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 |
When I begin a novel--I should say, before I begin a novel, I imagine the initial scene. The initial scene is the most important scene in any novel, and it is the scene that defines the novel. The initial scene in "Escape," jumps back and forth between Reb and Scott. Scott is the pilot who is flying an illegal flight path across the island nation of Freedom. Reb is the citizen who longs to escape Freedom. Their paths cross when Scott's high altitude cargo shuttle has an engine failure and he has to crash land on the island of Freedom. This scene sets up the entire novel.
The reason this is so important is that this scene is the one that will get publisher or a prospective reader to pick up your novel and read it. If a publisher reads your novel, you might get published. If a potential reader likes the first scene, they might buy your novel. This is why this scene is so important. You can louse up the scenes in the middle of the novel and few will care, but if the first scene is bad, a publisher or a potential reader will no t read your novel. No read, no buy. No read, no publish. That is why the first scene is so important.
Additionally, this is why I'm not in favor of prologues or anything else that gets in front of the first scene. Don't self eliminate your novels with this kind of bad writing. Better to dump the prologue and bring it in later as a flashback than to screw up your first 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
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