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 shuttle pilot not following the rules crashes on the island.
Here is the cover proposal for Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer. Lilly is my 24th novel.
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| Cover Propsal |
When I first started writing novels, I mistakenly assumed that every scene was the same as every other. In fact, when I first started writing novels, I had no idea what it really meant to write a scene--I just wrote. I had a general outline and wrote to that outline. Over the years, I've come to a much better understanding of writing a novel and of the use of scenes. Scenes are the key, in my opinion, to writing a great novel.
The most important scene is the first. The initial scene defines the novel in every way. If you imagine, the first paragraph is filled with action, scene setting, character introduction, and mystery, the first scene must accomplish for the novel what the first paragraph does for the novel and the first scene. If the first paragraph is the ignition, the initial scene is the launch of the novel.
I begin novels with the initial scene. In other words, I conceive a novel with an initial scene. I build that scene in my mind first. The initial scene to me represents the novel. My initial scenes begin from a picture. The picture is the scene setting and the characters. The action in the initial scene is when the picture starts to move. From this initial scene, I build a theme. Or, I should say, the theme comes with the initial scene. For example, tomorrow, I'll describe how a single picture of the world led me to conceive of the novel, Escape.
More tomorrow.
For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.ancientlight.com/
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com
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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