability.

The truth is that if we write a fascinating story the grammar and mechanics can be polished and the narrative strengthened later. We imagine ourselves to be perfectionists when in fact we are procrastinators. We need a little humility, a little reminder that we are but humble creatives groping about like young children in a new world.

Storytelling comes first. I tested this with The Swordmaster’s Glory and the full-length novel Shards in Belial in the first half of this year. The result was two stories that I feel pleased with and am confident are tighter story narratives with great adventurous fun and heart.

First Men in the Moon is a mere 160-pages long in a small paperback format. Like The Time Machine its length is appropriate. But today most science fiction and fantasy publishers will not accept submissions of works less than 80,000-words… A fascinating fact when you consider that the ever popular The Time Machine is about 32,000-words long.

Q: What do you think? Would you like to see shorter reads, or do you hold with a bear’s grip onto the tree of longer fantasy and science fiction books?

Job layoff upside, publishing updates & audiobook preview

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Despite the craziness resulting from the worldwide spread of COVID-19, this has been a wonderfully productive season for my publishing efforts… and it is going to be extra productive these next couple of weeks! Why? Because my day job has laid me off due to the virus. The doors are closed and I will be home for at least two weeks. What does this mean for my writing, audio, and publishing efforts? An influx of creative time that equals writing and recording heaven for this introvert!

It is time to update you regarding the release of the new edition of Key Of Living Fire, building of my private audio recording studio, recording Swords Of The Six audiobook, and the updated edition of The Phantom’s Blade. Not only that, but having the series all re-released with their matching covers and updated content . . . puts me in position to write the next novels!

The new edition of Key of Living Fire is being published this week. It has been slightly expanded, and of course matches the new covers! Distribution is being set up through Ingram, so you will be able to buy the book anywhere books are sold, whether online or in a brick and mortar like Barnes & Noble. Also, this is being made available on Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and others.

The Phantom’s Blade is being released this month as well! There is no real content change to this title, only a redesign to bring it in line with the other books in the series. Like the others, this will become widely available in the next few months, both in print and in ebook formats.

  • HOME RECORDING STUDIO

The other bit of news is no less exciting. After many hours of careful planning and hard work, I have finally built an audio recording booth. It is tucked in the closet in my office, which makes it easy to record away from the busyness of home life. After all, I have five kids from the ages of two to nine. The recording booth allows me to shut out exterior sounds, keeping the audio clear of interference. It is a simple setup. Just a folding chair and a Blue Yeti microphone on the shelf made for it. Of course, you can see that I have a pop filter set up as well. My greatest challenge is keeping my kids out of it when they are supposed to. They think this is the biggest thing since dark chocolate!

While I am on the subject of audio recording, I have the first three chapters of Swords Of The Six recorded. I thought it would be nice to provide you with a sample, so here it is!

“The Beginning of Things” from SWORDS OF THE SIX

What’s next? With the original novels in The Sword of the Dragon series back in circulation, it is time for me to buckle down and write book five, In Search of Dragons. There are a couple of other writing projects I cannot wait to dig into, including the standalone fantasy novel The Dragon’s Eye Diamond . . .. But I am getting ahead of myself and the first project is In Search of Dragons.

Expect updates from me more frequently this month.

Due to my being home for a couple of weeks (maybe longer) I will be applying many extra hours to 1) publishing Key of Living Fire 2) publishing The Phantom’s Blade 3) recording Swords of the Six audiobook, and 4) finally delving fully into writing In Search of Dragons (The Sword of the Dragon book 5).

Q: Which project are you most looking forward to?

When stories understand their audience

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Expectations. We are people of expectations whether we want to admit it or not. When we go to read a book or watch a movie we have an expectation of the story that must be made if we are going to positively reinforce it to people that we know.

When I started off my writing career I did my best to craft a story that would resonate with a broader audience. But truth be told I didn’t understand how to do that, and now I understand that you should not do that. The story doesn’t necessarily need to be divisive but it should be thought-provoking and challenging to folks of a different world view.

Someone who picks up a harlequin romance is going to have a different expectation than one who is looking for a Christian Amish romance. On the one hand a conservative reader might appreciate the lack of physical description and sexuality in an Amish romance. But on the other hand another reader might have an expectation of realism. To them the Amish romance is rediculously tame, to the point that they find it unrealistic and cannot enjoy the story.

Reader expectation is everything.

For those of you who have watched the first Maze Runner movie, you will appreciate what I’m about to say. If you thought that it was a dystopian along the lines of the Hunger Games, as I did, then when movie two came out you were severely disappointed when it turned into a zombie apocalypse. Your expectations were let down and you felt deceived.

Amidst the muck of politically-charged media-driven fiction, a few stories highlight what’s beautiful.

When I say muck, I am referring to that moment when I was watching a show with my kids, in this particular case it was the show Voltron, when the last episode introduced a gay couple wedding. I am referring to the Netflix original series the dragon prince, which had a great story going for it but in the second season decided to introduce a prominent lesbian couple. In the absence of strong traditional male-female romantic interests these pointedly emphasized relationships reek of political correctness. Thankfully there have also been some examples recently of stories that do themselves service by understanding their audience and delivering a story that their audience loves because it resonates with their values.

As a parent, I find it increasingly frustrating when I cannot simply enjoy the show without worrying that a politically charged message is going to be thrown in my kids’ faces.

This post is not a rant. It is not even a disparagement to those types of stories that I find offensive to my kids. Although I will note that my kids were the first to find it confusing and offensive because it went against their very nature. It is interesting that in the simple thinking of children is often found the greatest truth.

As a writer I have often struggled to understand my own audience. Even now as I am re-writing my first novel I have struggled with some elements of the story that could’ve been crafted in a mature fashion, but instead I wrote in a simplistic way so as not to offend certain readers. I have experimented with re-writing some of those sections of the story in a more adult manner, and in some respects the story is far better for it. But I will let the readers be the judge. My job is to make people think without breaking down their sense of morality. If my stories are successful than they encourage my readers in the ideals that they strive to live out.

I think that the recent Toy Story 4 was a fantastic example of a creative team who understood their audience. I saw an interview on the BBC where someone was complaining about the “lack of diversity” in the characters. Her complaint was laughable really, because it centers around a bunch of toys! But I found it interesting that she complained about one toy that didn’t seem as strong to the feminist perspective. In my opinion that element of the story was what made the film as great as it was. And you know what? My kids absolutely loved it.

When a creative team understands the audience that they are appealing to, then the story resonates and impacts the audience’s soul. If, instead, the creative team seeks to placate a critic, then the story loses its punch.

I am fascinated by this. The closer we get to strongly-set morals, and the closer we get to a familiarity in the story that challenges us and makes us stronger or encourages us, the more impact that story has on us.

For some people that set of morals is going to look entirely different than it does for another audience. But that’s okay. Not all stories are made for all people. Neither should they be.

Controversy generates hype. Similarities create relationships. Relationships are built on trust, and relationships only grow deeper the longer they last.

Q: What expectations have you recently enjoyed or found disappointing?

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?

The “boring” verbs?

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I am writing this article from my iPhone. Isn’t technology amazing? Only a decade ago I never would’ve dreamed of using one of these devices to accomplish my writing needs. You might think that I am off topic, if I am talking about verbs, but give me a second and I will get back around to the point.

One of my favorite Star Wars novels is titled Traitor and it was written by Mathew Stover. It was a fantastic read and I remember going back to it again and again to study the writing technique. Both the story and the dialogue felt exceedingly natural. Smooth as butter to read. Something that every writer strives to achieve, but does not always succeed in doing, when creating a novel.

I have seen interviews with some authors who no longer type out their stories, rather they will take a walk or a hike and dictate their books. Personally I find this fascinating. We can talk so much faster than we can type, but my fear is that going back and editing all of those pages of dictation will require too much work. But sitting here now, dictating to my iPhone for this article I am honestly astounded at where technology has come.

There is a learning curve to everything and I wonder where the next phase of writing will take us.

Most recently I have been finishing the rework of my first novel. It is turning out so well, and it is very satisfying to feel this way about it. But an odd thing has happened in the editing process. Odd to me anyway!

Over a decade ago when I first entered the book publishing world, I was instructed by several editors and a couple of respected writers to eliminate a lot of simple verbs in my stories. Verbs such as was, were, did, had, etc. The result was that I chose many substitutes for the simple verbs, opting for active verbs instead. Looking back now I am not so sure that was the right choice.

In the past few months I have read novels like Ender’s Game by Orson Scott card, and Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Their use of verbs is far more similar to my first instincts on writing. I find this fascinating! And so in the reworking of Swords of the Six I have rewritten large portions, bringing it back to the more literary style that I have enjoyed in books I’ve read.

The truest form of storytelling is verbal narrative, And I feel that the best written stories read as if someone is telling you the story. Perhaps we have reached a point where the rules of writing are destroying the art of writing. And perhaps the technology that we now possess is capable of liberating us from the tyranny of what is acceptable to the gatekeepers. In part, at least, this is true.

 

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.

Make your characters hurt

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Most writers have a little difficulty building their characters into third dimensional creations. Eventually as the story progresses they fall in love with at least the majority of their characters. Without this creative transformation the story feels flat, but most writers struggle with the next essential phase of creative story development:  making their characters hurt.

When I was writing my first novel,  Swords of the Six, I received my first editorial critique. I remember feeling disappointed because the editor had been unable to make a strong  emotional connection to the characters.  But she adeptly noted that the connection could be made if my characters did not continue to come unscathed out of every battle.

This  was a  revelation to me as I proceeded with the story. I had a scene that I was working on and after a vicious battle with sea serpents my hero did emerged unscathed. So I went back and rewrote it,  leaving the hero with scars for life. The result was eye-opening. As the character recovered from his wounds, I found myself creating interactions, with  other characters for him, on a whole new level.  Suddenly this was not a legend without reason, he had become a hero truly by blood sweat and tears.

Inflicting pain on the story’s hero made me fear for his safety in a way that I had not realized I could. Prior to this the story was fascinating, one could say it was enthralling, but it hadn’t felt real before. Not in the sense that it could be part of the real world that we live in. Now, I could imagine my own terror, my own dread of the consequences of the battles he was facing.

Hurting my characters became an essential element to every story that I wrote. In my primary series this has served me over and over again. In “The Sword of the Dragon: Offspring” I was afforded another opportunity when the heroine emerged out of a battle that completely disfigured her. I had written it out so that the dragon prophet healed her of her wounds, but when an author friend commented on it I realized there was a much better angle to take to that. When the dragon healed her of her wounds I changed it so that he received her scars on his own body. The result was sensational! Suddenly what he had done for her did not seem so light a gift. Suddenly the gift was a test  and demonstration of his true love for her.

Make your fiction characters hurt and make the consequences permanent. Little speaks to their moral fiber as much as showing how they respond to tough circumstances or limitations. These are the fires in which the writing gold is refined.

Q: Do your characters hurt?

Now writing: In Search of Dragons

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Recently I was commenting to my wife how I feel scatterbrained and have undertaken too many writing and publishing tasks. (That wasn’t the way I worded it, but you get the gist). I told her I was thinking about narrowing my focus to just my publishing company’s website because my efforts are split between Flaming Pen Press and my personal writing projects. She wisely responded something along the lines of, “But you are your brand. People want more from your books and that’s what you should focus on.” Again, I’m paraphrasing, yet the point is that she was right.

I remember back in 2009 when I self-published my first novel Swords of the Six. That thrill of accomplishment and the response from readers gave me energy to power through the first several years of traveling and writing. Now there is a boatload of experience under my publishing belt and yet, with each new writing project I still feel an initial inadequacy. These fantasy novels are like parts of my soul and with each one writing it is difficult, painful, and a joy.

It is time to delve into my next The Sword of the Dragon novel. In Search of Dragons picks up where The Phantom’s Blade left off. One of the most fun aspects to this project is that I get to pull from my old source material, a manuscript for the entire series which I wrote thirteen years ago. It’s hard to believe it has been that long. I am keen on writing these characters and their stories with the same fascination that I wrote them back then. Sometimes the pressure of knowing that many readers are already eagerly waiting for me to finish the book can put a damper on my story focus, but ultimately everything is an exercise in discipline. And I can never have enough discipline in my life!

This will be the seventh novel I have written in The Sword of the Dragon world, and the fifth for the primary series. Wow! It’s hard to believe the journey has come this far. The original manuscript was 130,000-words divided into chapters that are now the building blocks for The Sword of the Dragon world. So far we’re over 500,000-words into the novels and there’s lots more to cover!

Returning characters for In Search of Dragons include Ilfedo, Oganna, Ombre, Honer, Ganning, Vectra, Escentra, and the creature Ulion. Introduced will be (at long last) the dragon Venom-fier, who was first mentioned in Albino’s prophesy at the end of Swords of the Six.

“Dragon great, dragon fool
One wise, the other cruel
Venom-fier, to man a friend
The other may be his end.”

Q: Which character are you most excited to see again when In Search of Dragons is published?