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 haven't started writing yet, but I have a theme statement for my next novel: a girl in a fascist island nation will do anything to escape--a young cargo ferry pilot not following the rules crashes on the island.
I picture this as a dystopian novel. I usually don't write dystopian novels, but my publisher has called my Ancient Light novels dystopian. They do have that kind of feel, but they are really historical. The world just went through a terrible period during the second world war. I am not sitting down with the specific intent to write a dystopian novel, I just got a great idea for that kind of novel.
This theme statement lends itself well to each part of the development of a novel. Note, there is a setting, a initial scene, protagonist, protagonist helper, antagonist, and the climax is obvious. Let's talk about each. The initial scene is the fascist island nation. I'm still building my idea of what this will look like, but I just finished traveling around the world (for work) and I saw many nations that would qualify as fascist. There are always many pictures of the supreme leader--everywhere. Police have a strong presence. Everyone is polite, but there is a feeling of oppression. There is usually deep poverty. I am imagining the sloganeering for this nation. For example, love equals hate. Or try this, poor equals rich. Working is freedom. Riches are a fair share. Life is more than food and wealth. Property is poverty. Property is captivity. Something like that. I'd like to turn some of the socialistic and fascistic concepts on their head by exaggeration. Not that you have to exaggerate very far. I have experienced socialized medicine in the military. In socialized medicine, you make people very happy when you die--you no longer are a drain on their resources. This is the basis for the initial scene.
A further point of the initial scene will be the aircraft the pilot is flying. He will be breaking the rules by flying over this island nation. He is doing it to make better time on the cargo ferry run he is making. The aircraft engine will fail and he will have to land on the island. That will provide the setting for the initial scene.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment