Writing - part x691, Japan Days Thursday

28 November 2018, Writing - part x691, Japan Days Thursday

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:  I’m off to Japan and actually Tokyo again.  This time I’m going to see my son and daughter-in-law again, but with the addition of a brand new granddaughter Rinley.

Ninth full day in Japan.  Another Sawai day.  Sawai is a brewery and saki tasting joint.  In Germany, you go wine probing.  In the USA, you go wine tasting.  In Japan, you go saki tasting.

We took the train from Fussa on the Ome line.  You have to make a train switch about halfway.  Sawai is out in the country.  On the way, you see Japanese farms and agricultural activity as well as people coming in and out of the city. 

The most intriguing travelers are the little elementary school kids on their way to school, by themselves, and the middle and high schoolers in their uniforms making the same trip.  Every face is interesting, and every face makes you wonder just where each person is going and what they are doing.

Sawai station is a country station in the middle of a small village.  It sits in a deep valley.  To the north are steep tree covered slopes, and to the south are the same, but also the great Tama River. 

To get to Sawai, you have to walk down the very steep hill to a pedestrian tunnel under the main road.  The tunnel opens into a beautiful collection of buildings and gardens.  To the right is a small spring with two blue and white cups.  The tasting building is also to the right.  Up a short flight of steps and into the building.  The saki lady recognized me right away. 

She wondered why I didn’t just bring my old tasting cup—I told her we were collecting them for a red cup and plus they made great saki cups to use every day.  To get a red cup, you have to collect ten blue cups.  My son and DiL have a couple.  If you have a tasting cup, you get 100 yen off the cost of a refill, and there are 14 sakis to choose from.

This time, we wanted to try the sakis we missed on the last trip.  We started with the top Saki, then number 2, the two seasonal sakis (13 and 14), the aged saki, and then we were repeating.  For a base for our, ahem, tasting, we ordered ramen, udon, macha, and toasted onigiri.  The ramen and udon are noodle soups.  Macha is a bun filled with stuff—I like bean paste macha.  Toasted onigiri are rice balls with a little caramel toasting on them.  Oh, also edamame—that’s soy beans steamed in salt water. 

After a little, we moved our party from the enclosed tasting room overlooking the mighty Tama to the open tables outside overlooking the mighty Tama.  We also crossed the bridge, went to the shrine, and rang the bell.  All things you must do when you go to Sawai.  We also looked for crabs, but didn’t see any this time.

We took the train back toward Fussa, but continued to the same sushi place—the one with no English menus and the people who didn’t speak any English.  They weren’t as busy, but treated us great.  We sat at the same floor tables and ate sushi and shashimi as well as beer and more saki.  We trained back to Fussa and to bed.  Oh, we did get some packing in.     

When I return, I’ll give you more about submissions.

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