Announcement: There is action on my new novels. The publisher renamed the series--they are still working on the name. I provided suggestions as did one of my prepub readers. Now the individual books will be given single names: Leora, Leila, Russia, Lumiere', China, Sveta, and Klava--at least these are some of the suggestions. They are also working on a single theme for the covers. I'll keep you updated.
Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21st novel and through this blog, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing. In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes. You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel beginning with http://www.pilotlion.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-novel-part-3-girl-and-demon.html.
I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published. I'll keep you informed along the way.
The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:
1. Don't confuse your readers.
2. Entertain your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.
I'm not giving this series up quite yet. I'll review some of what I've already described and tie it together.
The main point about writing science fiction is this--you need to know something about science, and you need to understand science. If you don't, I'm not sure how you can develop a science fiction theme...but in case you do, find someone who does understand science and get them to be a coauthor. In finding a scientifically knowledgeable coauthor, you will have someone to bounce your theme and plot ideas off of, and you will have someone who can tell you when you are way off base. I wish Star Trek and Star Wars had had someone who understood science to help them, but alas, it was not to be.
I made the point before, and I mentioned it above--you need to use a science fiction based theme. I wrote extensively about developing a science fiction theme statement. The point I made is that you don't write a science fiction story (or novel) just because you want to write one. You start from a science fiction based theme (a theme that cannot be expressed except through science fiction). You develop this theme statement into a plot and you write the story line. I write using scenes and describe my scene writing techniques on another blog at www.novelscene.wordpress.com. I'm don't use an assembly line technique to write, but I advise a structured and classic approach to writing. It just works well for me.
More tomorrow.
For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com
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