Writing Ideas - New Novel, part x135, It’s Finished, Preparation

21 May 2017, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part x135, It’s Finished, Preparation

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.

     4a. Show what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted on the stage of the novel.

5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.

These are the steps I use to write a novel including the five discrete parts of a novel:

 

1.      Design the initial scene

2.      Develop a theme statement (initial setting, protagonist, protagonist’s helper or antagonist, action statement)

a.       Research as required

b.      Develop the initial setting

c.       Develop the characters

d.      Identify the telic flaw (internal and external)

3.      Write the initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)

4.      Write the next scene(s) to the climax (rising action)

5.      Write the climax scene

6.      Write the falling action scene(s)

7.      Write the dénouement scene

I finished writing my 27^th novel, working title, Claire, potential title Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse.  This might need some tweaking.  The theme statement is: Claire (Sorcha) Davis accepts Shiggy, a dangerous screw-up, into her Stela branch of the organization and rehabilitates her.  

Here is the cover proposal for Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse. 

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I started writing my 28^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 29^th novel, working title School.  I’ll be providing information on the marketing materials and editing.

How to begin a novel.  Number one thought, we need an entertaining idea.  I usually encapsulate such an idea with a theme statement.  Since I’m writing a new novel, we need a new theme statement.  Here is an initial cut.

 

For novel 28:  Red Sonja, a Soviet spy, infiltrates the X-plane programs at Edwards AFB as a test pilot’s administrative clerk, learns about freedom, and is redeemed.

 

For novel 29:  Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.

 

The point of writing is to entertain—without publication, you can’t entertain many people.  You really do have options, but I’m not sure all your options are that great.  Let’s look at self-publishing.  You pay someone some bucks, and they publish your work.  They usually provide all kinds of services, for a cost.  Many authors are not ready for self-publication—let’s say, most authors are not ready for self-publication.  If you have written about 1 million words or approximately 8 to 10 100,000 word novels, you are probably ready for self-publication.  You are probably ready for real publication too.  That is, your skills as an author have reached a level of expertise where you can write well enough that someone might want to read your novels—or not.  How do you know?

 

The way you know your novels are ready for publication is that someone is willing to take the risk of publishing you.  This isn’t a circular argument, but it is an argument that screams to not self-publish, unless you are ready as an author.  I have an author friend who is self-publishing his current novels.  He had two novels published by a regular publisher who just happened to go out of business.  Unfortunate, but his writing was proven by publication and now he self-publishes.  I have six books in publication and two on contract.  I could likely self-publish with the knowledge that my novels might find a market.  I’d rather not, so I’m holding tight to my publisher and hoping to have more works published as the economy improves.

 

I’d like to find another publisher, but that’s hard.  You work very hard to find someone, anyone who loves your writing and is willing to publisher your novels.  Once you find someone, you hope their business continues profitably so you can continue to have novels published.  Publishing is difficult.  I advise against self-publishing unless you already have a couple of novels in regular publication.  Unless you definitely have completed eight to ten long novels, you really don’t have the skills to produce a viable novel.   

 

More tomorrow.

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  

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