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.
For the purpose of explaining about logic and creativity, I'll explain in detail about the development of a logical framework for sorcery and magic. You might ask: how can laws of magic be logical? It doesn't matter if the magic actually works or not. The point isn't the working--it is the reasonableness of the doing. The same is true in science fiction. It doesn't matter if the interstellar drive works, what matters is that the explanation is logical. This is true of every and all systems of events and action in any novel, book, or story. The point isn't the reality, but rather the feel of reality conferred by the author. I've written about this before. For example, conversations in any novel is not a "real" conversation. It is the perfect conversation--like a conversation in a stage play or a movie. The realness if conferred by the skill of the author. The same is true of any fantasy system such as magic or science fiction system such as future technology. The reality of the system becomes "real" through the logical development of the author.
How do you confer logic on an illogical system such as magic--the answer is simple: you do so in the same way a science fiction author confers the touch or feel of reality on his science fiction worlds. Indeed, in the same way a modern writer conveys Wall Street or Broadway. No one can completely understand Broadway or Wall Street--that isn't to say many people don't understand it well. Wall Street in a novel is never the actual Wall Street--it is always abbreviated and condensed into an essence of reality. The Wall Street in a novel is always only a caricature of the real. The closer the author gets to the "feel" of the actual, the more powerful or better the novel's Wall Street seems like the actual Wall Street. The ability to produce this feel the power of logic mixed with words.
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, logic
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