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 25th novel, working title, Escape, is this: 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'll make a slight digression because I'm developing advertising and publisher materials for my newest completed novel, Lilly. Here is the cover proposal for Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer.
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| Cover Propsal |
1. It needs to be pithy.
2. It needs to be marketable.
3. It needs to be short, but not too simple.
4. It needs to be unique, but not too unique.
5. It should not be too similar to works with negative connotations. There is a lot of stuff on the internet. When you make your search on your title, be on the lookout for negative works with similar titles or similar titles of any kind with a connotation negative to your writing.
I looked at this closely for my novel, Centurion. Believe it or not, the theme of the Roman Legion is used and regarded as a standard motif in many erotic homosexual stories. A general search for the word Centurion will bring up some. I didn't feel this was negative enough to not use Centurion as the title, but you can see where this might be an issue. My novel Centurion appeals to all ages and groups--it is a novel for adults, but it is not an erotic or homosexually themed novel.
Likewise, my novel, Sister of Darkness has a title that is similar to a single erotic horror novel. Sister of Darkness is suspense and might be considered by some to have horror elements in it, but it is not erotic by any measure. Still a single other novel outside the main genre of the novel didn't seem like too much of an issue to me. The problem of negativity becomes obvious when you make a search and come up with thousands of results of a similar negative nature. You might be able to guess which titles could result in these kinds of results--then again, that's the point in making a search.
Here is a simple example. If you choose the title: Big Johnson takes a Trip. You may already know the connotations of Big Johnson. If you don't, perhaps you shouldn't google it. In any case, unless you intend, with this title, something sexual, you shouldn't use it. Plus, the title might not be used (I didn't check it), but the search will bring up thousands of similar negative results. Negative, if you don't want to be associated with erotic content.
Whatever you do, just check your title in search before you set it.
6. It should encapsulate some measure of the theme.
At this point everything I'm doing with and for this work is about marketing to a publisher and building a website.
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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