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.
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 Proposal |
I'm an advocate of using the/a scene input/output method to drive the rising action--in fact, to write any novel.
Scene development:
1. Scene input (easy)
2. Scene output (a little harder)
3. Scene setting (basic stuff)
4. Creativity (creative elements of the scene)
5. Tension (development of creative elements to build excitement)
6. Release (climax of creative elements)
I can immediately discern three ways to invoke creativity:
1. History extrapolation
2. Technological extrapolation
3. Intellectual extrapolation
Creativity is like an extrapolation of what has been. It is a reflection of something new created with ties to the history, science, and logic (the intellect). Creativity requires consuming, thinking, and producing.
How do you get creative ideas from experience and knowledge? I'm percolating an idea for a new novel. I don't want to start writing it immediately because I have some editing and marketing materials to work on. I already have an idea for the initial scene, and I'm putting together scenes in my mind that will be creative and exciting. I have loosely designed the theme for this novel: an abused shape-changer is caught by the widow Mrs. Lyons and redeemed. I haven't fully rounded out the theme, but I'm working on the characters. I already have Mrs. Lyons, but she has aged since I last used her and her husband is dead. The question is where did the idea come from?
Whether you think this is a good or a bad idea, I'm not copying the vampire stuff. I've been writing a series of novels about the unredeemable. I wrote about a goddess, a demigoddess, a vampire, a girl who called a demon (sorceress), and a computer geek who becomes a goddess. I wanted to write about a witch, but I kind of shifted the idea to a shape-changer. I was intrigue with the idea of the bear-man in the Hobbit, but I wanted to put my own spin on the idea. I built a picture for the initial scene--in this picture, I see a young woman (the shape-changer) who is raiding a country house pantry. The house happens to be that of Mrs. Lyons who retired there from London after her husband left the organization. Mrs. Lyons is an old woman, but she isn't helpless in any way. I originally saw her as blind or becoming blind. I may keep the becoming blind.
In using a shape-changing human, I am holding to the current theme ideas of my "Enchantment" series of novels. I have also been reusing some of the characters from my other novels--especially the Ancient Light novels. I wanted to do that here. I would especially like to have Valeska and Leila meet the main character of this new novel. I wanted to do a changeup on the characters too. Most of my characters are smart (too smart by half) and sophisticated. I wanted to write a character who isn't that smart and doesn't think much of herself. I wanted to write about a character who really is beaten down and needs to learn about life. I also wanted a mystery--by telling you the main character is a shape-shifter, I've told you more than the reader will know through most of the novel.
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
fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea
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