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.
The theme of Valeska is the redemption (or the ability to be redeemed) of a Vampire. This is one of the points I made before about themes. This idea is a unique theme. I don't know if anyone ever thought to write using this theme, I know I haven't read it or heard about it. That doesn't mean someone else hasn't used it before, but I rather doubt it. The assumption about vampires as spiritual creatures (and all classical vampires must be spiritual creatures) is that there is no way they can be redeemed. They are, literally, the living unredeemable. In fact, the undead are supposedly unredeemable. I already touched on this as a subtheme in a couple of my novels.
I have two characters, Scaith and Oba, who are humans held from death. They are literally undead beings. Scaith and Oba were made by the beings I write about in my Ancient Light novels. In these novels, I address the character of these beings and their "redemption." Oba came out of the evil he was made for by his experiences and protection of Lumiere' Bolang. His journey of redemption took more than one novel in the series and eventually led to his destruction. He is a very engaging character. Scaith, on the other hand, was made in a fit of despair. Her death was an accident, and she gained many of the memories of Oba. Scaith was a person who was already moving from evil before she died. As a human held back from death, she had an opportunity to gain the power she needed and desired to act on the world. I should mention, that each of my novels addresses a person or being who the world might imagine can't be redeemed or who must be evil. In each novel, I address their goodness and potential redemption.
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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