9 July 2018, Writing - part x549,
Developing Skills, Marketing Materials, still more about How to Write a Synopsis
Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but my primary
publisher has gone out of business—they couldn’t succeed in the past business
and publishing environment. I'll keep you informed, but I need a new publisher. 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 29th novel, working title, Detective, potential
title Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective. The theme statement is: Lady Azure Rose
Wishart, the Chancellor of the Fae, supernatural detective, and all around
dangerous girl, finds love, solves cases, breaks heads, and plays golf.
Here is the cover proposal for Blue
Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.
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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 am continuing to write on my 30th novel, working
title Red Sonja. I finished my 29th novel, working
title Detective. I’m planning to start on number 31, working
title Shifter.
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 30: 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 31: TBD
Here
is the scene development outline:
1.
Scene input (comes from the previous scene output or is an initial scene)
2.
Write the scene setting (place, time, stuff, and characters)
3.
Imagine the output, creative elements, plot, telic flaw resolution (climax) and
develop the tension and release.
4.
Write the scene using the output and creative elements to build the tension.
5.
Write the release
6.
Write the kicker
Today: Time again to look
at marketing materials. I just finished
a new novel—actually, I finished it a few weeks ago, but I’ve been working on
the marketing materials. I always develop
the specific materials first, then the condensed materials for my currently
defunct publisher, and then the cover.
You can see above, I made a proposed cover. I haven’t put any of this
information on the internet yet, but I’m building up to that.
Here
is my proposed cover:
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Cover
Proposal
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Marketing materials are a must. I’ll be straight up with you. I know most people have not completed their
novels. Some of you might have. You might be still working on your editing
and proofing. You might be still
perfecting your novel. All of that is
important, but none of it matters if you don’t have a plan for marketing your
work. Marketing means you have some plan
and know what a publisher might want to know about you and your work. What you need is a format for your marketing
materials, and here it is.
Title of Work:
Blue Rose: Enchantment and
the Detective
Author(s) Name:
L. D. Alford
Type: Either Screenplay or Book
Book
Length: Either # of words for books, or #
of pages for screenplays
108,475 words
Keywords and Market Focus:
Fiction, detective, supernatural, fae, fairy, romance,
intelligence, Britain, United Kingdom, MI6, magic, New Scotland Yard, goddess, Dagda,
organization, the Crown; will fascinate anyone interested in mystery, detectives,
and the fae—will appeal particularly to those who enjoy mystery and suspense
novels.
Genre:
Mystery 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
The Lady Azure Rose Wishart, in
the sixth form, the head girl at Wycombe Abbey, and a capable detective. She is also the top girl, a scratch golfer,
and lives with a couple of dubious acquaintances—one is most likely a vampire
and the other a werecreature. Well,
most likely. In any case, the Lady Azure
Rose Wishart lost her estate but not her title.
Because of that, she could be on the parishes’ charity list except she
has a scholarship to Wycombe and the Crown pays for her other work. The Lady Wishart is driven to reacquire her
estate and make her way in the world.
She wants to be a supernatural detective.
We first meet her as she untangles
a mystery for the New Scotland Yard.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a true supernatural crime, but Azure (the Lady
Wishart) solves it in no time, and she is now on New Scotland Yard’s
payroll. Another few thousand mysteries,
and she might buy back her estate.
That’s her first problem, she doesn’t make enough to ensure she can ever
win back her hereditary holdings. The
second problem is just about to hit her squarely between the eyes—Lachlann Calloway
meets her at a party.
It was truly an accident of
occasion and invitation that brought Lady Azure Rose Wishart into the sights of
the dashing Wing Commander Lachlann Calloway, but so is life. He immediately fell in love with the
ravishing and dangerous Azure. However, Azure
doesn’t have time for a lover or a boyfriend.
She, of course, does everything in her power to discourage him. During their next meeting, she thoroughly
embarrasses and chastises him. On their
first date, he privately blows her cover and propriety. What Lachlann discovers is that his mother, a
high level manager in her majesty’s intelligence operations, has black listed
Azure from any intelligence work. This
is curious, but he’s still in love.
Instead of being discouraged, as
Azure would have liked, Lachlann gloms on to her like a social leech. She isn’t used to these types of entanglements. In any case, Lachlann is trying his hardest
to entice Azure to love. She is trying
her hardest to be rid of the puppy, Lachlann Calloway. Lachlann’s mother wants nothing more than for
Lachlann to dump the unwilling Azure.
Meanwhile, Azure, through New Scotland Yard, has uncovered a truly
supernatural mystery.
With Lachlann’s help and
encouragement, Azure proceeds to take a sledge hammer to the Crown’s
supernatural intelligence structure—she has a mystery to solve. The Queen approves, Lachlann’s mother
disapproves, and the others have been ordered to accommodate and work with the
temperamental Azure. Azure’s goal is
still the same, but not everyone else agrees.
Will Lachlann’s love prevail?
Will Azure win her estate? Will
the truly supernatural mystery be solved?
The real question is will Lachlann’s mother ever resolve herself to a
potential daughter-in-law who is, in her own words, despicable?
How to
write a synopsis. First, tell us about
the protagonist, the protagonist’s helper, and the antagonist. Then bring in the telic flaw—the problem in the
novel. This is directly related to the
protagonist and the antagonist.
Finally,
don’t tell the resolution of the telic flaw (problem in the novel). What I aim to do is provide blurbs that
interest the potential publisher/reader.
Look,
this is what will happen to your synopsis.
First, it will hopefully attract a publisher to your novel. Second, your publisher will want to use the
basis of the synopsis as marking material for your novel. I can assure you of this.
When a
publisher wants to pitch your novel to the market, their associated publishers,
or associated organizations, what do you think they will start with? Even if the editor or the publisher has read
your novel cover to cover more than once, the first thing the publisher will do
is take your synopsis and rewrite it to fit their prospective target. They might not rewrite much at all, but
likely they will put their spin on it. This
is what happened to all of my novels.
Who else
knows the most about your book than you?
Your publisher won’t want to start with a black sheet of paper. They will start with your synopsis. Therefore, although you are writing your
synopsis for a potential publisher, you are also writing your synopsis for any
potential reader or anyone who might be interested in your novel. Therefore, your synopsis should be exactly
what you would write to interest your readers/potential readers in your novel.
This is
why you shouldn’t give the resolution.
You should produce a synopsis that you wouldn’t mind seeing on the back
of your novel, because that’s just what will happen.
So,
because the point of the synopsis is to excite potential readers (and
publishers), you need to create excitement through the synopsis. This is the main reason I usually end the
synopsis with teasers. I am trying to
excite anyone who reads the synopsis to what to read the book. I literally think of my novel and think about
what would interest me to read my own novel—this is what I put in my
synopsis. That’s why I ask
questions. I usually close my synopsizes
with this type of end.
Will Lachlann’s love prevail?
Will Azure win her estate? Will
the truly supernatural mystery be solved?
The real question is will Lachlann’s mother ever resolve herself to a
potential daughter-in-law who is, in her own words, despicable?
This type
of end interests me. This basically
replays the telic flaw of the novel as well as some ancillary issues, but they
are the issues that I think will excite and interest someone who might enjoy
this type of novel.
In any
case, focus on the characters, bring in the telic flaw, and provide teasers to
the resolution of the telic flaw. Excitement
and entertainment are what you want in your novels—you must relate this excitement
and entertainment in your synopsis.
Concept
of the Work: Approximately 250 Words
Registration:
WGA, ISBN, or Library of Congress, Write the number.
Other
Information: If you have more work, a
website, anything interesting and professional, especially any awards or
recognition.
Reviewer’s
quotes.
What I will do is go through each
step and give you my answers based on my latest novel. I did leave the top parts filled.
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
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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