Announcement: I heard from my publisher that my Aegypt novels will continued to be titled Ancient Light and that the next two books will be called Sister of Light and Sister of Darkness. These were the original titles. They will be released individually and as a 3 in 1 volume. I saw the proposed cover. 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.
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.
5. Immerse yourself in the world of your writing.
All novels have five discrete parts:
1. The initial scene (the beginning)
2. The rising action
3. The climax
4. The falling action
5. The dénouement
The theme statement of my newest novel, Valeska, is this: An agent of the organization becomes involved with a vampire girl during a mission, she becomes dependent on the agent, and she is redeemed.
Here is my proposed cover for Valeska:
I never get writer's block. Sometimes, I get tired of writing. Sometimes, I don't want to write. But I always can write. I don't know many professional writers who get writer's block. I guess there might be some, but I don't know any. If I went to my day job, which is a great deal of technical writing, and told my boss, "I have writer's block today," he'd probably fire me. If he felt merciful, he might give me a tongue lashing and tell me to get my head on straight--then he would tell me to pull up my big boy pants and get writing.
The work of an engineer is to write (technical writing and reports). The work of an author is to write. I write novels. The point I am getting at is about writing storyline. Storyline is what you read. It is the product of the writer. Once we figure out the theme and plot, all the writer has to do is write. I already gave you some real help here. I told you to first set the scene, then set the characters, then the introductions (or greetings). If you can't keep writing after that, you might not be prepared or inspired enough for this business, and it is a business.
Luckily, I don't have the pressure (except when I have a new book coming out) of having to write (or edit). I do have pressure at work to produce reports and test plans etc. The business of writing is writing. If you can't write on command, you need to work on creativity and basic writing skills. Surely, you can do a simple writing exercise. When I was in middle school, the exercise of the day was to write a paragraph. I can write a great paragraph. Perhaps I should help you with that next.
More tomorrow.
For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com
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