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.
All novels have five discrete parts:
1. The initial scene (the beginning)
2. The rising action
3. The climax
4. The falling action
5. The dénouement
The theme statement of this new novel is: An agent of the organization becomes involved with a vampire girl during a mission, she becomes dependent on the agent, and she is redeemed.
A novel is all about the revelation of the characters. Many inexperienced authors (I know because I though this way at one time too), believe you introduce the characters and once that step is out of the way, you are free to write and develop the theme. This is a wrong way of thinking. The work of revealing the characters is the work of the entire rising action. Many new writers try to get all the character stuff out of the way early to focus on the plot and storyline. Instead, if you look at the entire rising action as a way to reveal the character, you have a novel that critics call rich with powerful characters.
Think of it this way. You reveal a character through conversation and description. Every conversation and every description is an opportunity to reveal something about the characters involved. Thus, in my vampire novel, each time the vampire and the agent speak, I have a chance to reveal more about them. There is a lot to reveal. You might ask: why is there so much to reveal? The reason is this--when a character is fully developed, they are like a real person. Real people are very complex--even the most trivial is complex enough to have an entire book written about them. The skill is in the writing. The skill is also in the revelation, and the continued revelation.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment