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: while on assignment in Gdansk, Poland, 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 messed up this post and I'm going to try to recreate it. This is something I hate about BlogSpot--it is easy to lose your drafts if you make a single mistake while copying over the previous entry. I guess it helps not to do it while you are tired. I just flew to Amman while I am writing this. I wrote the previous entry in Crete. Oh well.
I was writing about developing a skill path in order to provide a resolution to a climax in a novel. One of my yet unpublished Ancient Light novels is all about skill development. It is Warrior of Light. A young goddess has chosen her warrior. The only problem is she has to turn him from an intellectual to a fighter. She goes about her work very cleverly. It isn't mentioned until late in the novel. The point is that she must get her uncle's attention to set up the training, get her grandfather to do the training, and provide a means to keep her warrior trained. This is a very difficult bit of work, and most of it is behind the scenes.
Further, with the new skills she provides her warrior, she gets him into British officer training at Sandhurst. The unique part of this novel is the reader gets to experience much of the training. This way, the readers can see how this kind of training works. The training of the warrior isn't as esoteric as you might imagine--shooting, fencing, riding, weapons, vehicles. These are all the skills our protagonist's helper gets through the novel. In the end, the warrior gets to use his new skills, but they are not the way the climax is resolved. A certain young goddess has her own issues and skills to train--and resolve.
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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