2 June 2017, Writing Ideas
- New Novel, part x147, It’s Finished, Number of Words
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. As we discuss them, 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
Length: Either # of words for books, or #
of pages for screenplays
120,975 words
I put my files together and started working on the
marketing materials. The word count is a
little high. I think the novel reads
quickly. My only other longer novel is Escape from Freedom. This may be a little long for a first
publication, but it might be all right with a best seller in the bunch. I’m still looking for a best seller. My novels still sell, but I can always wish
for more sales. I’m sure my writing gets
better with every novel I write, I’d like to see how my later novels fare in
the marketplace.
School or Deirdre: Enchantment and the School is definitely my style of
novel. It starts with a bang and
continues with gentle but rising tension and release. The characters get deeper and deeper into
circumstances both under their control and not.
Eventually, they get in over their heads and the reader thinks all is
lost, but although they can’t put the genii back in the bottle, there is a
reconciliation that is expected and completely unexpected. The climax occurs, but the result is
completely unexpected. It still relieves
the protagonist’s telic flaw and reconciles the novel, but the end is
completely unexpected. I can’t wait to
send it to my primary prepublication reader.
I’m not sure she will like it as much as I do, but it touches themes and
ideas she has liked in the past.
If you remember, my goal is entertainment. If we tweak some ideas and other areas in the
process, that’s okay too. I write novels
I like to read for myself. I want
everyone to be as entertained as I am.
Still, I write redemptive themes because I find them entertaining. Although everything is not right at the end,
the characters still achieve some degree of resolution. I like to think my novels are like the real
world. The ends are not always what we
expect, but usually (unless it is a tragedy) we take on our own burdens and
continue on. In a comedy, the burdens
are lighter, but they are still set squarely on our shoulders. That, in my opinion, is true adult
literature. Everything is not wrapped up
in a pretty bow. The world has indeed
changed and the characters have indeed become more than they were at the
beginning. The telic flaw is resolved,
but not completely in the way the way the reader always expects. This again is the expected, unexpected
climax.
I’ll remind you again. I hope this sets off reminder bells. Whatever the telic flaw of the novel
(protagonist) is, the reader expects this telic flaw to be resolved (in a
comedy in a positive way, the protagonist overcomes the telic flaw, and in a
tragedy in a negative way, the telic flaw overcomes the protagonist). Since this telic flaw must be resolved the
climax is expected. The author of adult
fiction must make the resolution seem impossible or out of the grasp of the
protagonist. In a mature climax, the
resolution of the telic flaw seems impossible, but the author provides a means
of resolution that is reasonable, logical, and unexpected by the reader. This is sometimes called a plot twist. I would argue that every adult novel must
have a plot twist. The more powerful the
plot twist as long as it is reasonable and logical, the more powerful the
climax and the resolution of the novel.
This is what critics call an unexpected ending or an unexpected
resolution. The resolution of the telic
flaw is expected, the means is unexpected.
The brilliance of any novel is this contrast.
Likewise, the novel itself is the revelation of the
protagonist. This part of the
entertainment is the driving force that allows a reader and a critic to say, the
novel has characters that they love.
This is precisely what I seek in writing: characters my readers (and I)
love and a climax that is the expected, unexpected. Now, as to execution, only you (as my
readers) can be the judge of my success, but this is my ultimate goal in entertaining
you.
Keywords and Market Focus:
Fiction, friendship, Wycombe Abbey, school,
boarding, education, training, boyfriends, Eton, diva, skills, shooting,
fencing, fae, fairy, Britain, spy, goddess, Dagda, magic; will fascinate anyone
interested in friendship, boarding schools, magic, and the fae—will appeal
particularly to those who enjoy 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
Deirdre Calloway is a wild and
dangerous girl. She’s never had a
friend, was sent to boarding school at Wycombe Abbey to be finished, and has a
penchant for fighting that has earned her a dubious reputation and record. Still, she is small blond haired and appears
the exact opposite of her reputation.
Did I mention, she has never had a friend? That’s all about to change.
Sorcha Weir has hair as black as
pitch, and a face as sweet and delicate as a fae creature. Mostly because she is the offspring of a man
and an Unseelie fae. She has been
secretly attending Wycombe Abbey by using fae glamour to make her appear to be
a proper student. She escaped from the juvenile
prison at Aylesbury and secretly made her home at Wycombe. She has everything planned to learn,
graduate, and continue her education.
All she has to do is keep her attendance and presence a secret.
Sorcha has everything planned
because no one can tell she is not a proper student—until she meets
Deirdre. On the first day of classes,
Deirdre notices Sorcha’s existence and sees through her glamour. This is one of Deirdre’s unusual skills. The problem is that Deirdre has never
achieved anything in terms of personal intimacy except through fighting, and
Sorcha has always lived a rough and tumble life. To protect her great secret, Sorcha attacks
Deirdre. Deirdre doesn’t fall for the
usual brawling tricks, and bests Sorcha.
Now all of Sorcha’s goals are at risk.
Her only hope to either banish Deirdre or befriend her. On the other hand, Deirdre is oddly attracted
to those she defeats—an unpleasant result of her personality.
Deirdre is halted from fully
taking advantage of her conquest by the intervention a teacher, Deirdre’s
relative Lune Bolang. In any case,
Sorcha seeks out Deirdre to either banish her or become her friend. Deirdre’s reaction is completely unexpected. Deirdre offers to keep Sorcha’s secret, to
share her clothing, and her room.
Sorcha and Deirdre begin an odd
friendship bound to Luna Bolang. Ms.
Bolang doesn’t seem to know anything, but maybe knows everything. She encourages Sorcha and Deirdre to join the
fencing club. She forces Deirdre and
Sorcha to participate in electives.
These electives are patently
unusual: fencing, shooting, making friends, associating with the tea-party
class, meeting boys, learning about magic, meeting the fae, and seeing
angels. There is much more in store for Deirdre
and Sorcha. To keep Sorcha’s great
secret and for Deirdre to remain at Wycombe and away from Deirdre’s past and
her mother, the girls must acquiesce to Luna Bolang’s requirements.
Why is Luna Bolang at Wycombe as a
teacher? Why the odd electives and
study? Why the teaching about
magic? What does Luna intend for Deirdre
and Sorcha, and why is Ms. Rowley, the history instructor involved in
magic? The fate of Deirdre and Sorcha
lies in their own hands. The fate of
friends, associates, and others will also become their responsibilities.
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 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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