Writing - part x667, Developing Skills, Day 12 England

4 November 2018, Writing - part x667, Developing Skills, Day 12 England

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:  We went around the corner to a small coffee shop for breakfast.  I had an apple turnover and a cappuccino.  Then we were off on arranged car transportation to Covent Garden and the Apple Market.  We arrived 0945 for a 1000 meeting of a London Royals walking tour.  While we waited, I perused the Apple Market. 

Now, the Apple Market is a place I would like to shop for a while.  It is an antique market, and when I write antique, I don’t mean junk.  The stalls are specialized and the goods are literally from the Duke’s dining room.  At least that’s what it looks like to my eyes.  Imagine all the finery of a Victorian home, and imagine that you might purchase and bring home these sweet items. 

There were stalls with dining wear, table wear, military garb, cameras, comic books, sitting room items, gentlemen’s room items.  In one particularly interesting stall were all things nautical: compasses, sextants, sighing spheres, telescopes, clocks, and many other things.  I found a miniature sextant that had the date 1917 and the maker on it with its own wooden box.  It was 50 pounds, but the box had 48 pounds on it and the seller told me he would take 45 pounds.  I was in a hurry, and I had no idea they would dicker, and I wanted the antique sextant—so I bought it.  Perhaps it isn’t an antique after all or from 1917, but I have a sextant that should be on a small yacht that says it was an offspring of almost the Victorian era and it came from the London Apple Market.  Everything else could only be a bit of lesser grace.

And the walking tour began.  I won’t go into details.  We saw the so called Diagon Alley and the special place where the magical houses in Harry Potty were.  We wandered Trafalgar Square and saw the lions and other statues.  We also entered Westminster and saw where the Queen and all the little princelings and princesses are supposed to live when they aren’t partying and spending from the English till. 

The changing of the horse guard is fantastic and we saw both that event and the changing of the house guard with a band.  This was rousing and unique.  Our guide was London Big Ben, and he was a fantastic guide with great information.  He took us all around the Buckingham Palace area and then back to Parliament Square and to the Clarence Pub.  The pub food was great especially after the two and a half hour walk.  Then the fun began.

We wanted to get to the Tower and got tickets for the Hop-on Hop-off bus.  There are more than one of these bus companies and tours.  We wanted the red line and got on the yellow line.  We wandered for about an hour before we got back on the yellow to head to the tower.  We were fast running out of time and took the Thames part of the tour to the Tower to try to catch it before it closed at 1730—we were late, too late.

Then began the long ride back where we missed the purple line, but made it back close to our lodgings—we only had a one and a half mile walk.  As soon as we arrived, we walked around the corner to the Capresie Italian Restaurant.  The food and wine were very good, and the service was excellent.  Then back to the apartment 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  

fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic