Announcement: I heard from my publisher that my Aegypt novels will continued to be titled Ancient Light and that the next two books will be called Sister of Light and Sister of Darkness. These were the original titles. They will be released individually and as a 3 in 1 volume. I saw the proposed cover. 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 believe we established that not only are there rules of writing, but also that the rules of writing are not to be broken. I'm not sure you can bend them. Let's talk about the real rules that govern writing. I mentioned grammar. There are rules of grammar and style. Guides to style in English include the Chicago manual of style and the New York Times manual of style. There are others Which style do you use? Did you know there is a difference? Did you know there are manuals for style in English? There are also styles for grammar and writing in other languages. If you find a stickler in English, and you use the wrong style, they will complain. If you don't know what style is, or if you don't hold to a consistent style, you might not get published.
Don't you think that style in your language is something you should understand? In fact, shouldn't you understand all those rules people purport to tell you to break? Let's put it this way. If you wrote music, wouldn't you expect to know the basic rules of music composition from the language of music to the chords and the meter of the music? If you would expect all this detailed knowledge for music, what is your knowledge of your language. If you want to write, you must understand the fundamentals of the craft you wish to use.
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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