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.
This is the second reading... it is from Ephesians.
Dobrushin, “Wisdom.”
Father Makar
stated, “The Reading is from the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians.”
Dobrushin, “Let us
attend.”
Father Makar read,
“Brethren, give thanks at all times for all things to God the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, making yourselves subject to one another in the
fear of Christ. Wives be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord, because
the husband is head of the wife, as Christ too is head of the Church, and he is
the Savior of the body. But as the Church is subject to Christ, so wives must
be also to their own husbands in everything. Husbands love your own wives, as
Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her,
having purified her with the washing of water with a word, that he might
present the Church to himself glorious, without spot or wrinkle or anything
similar, but that she might be holy and unblemished. Thus husbands must love
their own wives like their own bodies. One who loves his own wife loves
himself, for no one hates their own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as
the Lord does the Church, because we are members of his body, from his flesh
and from his bones. ‘For this reason a man will abandon his father and mother
and be attached to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a
great mystery, I mean concerning Christ and the Church. However let each one of
you love his wife as himself, and let the wife respect her husband.”
Dobrushin, “Peace
to you.”
There are usually four readings in a liturgical service: the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Epistle, and the Gospel. This reading is from Ephesians and relates marriage to the Church. I do want to relate a little Greek hear. The word that is translated "head" is the Greek word "caphela." This is the anglisized version of the Greek. The word "caphela" means literally the part stuck out to protect the body or another. It is a wrestling and military term. The "caphela" is the head stuck out as protection in a wrestleing match or the head stuck out to protect the soldier on your right. In the sense of the verse, a better translation would be "Wives be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord, because the husband protects the wife, as Christ protects the Church, and he is the Savior of the body. But as the Church is subject to Christ, so wives must be also to their own husbands in everything. Husbands love your own wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her, having purified her with the washing of water with a word, that he might present the Church to himself glorious, without spot or wrinkle or anything similar, but that she might be holy and unblemished."
Also to question is the word "hupetasso" which is translated here as "subject." "Hupetasso," does not mean subject. Hupetasso means literally orderly records placed under authority and the NT letters of Paul say "Christ was God and the world was Christ." Hupetasso is the act of placing under authority and not the submitting to authority. A better understanding of these verses is that God calls the men to place the household under the authority of their wives. This is a much better translation of the text. The idea that Greek women, who were locked away in a gynacium all day would need to subject themselves is just silly. If you note, with these translational explinations, the rest of the paragraph actually makes sense.
Also to question is the word "hupetasso" which is translated here as "subject." "Hupetasso," does not mean subject. Hupetasso means literally orderly records placed under authority and the NT letters of Paul say "Christ was
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 site www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com, www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, thefoxshonor, aseasonofhonor.
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