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 my newest novel, Valeska, is this: An agent of the organization becomes involved with a vampire girl during a mission, she becomes dependent on the agent, and she is redeemed.
Here is my proposed cover for Valeska:
Mysterious characters are entertaining. In my yet unpublished novel, Dana-ana, the main character is the entire mystery in the novel. This is a revelation novel for the reader and for the protagonist (and the main characters). I mentioned before that all novels are revelation plots in that they "reveal" the main characters. Novels like Dana-ana take this a step further and make the revelation a function of the entire theme and plot. This is an important distinction and one that shows the difference between a theme and a plot.
Every plot "reveals" the characters the author developed--not every theme is a revelation theme. The theme of Dana-ana is to reveal who Dana-ana really is. On the other hand, although Valeska (the vampire novel) has elements of mystery in it, the theme isn't really about revelation of who the main characters are. The revelation is an entertaining part of the plot. As I mentioned before, who wouldn't want to really interview a vampire? In Valeska the reader gets to listen in on the conversation between a vampire and an agent of the organization. You can see the mystery in both.
Of course, mystery should always be some part of the subthemes and subplots. For example, in Valeska, there is a strong mystery about who Leila is. Leila is a woman, who in Valeska, becomes enamored of the agent, George. Leila is also an agent, and an agent from the super secret office, Stele. The mystery of Stele and the mystery of who are the agents in Stele all drive parts of the plot in Valeska. The point is that mystery is always entertaining and should be used in any novel to increase the entertainment. The method of this revelation (providing mystery) is accomplished through showing.
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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