Writing - part x672, Approaching Submissions

9 November 2018, Writing - part x672, Approaching Submissions

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:  The first step is marketing materials.  I showed you in detail how I go about developing marketing materials.  Look back at this blog a month ago, and you will see how to develop marketing materials.  I do this after I write a novel, and I am in the habit of demonstrating making marketing materials every time I finish a novel.

So, when you finish a novel, put together your marketing materials.  This will go a long way to helping you with submissions.  The other feature for preparing for submissions is the manuscript itself.  I’ve written more than once about how to prepare your manuscript. Let me tell you again.

This is how I do it.  When I first started writing novels, the word processor programs like word, wordstar, and peachtree were incapable of handling full novel sized documents.  This was a problem of computer memory and program memory.  Things have improved since then, but I still write today like I did then.  I write by scene and chapter and put a chapter in each file.  For the current novel I’m writing, the titles of each file are ShifterXX where the XX is the chapter number.  I aim for twenty chapters of about 20 pages of double spaced print.  Chapter one is Shifter01 and so on. 

When I finish writing, I produce an outline file to put all of the individual chapters together.  I usually don’t edit this file, or, I should write, I don’t edit the individual chapter files inside this outline file.  I also produce a full file with the entire manuscript in it.  This is accomplished by pulling the outline file together and disconnecting a copy from the individual chapter files.  In any case, I end up with the individual chapter files, the outline file, and a complete file manuscript. 

Most publishers want the manuscript to have:

Margins: one inch all around

Font: Times New Roman 12 Point

Header: Title, Chapter, and author’s name

Footer:  None

Spacing: Double

First page: Name, address, phone, email, word count, and title

This is how I prepare my manuscripts, and this is the usual way publisher like to see them.  Definitely don’t use funny or odd fonts.

Once you have your manuscript and marketing materials, we are ready to begin.            

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