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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Artists: Does a lack of organization come naturally to us?

I am a naturally disorganized person. It can be frustrating because, when I was growing up, I admired people who could keep everything they needed to do in its proper order.

As an artist, I tend to let things pile up instead of dealing with them in an orderly fashion. "Why?" is the question I've always asked myself. But I think I know the answer, at least part of the answer.

Whether you're a writer or an illustrator, you're an artist, and your art is very important to you. You nurture your art, mature it, then present it to the world. I am a homebody. I like to be left alone, for the most part, left to my writing. I bury myself in the story worlds I'm crafting.

In order to create, I bring together a lot of elements. Those elements are sometimes rough and unrefined. I sketch characters and creatures, and jot down character and plot ideas. Some ideas I toss aside for future reference or use, while others I expand upon. It takes a lot of material to create even one finished novel.

But the process to that finished product is . . . well . . . messy!

My mind is almost always working on story ideas. This post ties in, somewhat, to my previous post, because one of my solutions has ended up being the iPad. It serves as my alarm clock, sends me notifications of appointments, and allows me to add events to my calendars instantly. I highly recommend for those artists out there who struggle to keep organized, think creatively on how to take advantage of today's technology to better organize your writing life.

It has helped me.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

iPad2: an empowering writer's tool!


I bought myself an iPad2 a few months ago. It was hard to fork over the $500 plus but now I can say, beyond a doubt, it was a worthwhile investment. It runs flawlessly, which has sold me on Apple products. It is so well built that when I accidentally dropped it on the floor, the screen didn't even flash. Oh, and I love the 10-hour batter life! Fantastic!
As time goes on, I'm sure I'll discover many other uses for this wonderful tool, but for now it has:
  1. Simplified the process of updating my social networking pages
  2. Enabled me to build story ideas on-the-go with apps like Writers App (pictured above)
  3. Placed a library at my fingertips with iBooks. I am now reading more than I have in years.
  4. Allows me to take video and photo wherever I am. This has been very useful for book signing events because I used to always forget to bring my camera.
  5. Allows me to display covers and art for my current and upcoming book releases at book stores and schools.
The iPad2 has put everything at my fingertips, freeing me up to write more often and it has simplified my point-of-sale conversations.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Schools (day 3) and BN signing

What an amazing day I had today! First I returned to Wawasee Middle School and sold 38 books. Then off to Milford Middle School where I spoke to a couple hundred students and sold 26 books. Finally I went off to Barnes & Noble and had another successful signing. Although I didn't get the exact count, I think I sold 23 books. Not a bad day's work! Praise God!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Wawasee Middle School (day 2)

I had an awesome day at the middle school today. This time I gave seven presentations... that was a whole lot of talking! The students are very receptive and I greatly enjoyed my time there. The best part of the day? I sold 42 books! Adding in yesterday (16 sold) I've sold 58 so far, and tomorrow I'm returning for an hour just to hold a signing for students who still want to buy!

I don't think I have enough books for this trip... I'm going to have to have more shipped out here!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Wawasee Middle School visit Day 1


I sold 16 books today, spoke five times, and will be returning tomorrow, to Wawasee Middle School. The picture is of me with a student; a fan who said I am his favorite author. It is an amazing feeling whenever someone tells me that.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bender's Parable Store -sold out!

We're in Indiana now. The Christmas tour began on Friday!
First I had a couple of signings in New York. I sold 28 books at Bender's Parable Christian Store yesterday. I sold out the books they'd ordered, then had to bring in some from my car to keep the event rolling! This location was great, with an especially large selection of good books. After wrapping up my signing at Bender's, we drove to Indiana. Most of my signing events are booked in the northern part of this state. I have several public schools, as well as Barnes & Noble, and Family Christian locations.
The drive here was eight hours (a long trip after signing books for five hours). Along the way I stopped at a gas station to fill my tires, but instead of filling the tire with air, the thing took some out!
Tomorrow I'll be at a middle school.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Upcoming Christmas events!

I've had a lot of people ask me where they can buy signed books during the month of December. If you live in northern Indiana, or in Connecticut, you'll have multiple opportunities!
For a list of my events in Indiana (as well as a couple in New York) you can reference my Events on my facebook page. If you don't have facebook, I've listed the events on the right column of this blog.

For those who live in Connecticut, meet me at these Henny Penny gas stations in the week leading up to Christmas!
  • Henny Penny in Madison CT, 12-6pm December 21st
  • Henny Penny in Southington CT, 12-6pm December 22nd
  • Henny Penny in Niantic CT, 12-6pm December 23rd
  • Henny Penny in Uncasville CT, 12-3pm December 24th

WELCOME TO THE WRITING SITE OF SCOTT APPLETON

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." -Proverbs 16:24

In a world where morality is forsaken and Christ neglected, wholesome books are uncommon. The themes of my writing are love, self-sacrifice, and honor.

I see my generation turning from God to the gods of this world. I see homes torn apart in the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. Children are murdered by the millions every year . . . without ever seeing the world outside their mothers' wombs. Through fiction I strive to encourage those who are willing, to stand against these things and be heroes and heroines; chivalrous, gentle, full of righteous indignation, and the fear and love of their Creator.