11 July 2018, Writing - part x551,
Developing Skills, Marketing Materials, How to Write a Concept of the Work
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?
Concept
of the Work: Approximately 250 Words
The concept
behind Blue Rose is first to show a
persistent protagonist who is driven to achieve.
The second
idea is the persistent pursuit of love represented by Lachlann Calloway.
You might
ask: what is a concept of the work?
My mentor,
Roz Young, advised me to write down the theme statement for my novel she
reviewed for me. I did this in spite of
the fact that I really didn’t fully understand, at the time, what a theme
statement might be. I’m not fully
certain she would agree with me on what I think a theme statement should be,
but I’ve come to the conclusion that every novel should have a theme statement,
and I’ve written in this blog about theme statements before. A theme statement isn’t really or fully the
concept of the work, but it is a step closer.
To me,
the theme statement goes like this:
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.
This is the example from Azure or rather,
Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective. This theme statement lists the protagonist,
implies a setting, and provides some action statements to direct the
novel. This statement also includes
portions of the telic flaw as well. One
of my author friends calls these types of theme statements, plot statements or
an initial plot outline. That’s okay. Apparently, if you haven’t discovered,
writers don’t fully agree on exactly what a theme vs. a plot is and where one
stops and the other starts.
I call the above type statement a
theme statement. Otherwise, what would
we call it? Perhaps in the simplest
sense, Azure is a detective novel or a mystery, but is that really the theme of
the novel. The theme statement captures
the theme and portions of the plot. Is
there really that strong a difference?
Great question.
The concept of the work perhaps
captures the idea of the theme more strongly than the theme statement or any
other simple statement. If you’ll
notice, the concept of the work also includes some touch to the plot.
So, in my concept of the work, I
was thinking about some of the major ideas in the work that might not be
perfectly obvious from the other information.
You can glean it from the synopsis, but these ideas are more akin to the
theme than to the plot.
My protagonist is a persistent
character who is willing to risk nearly everything to succeed. This is a true theme through the novel. I’ve written characters like this
before. They are very rare and
interesting in modern literature.
A secondary theme that I’ve been
chasing a little is the theme of the persistent suitor. My main prepublication reader recommended
this as an idea, and I’ve pursued it in differing measures in my novels. In this novel, I go full bore and put up and
protagonist’s helper who is absolutely intrigued and smitten with the
protagonist. He won’t take no for an
answer, but he is a complete gentleman.
This is old ground, but with a new kind of twist, and to me very
entertaining.
With these as the concept for the
work, I won’t send this info to any publisher, but I might use it to speak to a
publisher or in an interview. I think
this gives some interesting insight to the novel and to the characters.
The concept of the work is not
necessary, but it is good information for the author.
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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