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:
I've written a lot about themes but not much about plot or storyline. In fact, much of what I've been writing is directly about the plot and the storyline. The first question might be what is a plot and what is a storyline. Very simply, a plot is the thing you can turn into a synopsis of your novel. Here is one synopsis for Valeska:
George Mardling was dying. It must be completely understood that the gunshot that struck him down during a simple contact mission was not survivable. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending how you look at it, George’s failed mission had also spoiled the hunt of a destitute vampire. It was the time of a full moon—the time when vampires hunted human blood or became immaterial. She was starving. Her clothing was ruined by sleeping in tombs filled with corruption. She was filthy, and she wanted his blood. Since George had no further use for it, he granted it to her. She said that was likely a sin, but at that moment, George didn’t care. However, because George was a cross-bearer, she couldn’t just take his blood—his permission was required. George allowed her to feed. It didn’t make him a vampire—she promised him that, but she did give him back his life, and somehow, his blood made her dependent on him for the existence she had. Her name was Valeska. Her given name was Heidi, and she had been made a vampire over two hundred years ago when she was fifteen.
George was an agent for the Crown—he went about his work once more thankful for life. When the full moon came again, Heidi/Valeska hunted George—she could not do otherwise. They began a strange symbiotic relationship.
When George was recalled to Britain by the Crown, he brought Heidi back with him—he could not leave her to lose the little life she had. The organization George worked for possessed a classified branch called Stele that worked with and protected Britain from the supernatural. George’s actions and his miraculous recovery prompted Stele to action. They wanted to know what Heidi was and if she posed a threat to them and the country. That’s when Leila and Scáth became involved. They were agents of Stele and both had their own problems. Chiefly, Scáth was a being similar to Heidi, and Leila was something else altogether.
George must prove Heidi is no threat to Britain and Stele. He must work with Leila and Scáth, and Leila has fallen in love with him. That would be alright, but Heidi’s existence has become George’s purpose, and because of it, he has been touched by the grave and death. Leila is a being who needs someone like George. She has power beyond a normal person—that’s why she works for Stele. Her power is darkness, and the natural friendship she and Heidi should have is colored by both of their relationships with George.
George must prove Heidi is no threat to Britain and Stele. He must work with Leila and Scáth, and Leila has fallen in love with him. That would be alright, but Heidi’s existence has become George’s purpose, and because of it, he has been touched by the grave and death. Leila is a being who needs someone like George. She has power beyond a normal person—that’s why she works for Stele. Her power is darkness, and the natural friendship she and Heidi should have is colored by both of their relationships with George.
George is pulled from both sides. He doesn’t want to lose everything he has worked for, and at the same time, he has become a pawn in larger schemes than anyone could imagine. The life of Leila, the existence of Heidi, and the safety of the British people are now dependent on his actions.
That is a synopsis of the plot. It is not a complete synopsis of the plot, but an abbreviated one to leave off the climax and some other details. The plot can be turned into a synopsis. That is the plot. The storyline is all the wonderful stuff that fills in the plot. The storyline is the actual part you write. It would be almost impossible to make an outline or synopsis of a storyline--there would be no point.
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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