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 started writing on my newest novel. Here is the theme statement: 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.
This theme statement lends itself well to each part of the development of a novel. Note, there is a setting, an initial scene, protagonist, protagonist helper, antagonist, and the climax is obvious. Let's talk about each.
In my newest novel, working name Escape, about the nation Freedom, I am showing an extrapolation of a completely beneficent socialistic culture. What happens when the state takes care of everyone and everything belongs to the state. This isn't so odd an extrapolation as it might sound. The old Soviet Union and the Communist Chinese, to name two nations that were exactly this way. People can't imagine the horrors of such a society.
I set my new novel in the future on another planet--just for grins. This future technology allows greater control of the citizens than the Soviet Union or Communist China could accomplish. Technology allows the simple control of the citizens through drugs, computer tracking, social conditioning, and a death punishment structure. The lack of a complete death-punishment structure is the only thing that prevented the Soviet Union or Communist China from fully controlling their states. Also the inability to value citizens based on their capabilities and work hampered them. Both nations collapsed because the paperwork of keeping track of these details destroyed them. The Soviet Union just became another socialistic Western nation, and China became a controlled economy market that faces collapse every ten years. Time will tell if a modern nation can break the bonds of private property and rights to take complete control of every aspect of the lives of their citizens.
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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