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The Vision for a Story’s End

April 17, 2024 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

Today I finished reading the second book in Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles and it left me reflecting on the importance of a story’s end. Why do we read a story, and especially a fantasy? Do we want to be dragged into the lives of characters that are endlessly searching without a resolution in sight? I venture most of us do want the story to have a resolution that satisfies us, makes us think, and gives us justification for why we read millions of words to reach its end.

The great books leave us with some sort of resolution. I think of Harry Potter as a prime example. The first books in the series set up mysteries and tension that needed resolution, and when Deathly Hollows arrived in stores, I was in line with my brother for five hours for the midnight release at Borders. And J.K. Rowling delivered! When she wrapped up the story threads in masterful resolution, she proved that all of that time we spent reading Harry’s story had been worth it, because there was a point to all of it.

Both Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear are well-written novels, but what Rothfuss has failed to do so far is demonstrate that there’s a story “thread” that will have a satisfactory resolution. I finished book one and was genuinely shocked. To say it ended on a cliffhanger is an understatement. I was left asking, “What was resolved in this book? What was its overarching plot?” Now, to be fair to the author, it is his work. That’s probably the type of story he prefers. But I cannot help but think how much better his story would have been if there had been a problem set forth at the start of the book and a resolution at the end.

Another good example of a well-executed story arc is Terry Goodkind’s Wizard’s First Rule. From the beginning, you understand the stakes, and at the end you are satisfied that good will prevail over evil.

I say all of this because it is always on my mind as I write my novels. If I was writing the stories without an end resolution in view, I feel I would cheat you as the reader. Can writers always execute this well? Obviously not, but it is a basic guideline that should not be ignored. Every writer must ask the question: “Why am I writing this story? What is its purpose?”

Without a purpose to the story, without resolutions, readers are cheated out of the point which they invested many hours to discover.

Q: What’s your opinion on story resolution and story threads left forever unresolved? Which books did this well, and which failed to satisfy you?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Help choose new fantasy book title

August 19, 2023 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

Hello, The Sword of the Dragon Series book 6 has way too much story now for me to tell it properly in one book. Consequentially we need a new title and cover for book 6, and In Search of Dragons becomes book 7.

This is a good thing, because the story I have been writing deserves two treatments in order to allow proper pacing. Would you like to help choose the new title for book 6?
There are three ways you can participate: 1) Comment your choice on this blog post 2) Email me spappleton@gmail.com 3) Facebook fanpage poll vote.

Title options: 1) Among Broken Gods 2) Broken Gods 3) No Other Gods 4) The Gold Halberd

COVER REVEAL COMING VERY SOON😎

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Prentice Ash -a curious blend

May 31, 2023 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

Recently I caught the online buzz around a new Christian fantasy series, the first book of which is Prentice Ash. I hadn’t read a Christian fantasy in a long while, but this book has an impressive nearly-a-thousand reviews on Amazon. These books rarely hit this many reviews. Personally, I would love to pick the publisher’s brain: he’s been a genius at marketing this series… So, I grabbed the audiobook and went through it.

I find myself mixed in my response to this book. Presented as a Christian Fantasy novel, it hits the mark on several points that I really enjoyed… yet missed in some ways that surprised me. Magic is practically non-existent here, which could work except that the fairy folk are part of the story. The setting is more medieval Europe than anything else, and the treatment of Christianity left me wanting; sometimes it’s honored, but more often it is form rather than individual conviction. There’s a prophetic vision element that I think the story might have done better without.
The main character, Prentice, is very likable and reminiscent of the MC in Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings. Also likeable, is the heroine, though to a lesser degree. She is posited as both highly aware of the injustice taking place in her world, and then strangely unaware and tolerant of flagrant injustices to her personal “army” of convicts.
Overall, this is a worth-while read, though it feels less like an epic fantasy and more like an alternate medieval storyworld with fae aspects. As a starter to the series, Prentice Ash works.

My personal takeaway? I would love to replicate the success of this book. The publisher is a genius at online marketing.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Time for a fun Poll!

January 18, 2023 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

I hope this note finds you well! Would you like to vote on a poll to tell me which book format you buy and prefer? I’ve posted it on my facebook page and I tried to post it here, but it doesn’t work here. So here is the Link: Facebook Poll “Which book format do you buy and prefer?”

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Storytelling comes first

October 27, 2022 by AuthorAppleton 2 Comments

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?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: fiction, h.g. wells, writing

Cover reveal and story teaser! Father Mouse

April 15, 2022 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

I’m so pleased to introduce the cover for my upcoming children’s chapter book, Father Mouse. And I found a wonderful artist (thank you Mairi Craig) who has done the cover illustration, and will be doing a lot of interior sketches for this.

Coming Fall 2022

Tease: When a random meteorite fragment crashes into the second story window of the house on Lemon Lane, it brings toy soldiers to life, throwing Father Mouse’s life into chaos.

Coming this Fall 2022!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: chapter book, childrens book, illustrated, new book, new release

How non-fiction informs fiction writing

March 25, 2022 by AuthorAppleton 1 Comment

Our brains all work differently. Personally, I can absorb a lot of information but the order of that information can easily be confused. I know a lot of historical facts but the chronology of events becomes confused, at times, as my brain focuses on the specificities of situations told in story form. These are the building blocks for good fiction writing.

The more we read, the more life we live, then the greater the creative output we will have. All of life informs our writing. We consume data constantly, whether consciously or unconsciously, and that data is filtered through our beliefs, convictions, and preferences.

Do you ever find yourself sitting in a room, whether a coffee shop or in a store, just listening to the people around you? I do. I find people to be alternately intriguing, annoying, infuriating, motivated, lazy, kind, and rude. And as I listen and observe, real life informs the characters I create in my fiction stories. Observation helps us to create characters that are not carbon copies of one another, but rather are uniquely suited to add interest to their story environment.

Admittedly, I have even based a few characters on close friends of mine and family members. The real people inspire memorable fiction characters.

I once heard a preacher say that fiction is truer than non-fiction. It seemed a strange assertion, yet it holds great merit. What is truer than Pilgrim’s Progress, Hinds Feet On High Places, or Ben-Hur? In fiction, every evil deed can be brought to light, and every good thing can be revealed in fuller glory than we typically see in real life.

In my recent book The Soul of Story I did touch on this subject, but it was not the focus of the narrative. I think that fiction is an incredibly powerful tool, which can effect real change in the hearts of men and women. It can inspire us to highlight our best tendencies and reject our worst impulses, becoming the heroes and heroines this world needs, serving God and serving others.

Non-fiction is invaluable as a research and inspirational tool to the fiction writer. The old saying is true: “Truth is stranger than fiction.” That being the case, let’s look to real events to invent originality in our fiction stories.

Q: How does non-fiction inspire your creative storytelling?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Cover reveal! SHARDS IN BELIAL

February 19, 2022 by AuthorAppleton Leave a Comment

I am so excited to reveal (finally) the cover for the first full-novel release in The Sword of the Dragon origins series! Coming Summer 2022, this epic fantasy lands us in the midst of the ancient war, as the unholy trinity of wizards wreaks havoc upon the lands of Subterran.

When the unholy trinity of ancient wizards mysteriously arrived in Subterran, Olympan and the other swordmasters rose from the lands touched by the prophets to fight them at every opportunity. Now, the war has arrived at Olympan’s doorstep, and the most dreaded member of the wizard trinity is behind it. Meanwhile, Ooletta is struggling to accept the role thrust upon her by her people: the role of high priestess. If she cannot accept her fate, then what destiny will she choose?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: epic fantasy, fantasy books, fantasy series, new release, scott appleton, The Sword of the Dragon

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New release!

Now Available! The Sword of the Dragon series book 5

Progress on projects:

“Shards in Belial” (The Sword of the Dragon Origins) 52,700-words

“In Search of Dragons (The Sword of the Dragon book 6) 6,400-words

“Father Mouse” 7,996-words

“The Soul of Story” audiobook 62%

“Neverqueen 3: The Queens Two” (Fantasy) 200-words

“Specter” (Fantasy) 1,000-words

“The Star Train” (Science-fiction 27k-words

“Ironwing” (Fantasy) cover designed!

“Dragon Offspring” audiobook

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