Writing - part x669, Developing Skills, Day 14 England

6 November 2018, Writing - part x669, Developing Skills, Day 14 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:  RTB (return to base) in the USA.  We ate breakfast at the Glasgow Airport Holiday Inn Express.  It was a great breakfast as usual.  Typical large Scottish breakfast.  Then we grabbed our bags and headed across the street to the terminal. 

In Europe, the airport check-in desks don’t open until about two hours before the flight boarding.  Even though your airline tells you to be three hours early, there is no possibility of doing anything until two hours early.  That’s true all over the continent.  We were early and waited in our own line until they opened.

Security was okay, and typically European, but as always painful.  I think they could be more helpful.  We went to the airport lounge and waited for boarding.  The plane, a KLM 737-900, was late from Amsterdam due to weather.  They finally boarded, and we were off.

This KLM flight was the most telling example of contrast between the British style food and real food.  I’m not knocking British food too much, but it is generally bland.  I’m not sure why British food is so bland, but a British sandwich which looks delicious actually is nearly tasteless.  Take my word for it, or take your own trip--most British food is unusually plain tasting.  Not as plain as Spanish food, but right up there.

The KLM flight fed us a small lunch and it was wow.  The salad was pickled beets and herring.  It was taste bud popping.  The sandwich was chicken salad.  The chicken salad was filled with pickles and other spices.  Again, taste bud popping.  How two nations of almost the same stalk of people, same climate, and similar ecology can have such a significantly different view of tasteful food, I have no idea.  It was just good.  I would put US food somewhere in the middle, but with enough variety that you can get food from any nation, but with the American flair which usually adds flavor and variety to food, but we usually prefer what we are used to.

We ended up about 30 minutes late arriving at Amsterdam and ran over to our gate.  The problem in Europe is they don’t tell you the gat until just before boarding.  Plus, they handed my wife a red card and marked her boarding pass—she got special treatment.

The flight was on a Delta Airbus 330.  This is an adequate aircraft, but why Delta would have an Airbus and KLM would have mostly Boeing aircraft is beyond me.  I’d want the best and the best is not a socialistic company half owned by a group of nations.  Just say’n.

We had the good seats and the good food and drinks.  It always makes me happy to get bubbly when I board.  The hot towels are nice and the dinner was very good, but not excellent.  I watched kid’s flicks all the way across the pond.  I should mention we were about an hour late departing. 

All went well on the flight except the final meal.  Who would feed people a Cuban Ruben or a crabcake salad after eight hours of flight?  I think their menu coordinator is nuts.  You want to give people something bland and simple after being on a flight for any length of time.  I am almost ill from all the food and drink by that time and punch drunk from either sleeping or not sleeping.  This was a nonsleeping flight for me.  When you arrive back home at about the correct time to go to bed, you should stay awake. We arrived in Minneapolis an hour late, but made it through immigration and security.  My wife was sent back for another boarding pass because hers had the extra security check on it.  USA security always sucks.  They need to beat the TSA folks until they are pleasant and smile.

We made it to our flight and back to Wichita where a driver was waiting to pick us up.  Back to the house and into bed.    

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