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.
I write in scenes and I like to have scenes follow one another in time and based on the scene input and output. The output of the initial scene from my vampire novel is that the vampire disappears and the agent falls unconscious. There is a cliffhanger because the reader doesn't know if the agent lives of dies. The next scene follows the initial scene in time and from the output of the scene.
George Mardling wakes up in a hospital bed. His first contacts are with the nurse and then his doctor. There we learn that his wounds healed miraculously, and the doctor is surprised that George is alive. We also learn that George is in a lockdown room for his security. The hospital scenes follow in sequence. The next visitor is George's boss, Stewart Calloway. Now, we can get down to character revelation. There is little to reveal in the interaction between the nurse or the doctor and a patient--there is extensive revelation possible with a person and their boss. Stewart and George are also friends. Friends and revelation are perfect together. The conversation that ensues shows the reader many facts that are not obvious in the initial scene. For example, what was the mission George was sent to accomplish, and why didn't he have a backup? George's actual work and job is hinted at, but there is no reason to reveal everything all at once. As I wrote, the entire rising action is a revelation of the characters. George is the protagonist, so he will be the focus of the revelation. George is released from the hospital. The next scene should be obvious.
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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