Writing - part x668, Developing Skills, Day 13 England

5 November 2018, Writing - part x668, Developing Skills, Day 13 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:  Again, around the corner for coffee and breakfast.  I had a cappuccino and an egg and bacon bruschetta.  The food was great, then we were off on a hire to the tower of London.  I’d rather seen the British Museum and or the British Gallery, but we went to the Tower.

It was the tower.  I must say that it isn’t the greatest castle I’ve seen.  We saw the crown jewels and the royal armory, but it’s a lot of glitz and not a lot of show.  The Medieval palace is not great, and the torture chamber sucks, just say’n.  There are better attractions and better castles.  I’d rather go to the British Museum and or the British Gallery.  They are both free and have much greater attractions.  Then began our trip from hades.

Actually, it wasn’t as bad as that.  We tried to get an Uber back to our apartment—the uber sucked.  They couldn’t find us and we couldn’t find them.  There were two, and it sucked.  We flagged a regular cab and made our way to the place.  The cabby was either uniformed, misinformed, or intentionally trying to jack the bill.  He took us all around—we watched on our iMaps, but eventually and 40 pounds latter, we made it to our apartment.  The car met us about five minutes early and that began our trip to Gatwick.

Let me be clear—Londonstani sucks.  It sucks greatly.  The people are nice, but the city is dirty, stinky, and ridden with non-British.  This would be great if we were talking about Constantinople, but we are not.  We are writing about a first world nation that is slowly or fastly becoming a third world nation.  In any case, we arrived at Gatwich in time for our flight.

We headed back to Scotland and the Holiday Inn Express.  I actually must recommend the place.  It is typical, but close to the terminal.  The people are nice and reasonable.  The food and the drinks are acceptable, but let me tell you about the food.

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