My Favorites

Friday, November 23, 2018

Writing - part x686, Japan Days Saturday

23 November 2018, Writing - part x686, Japan Days Saturday

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 29th 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 30th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 29th 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:  I’m off to Japan and actually Tokyo again.  This time I’m going to see my son and daughter-in-law again, but with the addition of a brand new granddaughter Rinley.

Forth full day in Japan.  It’s Saturday.  We drove to Tamakowa outside of Fussa.  It is a bustling community.  We went for a waffle and chicken party that included mimosas and mango tequila drinks.  But first a jaunt to Ramen Square for lunch. 

I’m not exactly sure what I got.  I had cold ramen and soba noodles with a shrimp based dipping sauce.  The sauce had an odd pungent odor that tasted very nice with the noodles.  It came with individual ramen touches as side dishes: pork, shrimp tempura, tofu, an egg, some oil, and some condiments.  The overall result was interesting.  The flavor combinations resulted in a strongly meaty taste for so simple a dish—or perhaps so complex a dish, who knows what made up the sauce.

The party was in a single bedroom Japanese apartment.  It was similar to the apartments I’ve been in Japan before and the kinds you see in Manga and Anime.  There were more than ten couples in the place, and it was packed.  Still a fun environment.  I’ll be the neighbors complained about the noise. 

We stayed for a while then headed off to a Hard Off store around the corner.  The Hard Off are used goods stores that are very prominent in Japan.  The Japanese take immaculate care of their stuff.  When they sell it second hand the prices are half or more off, but the goods are like new.  I didn’t see anything I needed, but we bought some souvenirs for the grandkids.  We also found a tobacconist where we bought a couple of Cuban cigars for the evening.

When we headed out of Tamakowa for home.  On the way, we decided to go to Coco’s Curry for takeout curry.  It happens to be next to the Hard Off near Fussa, so we stopped there to look.  There are all kinds of fun things to get at the Hard Off, but I’ll not commit until the next shopping run.

Back at Yokota, we drank Talasker Scotch and smoked Cuban cigars on the back porch.  Afterwards, saki and Coco’s Curry.  If you visit Japan, you must try Japanese curry once.  It is a seminal dish and not anything like curry in the USA or India.  It is always served with rice on a plate where the rice is on one side and the sauce and meat on the other.  The mixing of the rice and sauce is the eating from the center with the meat.  The flavor is hard to describe other than it is comfort food.  Don’t leave Japan until you try it.

We watched Ready Player One, the movie, and headed to bed.       

When I return, I’ll give you more about submissions.

More tomorrow.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:

fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic

No comments:

Post a Comment