Writing - part x660, Developing Skills, Day 5 Scotland

28 October 2018, Writing - part x660, Developing Skills, Day 5 Scotland

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 29^th 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. 

Cover Proposal

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 30^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 29^th 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:  First morning at the Brownlee B&B and we ran out of hot water.  That was shocking.  The landlord, Jimmy said the tank ran out with ten people taking morning showers.  I say, you shouldn’t have so little hot water available for less than a full house.  In any case, I didn’t start in a happy frame of mind.

Breakfast was better.  You select what you want in the evening and it appears on time in the morning.  I had eggs benedict.  The bacon was strips and the muffins were tasteless.  It was still a good effort.  Coffee was good and everything was plentiful.  I shouldn’t complain too much.

We didn’t get in on the lottery and didn’t have a tee time at the Saint Andrews Old Course, so we headed down to the Old Course for pictures and to make a tour. 

We walked down the first hole fairway to cross at the street and went to the bridge across the stream at the eighteenth fairway.  When we arrived some crazy heads were conducting a funeral service on the bridge.  They had a poem, a prayer, and then stopped and the lady pulled a ziplock bag out of her purse.  They commenced to strew human remains, ashes, over the stream.  With the wind at about fifteen knots, none of the ashes and bone chips landed in the stream.  They flowed in a small dust storm back on the participants.  I think they were loonies.  I’m certain it is illegal in every sense of the word to strew human ashes and bone chips in the stream and definitely on the eighteenth fairway. 

When we could take possession of the bridge, we had another tourist take our pictures and we swapped.  Afterward, we walked down to the seventeenth tee and then back down the eighteenth.  As we strolled, we shopped at the golf and nic-nac stores.  We ended up at the British Museum of Golf.  The entry fee wasn’t too high.  It was an okay museum.  We headed up the street along the coastline. 

The coast is rock and a 60 meter (180 foot) cliff down to glacier streaked stone.  At the peak of the coast are the ruins of Saint Andrews castle.  We entered the museum and castle shop and paid for entry to the castle and the cathedral.  The cathedral is also a ruin about a block further to the north and east.

The castle is wonderful.  It is a ruin, but it has a mine and countermine that you can enter.  It isn’t for the faint of heart, but you can crawl down through the countermine and then into the mine.  Because the mine was not successful, they still exist.  The attackers and defenders chipped through hard stone to create both.

The castle fell by treachery in the end.  We walked a little further to the cathedral ruins.

The Saint Andrews Cathedral may be the largest cathedral I have seen.  Perhaps it looks larger because it is ruins.  The grounds and the ruins are extensive.  Apparently, the reformers tried to destroy the place, but couldn’t pull it all down.  The tower is still standing, and I climbed it.  It was a great view.  Just taking a look at the very ancient tombstones is astounding.  While we were there a little French girl was leaping from tombstone to tombstone counting in French.

After we finished with pictures and looking, we headed to the Central Pub.  We drank a lager and a cider and both Chicken Tikka.  Some Indian foods are pub fare because when the British Empire included India, the soldiers returning home wanted a taste of India.  That’s why you will find curry and tikka as well as other Indian foods in most pubs.

After lunch, we regrouped and headed out to Falkland Castle.  This is a very interesting castle.  It was once runs, but partially rebuilt in the late 1800s.  You can see some of the rooms and there are reproductions of the king and queen’s rooms.  There is also a complete catholic chapel.  This castle is worth the trip.  You can also see a hands on ancient bakery and apothecary. 

We returned to Saint Andrews in time to go for drinks and dinner at the Dunveagan Hotel.  Their specialty is the Dunveagan Steak, but we ate lamb chops and salmon.  The food was excellent.  Many in our group had the steak and were pleased.

We returned to the Brownlee B&B and to bed.       

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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