Announcement: I received the proofs and a three-day deadline to give comments. One of my regular prepub readers and I went through the three book. I was able to correct some second edition issues in Aegypt. The proposed cover and info can be found at www.ancientlight.com. I'll keep you updated. I should have three new books out soon.
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:
The purpose of a novel is to reveal the protagonist and usually the protagonist's helper, the author needs to place them in circumstance that allows them to reveal themselves. The means can be conversation, exploration, discovery, other's conversation, confession, accidental discovery.
Let's look at truth and other's conversation. So we have set up an opportunity for two characters to discuss something about our protagonist. This discussion must reveal something new to the readers and should reveal something the protagonist doesn't want others to know. The juicier the better. Or--everything could be completely untrue. I have a situation in a novel I am writing now. I want the protagonist to be blackmailed--part of the reason for the blackmail will be true (pornographic pictures) and part will be false (that the protagonist wanted the pictures to be made and used). The beauty of an other's conversation in revealing is that the readers don't know what is true and what isn't true--this should be true of any conversation and any revelation in a novel. What is truth is just the same in real life.
Look, have you ever been lied to? People lie all the time--they lie about everything. Some of their lies are little and white, some are huge and black. The point is that people lie, and they lie for all kinds of reasons. People lie in bars all the time to enhance other's opinions and to enhance the level of their own knowledge. I personally hate telling people what I do because I'm sure they think I'm lying to them. Sometimes I don't say a thing. I usually let someone else tell them. Ah, there, do you get it. If someone else says it about you, you might get a better opinion, or at least a rosy one. Plus the audience might even believe it more.
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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