Announcement: We are in the countdown phase for the publication of my new novels. The date on the internet is 1 September. We will see how close we come, or if the publishers meet the deadline. My Aegypt novels will be titled Ancient Light, and 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. The proposed cover and info can be found at www.ancientlight.com. 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:
Here is a great question--how do you make character seem like they are real? Sometimes we refer to this as a well developed character. A well developed character appears to be real, but we know can't be real. Real and the concept of fiction have very little to do with one another. A character only appears to be real--they are like conversations in writing. None are real, they only appear to be real. So, what makes a character seem like they are truly developed and "real?" I can rightly say that theoretically, I think I know, but in some of my early novels, I've been accused of not having deep characters. This may be from the reader's lack of understanding of how characters can be developed, or it may be a failing in my own writing techniques. I think I am maturing as an author, but I do think some readers don't understand how characters should and can be developed. For example, I can take a Dickens or Bronte approach and tell you all about how a character thinks and is--then capture the narrative from that point forward. This is the Victorian means of character definition. On the other hand, the "showing" method--the modern method--of character development is to reveal the character over time and through conversation and narrative. The writer only shows what can be seen and only reveals what can be heard. This is the way we reveal characters without telling.
Which is better and which leads to a more "real" character? I think the showing method is the way to go. This is the method I use and teach. I think it results in a better and more powerful character. It is the method used by most successful authors today. I can see how the subtlety is lost on some readers who are used to Victorian methods where the writer uses the omniscient voice to tell you everything about the character. In my opinion, a much more powerful character can be developed though showing and not telling.
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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