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.
 |
| 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.
I used the examples of a system of magic and a system of sorcery to show how to use creativity to design a logical system. A system of magic or of sorcery are just types of logic based systems. Almost every type of system you design for a novel will be and must be logic based. For example, a political system--or a political party.
A political system has rules that logically pull it together. Likewise a political party has defined agendas and goals. Note however, both a political system and a political party might not have a fully logical basis. I suspect you can think of many illogical and inconsistent positions from political parties. They can have logical reasons, but many times they are not immediately evident. For example, the US Republican Party's support for illegal aliens is both detrimental to the party and illegal (that is illegal aliens). Their is no logical reason for them to hold this position except many of their wealthy supporters are in favor of uncontrolled immigration to provide cheap labor.
Another example of illogical political party issues is the support of abortion by the US Democrat Party. Because mostly Democrats and Democrat target groups are the people having abortions, every abortion reduces one potential vote from the party. Not to mention, Democrats are supposed to support the poor and helpless--I can't imagine a person more helpless than a child in the womb.
I bring up these examples, not to attack or defend any political party, but to point out that certain systems are not constrained wholly by logic. A magical or system of sorcery must be logically based. A scientific finding or technology must be logically based, but political parties and political organizations as well as governments don't need to be logical at all. There should be reasons for their positions and actions, but they don't need to be logical.
When you develop a creative system for your novel--it is very important to identify when a system must be logical and when it must simply be reasoned. Perhaps we should look in more detail at a reasoned approach as compared to a logical approach.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment