Announcement: My new novels should be available from any webseller or can be ordered from any brick and mortar bookstore. Information can be found at www.ancientlight.com. Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy them.
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:
Each genre is defined by the revelation of the plot--revelation of the characters is the basic novel. So, if in my plot, I reveal the love of the protagonist, that is a romance novel. If in my plot, I reveal the future, that is a science fiction novel. If in my plot, I reveal a military situation, that is a military novel. Until we arrived at the military example, everything was cut and dried--the plot revelation determines the genre of the novel, not just the subject. For example, currently, on television, military criminal programs are all the rage--are these military or mystery? The easy answer is--yes. They are in some measure mixed genre. They are especially mixed genre when the revelation is dependent on a unique military event or situation--it is less clear if the situation is not uniquely military.
I've written a about this before, especially in science fiction. Just because the setting is in the future, it isn't necessarily science fiction. As you can see from the concept of the plot resolution, to be true science fiction, the plot must reveal the future--especially future science. Just setting a story in the future doesn't necessarily make it science fiction. Many modern novels are set in a future, but are not necessarily science fiction and are not considered science fiction. An example of this are Ayn Rand's novels--they are not considered science fiction, but they assume some future time and include future technological elements. Perhaps we need a new genre.
Another genre than gets mixed a lot is horror and romance. Horror takes advantage of many different settings but if the revelation is the creation of fear or terror--it is horror. Romance is a very general theme or subtheme. Some Victorian novels could be argued were Victorian Romance plots. Every adult (normal) novel should include love as a subtheme. If love is the theme, it might be a romance plot revelation. There's 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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