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Monday, October 22, 2012

Edit-as-you-go

Something that I find fascinating about the writing/creative process is the edit-as-you-go opportunities that present themselves. Unlike many writers that I have spoken with, I do not like to write an extremely rough draft of a book and then go back and make a ton of editorial changes. I tend to perfect the piece as I go along so that, at the back of my mind, there is a little voice saying, "You can move forward with this story because you've put your best into it."

My mother taught me good grammar and was very diligent to make sure I had put my best effort into my work. I think that instilled the right habits into my writing for the present day.

Would it surprise you to know that my third published novel, Key Of Living Fire, underwent only one major draft before I sent it to the publisher? And my editor was very pleased with the results. I say this because I believe that making our first efforts our best efforts is better than allowing a sloppy or second-rate job.

I imagine that some of the historical authors that I respect and admire did the same. They had to write it all out by hand, so the editorial process would have been even more involved if they did not pay attention to sentence structure, grammar, and the flow of the story. I can picture Jules Verne and H.G. Wells pondering hard over their stories before actually touching their quill to the paper.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Stories that grow with the audience

I have been writing the second book in the Neverqueen series. These stories are an expansion to The Sword of the Dragon storyworld, following a new heroine, Violet, and the histories of the peoples along the Eiderveis River.
Something that I am noticing is, these stories (especially book 2) is a bit darker. And it deals with a few situations that will not fit with my younger readers. I am going to recommend these for older teens and adult readers.
There is a lot happening in the new storylines and I can hardly wait to share them with you!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Amazon gift card winner announced!

Solomon O Stone participated in the first giveaway of an Amazon gift card as a challenge on my Facebook page... And he is the winner! Congrats, and enjoy the free spending money!
To everyone else out there who is interested, I have lots more giveaways coming up. Keep an eye on my blog, website, twitter, and facebook for chances to win cool stuff!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The importance of an author's family

As I observe the conduct and conversation of people around me I have been reminded of the importance of my role as a husband and as a father. God has gifted me with great responsibility for the upbringing of little souls who can someday become effective Christians or shames upon His name and my soul.

My wife and I went to the park yesterday. It was my day off and I had planned a marvelous day for writing. I was going to get a lot done on one of my novels. But I realized that spending some family time was more important. I was not disappointed. Today I feel refreshed and ready to head to my hourly job.

As an author, I find it hard often to strike the right balance between family and work and creative time. But I am learning that if I put people first, God blesses my creativity and the works that I write.

Oh, how many lessons I have still to learn!

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.