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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 370, Developing Tension in the Rising Action

15 April 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 370, Developing Tension in the Rising Action

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but the publisher has delayed all their fiction output due to the economy.  I'll keep you informed.  More 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.

Today's Blog: To see the steps in the publication process, visit my writing website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to http://www.sisteroflight.com/.

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 ComputerLilly is my 24th novel.
Cover Proposal
The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action.  I'm writing building the rising action of my newest novel, "Escape."  Escape is the working title.  I'll decide on the actual proposed title when I finish the novel.  I'm at the nineteenth chapter right now.  That means I've written about 380 pages.  I've just started on the next major run-through..

I'm an advocate of using the/a scene input/output method to drive the rising action--in fact, to write any novel. 

Short digression:  I'm writing from Broome Australia on another around the world tour. 

How does an author develop tension in the rising action.  The immediate answer is creativity.  The more general answer is that each scene is like a short story.  Each scene is not like a self contained short story, but each scene must be handled as if it is a singular creative part of the novel.  It must fit in the novel, but it must be developed individually as well as part of the novel.

This is a reason that many short story writers eventually become fantastic novelists.  For example, Ray Bradbury and George R. R. Martin are both short story writers who developed their novel writing styles with short stories first and then expanded them into full length novels.  Some of their novels, such as Martin's Tuff Voyaging and Bradbury's Martian Chronicles are short stories pieced into novels.  In fact, you can broadly separate novelists into those who write in a short story style and those who don't.  I build full novel-length ideas in my novels, but if you want to get anywhere in this business, you must train yourself to approach each scene like a short story.

How do you begin a short story?  Usually, with scene setting.

More tomorrow.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:




fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension

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