31 May 2017, Writing Ideas
- New Novel, part x145, It’s Finished, Type and Length
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 27th 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
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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 28th novel, working title Red Sonja. I finished my 29th 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.
First, you write and write and write
until you are competent and someone finally accepts one of your novels for
publication.
Second, you keep writing.
Third, you market.
Fourth, you keep writing with the
hope your marketing and your writing will finally come to fruition.
Fifth, you market.
Here is a list of the primary
information I develop for a completed novel.
I’ll put some explanation beside the sections. Eventually, I’ll fill them out for my newest
novel.
Title of Work:
Deirdre: Enchantment and the
School
Author(s) Name:
L. D. Alford
Type: Either Screenplay or Book
Book
This isn’t a difficult identification. A screenplay is a very specific kind of
document in fiction. I left this in from
a generic fiction marketing form.
Length: Either # of words for books, or #
of pages for screenplays
xxx,xxx words
Let’s talk about words. Specifically the number of words. I like to aim for 100,000 word novels. My published novels vary from as low as 62,000
to as high as 114,000. A novel usually
must have at least 50,000 words to be considered a novel. Novellas run as high as 40,000 to 50,000
words. All I know is this—too long is
too long and too short is too short.
We generally get a feel for how long a novel should
be. I aim for 100,000 words. Sometimes my novels are longer and sometimes
a little shorter. The more experienced I
become, the longer, to an extent my novels become. As an important note, the Ghost Ship
Chronicles started as a single novel, but I quickly realized it would end up
much longer than 100,000 words. I broke
up the first and second novel. The first
is 80,000 words and the second about 70,000 words. There are three other novels. I haven’t written the fifth and supposedly
final novel. The first hasn’t sold
either—oh well. My point is this—the novel
was going to obviously be longer than 100,000 words, so I broke it into logical
pieces. This is my advice to you.
Let’s look at works that are too short and those
that are too long. For some reason, I
develop ideas that fit into a novel length.
I’m not sure why this happens, but it does. The kinds of things I write about and the
ideas I write about fit easily into about 100,000 words. Perhaps it is my own experience as a reader,
or I have developed a good feeling for the length of a good story. In any case, when I start to write, the plots
usually end up about 100,000 words. The
only case where this wasn’t true is Hestia,
and that novel ended up about 66,000 words.
Short for me.
I’ve noted before, I write in chapters and aim for
about 20 double spaced pages per chapter.
That gives about 5,000 words per chapter. In 20 chapters, you have a 100,000 word
novel. This is the way I write and it has
been very effective for me.
How to count the words. I have written before, I write in chapters
and pull the text together into a single document as an outline. This allows you to continue to update the
chapters and then to pull the document together in an update. I also disconnect a copy from the individual
chapter files—that allows me to produce a file that I can use to search and add
up the number of words. I can do other
things with it too and still protect the original files. This is where I get my word count and then
update the header of my novel. I’ll do
that next and put in the actual number of words. To me this is an exciting part of the
writing.
Keywords and Market Focus:
Fiction, curse, sith, fae, fairy, seelie, unseelie, Sherwood
Forest, Britain, United Kingdom, MI6, covert, spy, goddess, Dagda, military,
training; will fascinate anyone interested in covert operations, enchantment,
and the fae—will appeal particularly to those who enjoy spy, mystery, and
suspense novels.
Genre:
Historical Fantasy
Author
Bio: Approximately 120 words
The
finest entertainment in literature is an escape into a real and inviting
culture—so asserts L. D. Alford, a novelist who explores with originality those
cultures and societies we think we already know. He builds tales that make ancient people and
times real to us. His stories uniquely
explore the connections between present events, history, and the future—he
combines them with threads of reality that bring fiction alive. L. D. Alford is familiar with technology and
cultures—he earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Pacific Lutheran
University Boston
University University
of Dayton Air War College Staff
College
Synopsis: Approximately 500 Words
Shiggaion Tash is a screw-up. Not your run of the mill screw-up, rather,
she is a truly royal screw-up. From the
botched experiment in her graduate class at Oxford, where she exposed all her
students to a radionuclide to blowing the kneecap off her pistol range instructor
at Sandhurst, Shiggaion is a screw-up.
What’s worse is Sandhurst, sent her to Military Intelligence (MI)
science where she released nerve gas and sent an entire floor to hospital. From there science sent her to section VIII,
Clandestine Communications where she broadcast classified operational codes to the
Britain’s enemies. Section VIII sent her
to Section V, counter-espionage reports, where she designed an organizational
database system that lost all the reports.
Section V moved her on to Section VII, Economic Intelligence. There, she dumped a load of contraband in the
Thames. Section VII pushed her into
Section N, a section that exploits the contents of foreign diplomatic
bags. Shiggaion accidentally lost her
identification badge inside a diplomatic pouch and caused an international
incident. Section N passed her to
Section D, Political Covert Actions and Paramilitary Operations. There, she wrecked an SUV and sent her teammates
to hospital. Finally, Section D gave her
over to Hostage Rescue. During a hostage
recovery exercise Shiggaion accidently shot a hostage. It was a laser scored exercise, but she did
make a mark—someone else did too. One of
the instructors shot Shiggaion in the left buttocks with a tranq round.
Shaggaion woke strapped to a
medical table with a pain in her left cheek and a drug induced headache. She also has to go--badly. Shiggaion can’t imagine such treatment. Shiggaion’s cries finally provoke a
response. Sorcha Davis throws open the
door, threatens Shiggaion with bodily harm, and christens her—Shiggy. To survive, indeed to be able to relieve her
bladder, and to prevent bodily harm, Shiggy must acquiesce to Sorcha’s demands
and accept her new name. She must do
much more than that. Shiggy must
acknowledge and admit to all her previous lapses of judgement and take
responsibility for them.
Thus begins the training of Shiggy
Tash. Sorcha dresses her, arms her
(simulated weapons at first), trains her, punishes her, demeans her, and fashions
her into a lady. All for the purpose, so
says Sorcha, to make Shiggy a sensual and sexy spy who can woo the hearts of
men and woman. Shiggy looks like a
ditz—a very beautiful ditz after Sorcha is done, but a ditz. Sorcha needs an intelligent ditz who doesn’t
look like a dangerous person or a spy at all.
Shiggy isn’t so sure, plus there is much more to this business than
simple or not so simple spying.
Sorcha tells her that they are
part of Stela, an organization in British Intelligence that protects the UK
from supernatural beings and events.
Shiggy doesn’t believe in the supernatural and now she must work with
it—she even meets some supernatural beings.
What’s to become of Shiggy now?
Concept
of the Work: Approximately 250 Words
The concept behind Sorcha is to show a truly flawed person
who initially won’t take responsibility for her actions and bad judgement. The novel shows the transformation of a
person of bad judgement, taste, and personality into a powerful and useful
person.
A secondary concept in the novel
is love and pursuit of love by gentlemen for a lady who isn’t used to anyone
loving her and another woman who has never been loved because of her
personality.
Registration:
WGA, ISBN, or Library of Congress, Write the number.
None
Other Information: If you have more work, a website, anything
interesting and professional, especially any awards or recognition.
Essie: Enchantment and the Aos Si www.HearthGoddess.com, a matron rescues
and educates the Queen of the fae.
Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer www.GoddessofLightNovel.com, a
math genius girl gets a boyfriend and becomes a Japanese goddess.
Valeska: Enchantment and the Vampire www.GoddessofDarkness.com, a
British agent accidentally becomes involved with a vampire.
Khione: Enchantment and the Fox www.GoddessNovel.com, a graduate student
discovers a demigoddess in modern Boston
Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon www.AksinyaNovel.com, a Russian princess
calls a demon to protect her family.
Hestia: Enchantment of the Hearth www.EnchantmentoftheHearth.com,
the misadventures of archeologists in modern Greece.
Antebellum www.AntebellumNovel.com
the mystery of a house that has been missing since the American Civil War and
the girl who is called to it.
The Second Mission
www.TheSecondMission.com is a
historical fiction novel about ancient Greece
Centurion www.CenturionNovel.com published
January 2008 and Aegypt www.AegyptNovel.com also published in
January 2008 are historical fiction novels from OakTara Fiction www.OakTara.com
The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox is a science
fiction series published by OakTara Fiction
Ancient Light is a suspense series published by Broadstreet,
Eleutheria, September 2014 in a three-in-one www.AncientLight.com.
L.D. Alford has more than 40 technical papers published in
international journals on flight test, military policy, flight safety, space,
and cyberwar. His military aviation
writing is featured as Military Aviation Adventures on www.wingsoverkansas.com.
Reviewer’s
quotes.
No one would expect Shiggy Tash to be anything more than a
ditz. She’s even blond, but she may be
the most dangerous person in British Intelligence—particularly to British
intelligence.
Shiggy doesn’t
believe in the supernatural. She’s
living in a supernatural house with supernatural guardians, and meets all kinds
of supernatural beings. Perhaps she
needs to make a second appraisal.
What fun. A failed British agent with poor judgement
who happens to be a cursed warrior. Is
there any hope for Shiggy?
1. No more than 3 sentences about the content of
your manuscript.
Shiggy
Tash finally meets her match in Sorcha Davis—Sorcha has a large stick, knows
Shiggy’s every thought, and has convinced the village that Shiggy is recovering
from a brain injury.
The world of British Intelligence meets the supernatural in
an entertaining tale of rehabilitation, love, and spying.
Shiggy Tash is the most dangerous person in the
world to British Intelligence—she happens to be a member, slightly out of
control, and in need of a good trainer.
2. One sentence about successful works similar
to yours.
Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse is a unique novel with
nothing very similar—it is an idea and a theme wholly unto itself.
3. No more than 2 sentences about yourself. (use
3rd person)
L. D. Alford is a novelist whose writing uniquely explores
the connections between present events and history—he combines them with
threads of reality that bring the past alive.
Dr. Alford is a scientist and widely traveled author who
combines intimate scientific and cultural knowledge into fiction worlds that
breathe reality.
4. No more than 2 sentences that include
“other,” i.e. any reasons, relationships, or other factors that might make your
work more attractive.
Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse continues the supernatural themes
introduced in L.D. Alford’s Enchantment and
Ancient Light novels. It is a standalone novel.
Sorcha: Enchantment
and the Curse is exciting fiction from the celebrated author of Essie: Enchantment and the Aor Si, Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer, Valeska: Enchantment and the Vampire, Khione:
Enchantment and the Fox, Dana-ana:
Enchantment of the Maiden, Hestia: Enchantment of the Hearth, Aksinya:
Enchantment and the Daemon, Antebellum, Centurion,
Aegypt, The End of Honor, The
Fox’s Honor, A Season of Honor, Sister
of Light, and Sister of Darkness.
I left in all the information for Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse. I’ll write and put in the information for School over the next few weeks.
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
fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline,
character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing,
information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic
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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