Announcement: My novels Sister of Light and Sister of Darkness are about to be published. I write this blog about 2 months prior to its publication. I just heard that the proofs will be here soon--likely before the end of the week. My publisher also wants to put the entire set of novels based on Aegypt on contract--that's 5 more novels for 8 total. They also want to put my other novels on contract. The release schedule should be one novel every 2 months. I'll keep you updated.
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.
Here are my rules of writing:
1. Entertain your readers.
2. Don't confuse your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.
A scene outline is a means of writing a novel where each scene follows the other with a scene input from the previous scene and a scene output that leads to the next scene. The scenes don't necessarily have to follow directly in time and place, however they generally follow the storyline of the protagonist.
A storyline outline is a means of writing a novel where the author develops a scene outline for more than one character and bases the plot on one or more of these storyline scenes. This allows the scenes to focus on more than the protagonist. This is a very difficult means of writing. There is a strong chance of confusing your readers.
Whether you write with a scene outline or a storyline outline, you must properly develop your scenes. All novels are developed from scenes and each scene has a design similar to a novel. Every successful novel has the following basic parts:
1. The beginning
2. The rising action
3. The Climax
4. The falling action
5. The dénouement
Every scene has these parts:
1. The setting (where, what, who, when, how)
2. The connection (input)
3. The tension development
4. The release
5. The output
There are many approaches to scene setting. That means there are about a million plus ways you can set a scene. The main point is you have to clearly get across the where, when, who, what, and how.
Here is another example of scene setting from the novel, Aksinya. I'm giving you examples from the book so you can see different ways of introducing and writing a scene. In each snippet, you get the scene setting, the tension and release, and the input and output. This isn't true of every example, but the pieces should be there, and I've been trying to identify for you when all the pieces aren't evident. You can use these ideas to guide your own writing. Make sure you set the scene properly, then make everything come to life through the narration and conversation.
Rarely in a novel do we get the true reasons for why a character acts--or theoretically this is true. That is in any novel, you should rarely get the true reasons why a character acts. In this case, Dobrushin tells Aksinya why he is acting as he is. This is a real reason that many people can understand well. Is it the truth--it seems to be...
She smiled, “I
would like to try this, but now, more than ever, I don’t wish to lose you.”
“I don’t want to
die either.”
“If you found some
other man to…”
“I don’t think you
understand me at all. I am not willing
to give you to any other man.”
Aksinya stared at him
in surprise, “Do you mean that?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then if you don’t
love me, you feel possessively toward me.
You paid my bills and took me under your protection. It is almost as if you bought me,” she
laughed. “Then you desire me that much.”
“I
admit. I do desire you.”
“What
do you gain from this? I am
nothing. I have nothing.” She lowered her face, “There is a string of
horror in the wake of my life. It is all
because of my choices. You would not
obtain wealth. You would not obtain
innocence. You would not gain
notoriety. The opposite is true. My name has been paraded in the papers as a
sorceress.”
He
took her hands in his, “Yet I do gain something very important. I wish to see this demon. As you said, if you have seen a demon, then
there must be God. And I gain a person
in my life who has truly touched spiritual things.”
“Tainted
by spiritual things.”
“In
the church we promote the physical representation of heavenly things. Each item, the icons, the cross and crucifix,
the banners, the baptistery, the altar, the church itself stand in place of
their spiritual realities. The incense
represents the smells, the metaepithumia, before the altar in heaven. The feel of the water is the spirit of
God. The taste of the communion is the
flavor of salvation. These things are
only shadows of their reality, but you, you alone of all the people I have ever
met, claim, and indeed show proof of not just the symbols of heavenly things,
but the reality of spiritual things.”
“This
is important to you?”
“The
most important thing to me. Perhaps, it
is due to my lack of faith. You asked me
in the past if I believed in God. No one
ever asked me that before. When you
sought solace from the God you knew existed but could not reach, I sought to
see God within you.”
“And
you think you found Him?”
“I
did find Him. Before, I believed, now I
know. It is as simple as that. If you imagine that I found an icon in you,
an icon that is both a physical and a spiritual manifestation of reality, then
that is why I desire you enough to face a demon in order to marry you.”
“Perhaps
you were sent to me for this purpose.”
“Perhaps
everything in your life has pointed to this purpose. Dear God, Princess, you know. You know the Lord God almighty exists. You know the spiritual world is real. Not only have you seen it, you have
manipulated it.” He released her right
hand and pulled her left hand into his.
He stroked the many scars on it.
“When I saw these marks, I knew what you had been. When I heard your confession, I knew what you
could become. I am willing to give up
everything because of this.”
“For
me?”
“For
the purpose within you.”
The following is a question asked by one of my readers. I'm going to address this over time: I am awaiting for you to write a detailed installment on identifying, and targeting your audience, or audiences...ie, multi-layered story, for various audiences...like CS Lewis did. JustTake care, and keep up the writing; I am enjoying it, and learning a lot.
For more information, you can visit my author sitewww.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com, www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, thefoxshonor, aseasonofhonor.
