Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 124, rule of writing how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

12 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 124, rule of writing how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

So, if words follow immutable rules (spelling and meanings) and sentences follow immutable rules (grammar), do paragraphs follow rules too?  I think I expressed this in a reasonable fashion before.  Paragraphs do indeed follow certain rules.  These rules aren't immutable like those for words and sentence construction, but they mean the difference between a cohesive paragraph and an uncohesive paragraph.  What would you rather write?  Something understandable or something not understandable.  If you wish people to understand your writing, I'd go with cohesive.  If you want cohesive, you will follow the very basic rules of paragraph development I mentioned.

What about scenes?  Paragraphs are formed by the writer into scenes.  I've taken a lot of time to show you the basic ideas for scene development--are these rules?  They are not rules in the sense of grammar or spelling.  They are rules in the sense of helping to put together something cohesive. 

Are there rules for novels--that is scenes put together in a cohesive sequence.  Those are the five parts of a novel that I have listed in this blog for a long time.  Are these rules?  Not really rules so much as they are the format for a classical novel.  I don't think you are going to get very far with any serious piece of writing that does not follow this very general guideline.  So, there are rules in writing.  What rules can you break?  When writers or teachers mention that you should break rules in your writing, the first thing I want to ask is what rules are you talking about.  The second is, why would you want to break any of these basic rules?  If your words don't mean the same thing to others, then you will not have any understanding.  If your grammar is poor, no one will read your writing.  If your paragraphs are not understandable, no one will want to read your writing.  If your scenes are inncochate and unentertaining, you aren't going anywhere.  If your novels are a jumble of unstructured mess, who is going to publish you?        

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 123, more putting together paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

11 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 123, more putting together paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

There is really no such thing as freedom from rules in writing.  For example, every word must be put together correctly and appropriately.  If you don't follow the rules of spelling and phonetics, you will never be able to produce words that anyone else can understand.  Now, it is possible to invent new words, but even the words you invent must follow certain rules based on their composition.  If you don't believe me, just try to make a word without any basis for vowels, phonetics, or meaning and see what you get. 

If you move up to sentences, English particularly has very stringent rules governing word placement in the sentence structure.  Other languages are not as specific, but you will find every language has very exacting rules for putting together sentences.  If you don't follow the rules of sentence structure, no one will understand your writing.  Perhaps we should talk a little about sentence structure.  If you are not an expert in writing sentences...Let's add to that--if you don't have a very strong vocabulary (of proper words), and if you are not an expert in crafting those words into proper sentences, you cannot be a good writer.  To be able to craft sentences means you know all the very detailed rules of English (or whatever language you are writing in) sentence construction.  This is what we call grammar.  Knowledge of grammar is necessary to be able to write at all.  To write well requires expert knowledge.  What rules do you think you can throw out to achieve any kind of worthwhile writing?  I hope you answered, none.  If you know the rules, you might have some ability to bend them or to intentionally misuse them to produce some effect in your writing, but without the rules, you aren't getting very far. 

For example, you might misuse grammar to bring out cultural differences between a country hick and a city dweller.   

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 122, putting together paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

10 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 122, putting together paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

I was lucky to have a very good education in writing paragraphs.  Once you get the concept of the paragraph down, you can begin to put them together.  In some advanced paragraphs concepts, some writers will suggest your paragraphs introduce the idea or though to the paragraph, have a body of text (sentences) to expand on the idea, and a conclusion/connection to the next paragraph.  This is not a bad idea.  If you find your writing isn't as cohesive as it should be, you might try this method of paragraph development--it certainly can't hurt.  I'll describe the details.

I already mentioned that the first sentence must introduce the subject (idea/thought) behind the paragraph.  The rest of the sentences build on this thought (subject).  The end sentence of the paragraph should sum up the idea and provide a connection to the next paragraph.  The connection does not need to be overt, but direct connection isn't a poor way to write.

If you notice, this input/output method of writing a paragraph is similar to the input/output method I espouse for scene writing.  Writing is a system of building blocks for expression.  The building blocks begin with words, goes to phrases, then sentences, then paragraphs, then scenes, then chapters, and finally novels.  Each building block has rules and techniques for putting them together.  Some writers advocate freedom from rules, but you can't really write with "freedom from rules."  I'll tell you why.

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 121, more paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

9 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 121, more paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

In writing a paragraph, begin with a single thought or idea.  One idea or thought per paragraph.  The paragraph must have an introduction--that is the first sentence in the paragraph is the introduction.  You must introduce the idea in the paragraph at that point.  Here is the scene setting and initial paragraph from Valeska.

A full moon hung above midnight Gdańsk.  The dark medieval streets were wet and filthy.  Puddles ringed with oily rainbows covered the cracked cobblestones.  The moon shown in each of the puddles, reflected as a milky glow that was grimed with the floating sheen.  The scent of saltwater and rotting fish rose with the night time tide, an unavoidable stench this close to the waterfront.  At street level, the night was utterly dark.  The very few modern lights along the crumbling cobblestone avenue shared little illumination with the ancient alleyways that pierced the darkened buildings on either side of the street. 

Notice in this example, the thought or idea is midnight Gdańsk--this is a description of midnight Gdańsk.  Therefore, the first sentence of the paragraph tells you what the paragraph is about.  The description then moves logically from point to point in the description to bring you to the point--the darkened buildings on either side of the street.  Here is another example from Aksinya:

The dank stone room was filled with shadows.  Every corner oozed darkness.  Within a pentagram that was encompassed by a circle stood a slight young woman.  Fat yellow beef-tallow candles marked the points of the pentagram and weakly illuminated only the area around her.  A brazier of incense filled the room with the scent of myrrh along with an underlying smell that was indeterminate, but left a taste of blood in the mouth.  The woman was dressed in a black gown that was much too large for her.  Beautiful hand made lace cascaded down the front of the dress and decorated the sleeves.  Thick velvet competed with black satin to form a perfect attire to greet a Tsar, but certainly not a commissar.  The gown fell loosely away from the woman’s thin chest and small breasts.  It looked odd draped on her body, like a girl playing dress-up from her mother’s closet.  But this gown obviously came from the closet of a princess.

The idea or thought described in the paragraph is the dank stone room.  It is filled with shadows.  The sentences from that point make descriptions in a logical fashion to the character introduction.  In this paragraph, I intentionally make the character part of the shadows in the dank stone room.

Not every reader might get this point, but it is a complex one. The main point about a paragraph is very simple--the first sentence must, I repeat must, introduce the main concept of the paragraph.  Second, the paragraph should be both entertaining and, if possible, exciting.  I think I provided both in these paragraphs.  So single idea and entertainment.  That makes a great paragraph.  Each paragraph you write should have these characteristics.

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 120, paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

8 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 120, paragraphs how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

Each paragraph is like a miniature scene--except that a paragraph is specific and conveys a single thought or idea.  For example, a paragraph might be the scene setting in time.  A paragraph might be the scene setting in place.  You might place the entire scene setting into a single paragraph (time and place).  Another paragraph could be the character setting, or you can break the character setting into a paragraph for each character.  If you get the point of the paragraph, you will already guess that I will tell you to use a separate paragraph for the time setting, for the place setting, for each character setting, for each description, for each introduction, etc. 

Each new idea should have a separate paragraph.  That doesn't mean you should have bunches of single sentence paragraphs.  If you are writing single sentence narrative paragraphs, you are not properly writing paragraphs.  I make the distinction between narrative and dialog because, in English, we separate each person's statement as a separate thought (paragraph).  Some thoughts (statements) require more than a single paragraph, but that is somewhat unusual. 

I'll break down the steps of building a paragraph 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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 119, just how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

7 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 119, just how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 118, still more action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

6 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 118, still more action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

In writing action scenes, description is obviously your friend.  Most reasonable writers can cobble together an action scene.  To make an action scene both powerful and well done, the author needs to write strong and clear description.  Clarity is very important when writing anything, but especially action scenes.  I've found action scenes to require very close attention to words and details.  If you don't know what I mean, then try to write an action scene of any real length.  You will find that confusion will reign without careful attention to pronouns, identification of characters and objects, and precise (clear) verb use.

The who and what and how those move in the scene are everything an action scene is about.  This is another reason I like to write action scenes with more than one person.  Dialog can be a universal clarifier.  You might be astounded to see how much clarity in an action scene you can get from a single character's statement. 

I've written about this before.  Tags and other identifiers for characters immediately provide the reader an identification of a character and many times much more information.  In other words all the description and character development you have provided in the novel comes into play with appropriate identification of the character.  In any case, you will always need to write action scenes.  I think they are more difficult to write than dialog, but most beginning writers seem to handle them better than dialog.  That is, the final product is usually less stilted.

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 117, yet more action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

5 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 117, yet more action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

The question then is how do we approach writing the storyline in an action scene?  First, set the scene, second, set the characters, third, introduce the characters into the action.  Obviously, if you has characters, you can also use dialog in the scene and then you have a "dialog" scene.  If you have a single character, now you need to be very careful about how you write.  You don't want to tell too much, and I assure you, most authors can't help telling a little. 

Without dialog, you must use tricks to "reveal" without dialog.  You might ask, why reveal at all.  Here is the example, I won't write it out.  I will leave it as an exercise.  Write an intimate scene between two people using dialog only.  If you are any kind of experienced writer, you will find this very easy to do.  You can exclude every piece of description and write a wonderful and sensual intimate scene with only dialog.  For those who don't get intimate, I mean sexual.  You can be incredibly explicit with only conversation.  If you read back in Aksinya, I wrote just such a scene depicting Aksinya's wedding night.  Note, that you can approach this type of scene in more than one way.  You can write with little conversational revelation about the thinking of the characters, and you can write it with extensive conversational revelation of the thinking of the characters.  You can't write such a scene without directly or indirectly revealing the feelings of the characters.

Now, write a similar scene with a single character--no dialog.  First, you can't reveal any thinking without "telling."  Second, you can't reveal any feelings directly.  Third, if you use the trick of soliloquy, you can give us a lot, but you've suddenly turned the scene into a dialog.  Sometimes, the third idea doesn't work very well--sometimes it does.  My point is to show you how action is dependent on description and not "telling," and how dialog opens so much more possibility for the author.  

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 116, more action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

4 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 116, more action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

You can do a lot of entertaining with dialog.  With action scenes--maybe.  I'm always surprised at how short action scenes tend to be.  Even with extensive description, the most complicated action seems short.  There is obviously need for action scenes, but I find they are more powerful when dialog can be incorporated in them. 

There are obviously times when single characters take up some action.  When possible, I like to have these off stage.  If the single character reports back on the action they accomplished, there is room for the character to explain what they did and why they did it.  If you show a single character action scene, there is little scope for "showing" and a whole lot (too much) opportunity for telling.  Show and don't tell.  With two characters working together, their conversation can explain to the readers what they are about.  They can evaluate their own success or failure.

If you do write a single character action scene, I recommend you provide preparation for the scene before and a post operation discussion afterwards.  This way, the character can explain their actions and then explain what they accomplished.  The problem with this approach is that the character can't make these comments during the action scene.  In my published novel, The Fox's Honor, I extensively developed the plot to bring another character to help my protagonist in one of the more important adventure scenes.  I had some single character action scenes getting to this one, but I recognized that for the real action, I wanted to include character interaction and dialog.  

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 115, action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

3 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 115, action how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

In writing dialog storyline, the scene setting, character setting, and introductions (and greetings) move you into the dialog.  If you are reasonably familiar with your own culture, you should be able to write cogent conversation in your novel.  As with every scene, the dialog scene should build tension to a release.  The excitement comes mainly out of the dialog.

The other type of scene is an action based scene.  The question you might ask is this: is action handled any differently than a dialog?  I'll tell you not much.  A mistake, in my opinion, is to dash into the action without a setting.  There is more to it than that--most action scenes include dialog and most conversations include action.  I would almost be willing to conclude that all action scenes include (or should include dialog) and all conversations include action.  I can imagine a scene where there is only action, but not conversation without action.  I'm not sure an action scene without some degree of conversation is worth reading.  It would mean either a single character event or a first person event.  If a character does something in the woods and no one sees it, did it occur?  I'm being sarcastic because I'm not in favor of single character scenes.  The meaningful action is with more than one together--not just one. 

In the past, I've written some single character scenes and I still write single character scenes, but only in extremis and when they are absolutely necessary.  I will not go so far as to tell you not to write these scenes, but rather to encourage you to keep a majority of your scenes with more than one character.  That means your action scenes will include some dialog.     

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 114, social interaction how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

2 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 114, social interaction how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

The plot is developed directly from the theme.  The first steps are fleshing out the characters (not accomplished in the novel, but before writing the novel) and the setting.  The main characters and the setting come directly out of the theme.  The characters are revealed through the storyline that is based on the plot.  Then how do you get to the storyline?

I left up the example for the first scene plot outline from before.  This outline is how I develop a scene in my mind.  Once I have the scene outline, I can write the storyline.  If you note, the plot outline comes directly out of the theme and the storyline comes directly out of the plot outline.  So here is the outline--then how do you write the storyline?

Scene 1 (for this example): Christmas party at Lyons House 19 December 2014, damp night
George and Heidi arrive late
George and Heidi meet Sveta and Daniel
Heidi and Sveta have a confrontation based on contact (tension builder)
Heidi seeks a way to break off the confrontation
Daniel restrains Sveta, Heidi removes George (release)

First you set the scene.  Then you set the characters in the scene.  Then introductions.  Not every scene will have introductions, but most with characters will have some type of introduction, even if it is just a greeting or a "good morning."  I'm trying to make this simple for those of you who are just starting and I'm giving a way to measure your writing if you are more experienced.  So, here is an example from the scene above:

The room was not filled with people, but at least fifteen couples stood in the space.  Buffet tables filled with food and drink were under the stairs.  A quartet at the left side played Christmas music and classics.  Harold, the butler, led Heidi and George toward a handsome middle-aged couple at the side.  The man was medium height and shorter than George.  His hair was light brown and his features were fine but nondescript.  He had a very pleasant face with a few wrinkles--most seemed to grace his eyes and lips as though he was used to smiling. 

The woman was slight, petite and exquisitely beautiful.  Her skin was the color of cappuccino.  Her hair was black, long, and silky.  Her eyes, more appropriate on an Egyptian tomb painting were large and brown and exotic.  She seemed to have an almost timeless look, but slight wrinkles marked her eyes and lips in almost the same measure as the man—as though they had known many of the same joys and sorrows.

The butler stepped to the side, “Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Long, may I present Mr. George Mardling and his niece Ms. Heidi Mardling.”

Mrs. Long stepped forward and put her hand out to Heidi.  She had a very bright smile on her face.  She took Heidi’s hand and her eyes went wide.  Heidi released her hand immediately.  Mrs. Long was breathless.  She stammered a little, “Good evening.  I’m Sveta Long.”

Heidi made a deep curtsy, “Thank you very much, Mrs. Long for inviting us to your party.”

Sveta reached out to Heidi again.  Heidi stepped back, but Sveta connected with Heidi’s shoulder.  Sveta froze, and her head came up.  She stammered again, “You are very welcome.  Make yourself comfortable in our home,” but her face clearly said exactly the opposite.

Heidi glanced in Sveta’s eyes, then quickly turned her head away, “What I really need is a glass of sweet wine.”

Sveta looked like she was about to say something, but she lowered her head and stepped back.

Heidi sighed.

Daniel’s lips twitched, “I’m not sure what is going on, exactly.”  He grabbed George’s hand and shook it, “Good to see you back in England, old man.”

George forced a smile, “I’m glad to be back.  I’m looking for a new assignment as soon as possible.”

Wherever you intend to go with a dialog scene, you must present the human interaction using the proper cultural interaction for the society you are writing about.  Human interaction always must follow the proper degree of social rules for the situation.  I think the proper attention to normative human interaction is what separates immature and awkward dialog writing from good dialog writing.  I know good dialog writing is a problem for many beginning writers because of many of the poor examples I read.

I've mentioned before that conversation in a novel is never real conversation, but it must appear to your readers like real conversation.  The ability of the author to produce conversation that appears to be "real" begins with an understanding of who people interact in society.  The writing of storyline begins with the scene and character setting and moves to introductions.  I advise you never to skip these steps.  The next part of the dialog comes out of the introductions and greetings and moves into the subject at hand.

Notice, the subject at hand may require an oblique approach.  This is also governed by the rules of social interaction for the culture.  There are many subjects that can't be approached directly, and there are many subjects that require some buildup.  For example, in the scene above, the subject of who is Heidi and who is Sveta can't be approached directly in this setting.  The author must change the setting to enable the primaries to discuss these subjects.  This is part of the dance of the dialog.  This is what makes conversations in novels appear to be "real."       

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

Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 113, more introductions how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

1 August 2014, Writing Ideas - Vampire Novel, part 113, more introductions how to develop Storyline, Entertaining, Rising Action

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.

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.
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 decided on a white cover style.  You can see more at www.GoddessofDarkness.com.

The plot is developed directly from the theme.  The first steps are fleshing out the characters (not accomplished in the novel, but before writing the novel) and the setting.  The main characters and the setting come directly out of the theme.  The characters are revealed through the storyline that is based on the plot.  Then how do you get to the storyline?

I left up the example for the first scene plot outline from before.  This outline is how I develop a scene in my mind.  Once I have the scene outline, I can write the storyline.  If you note, the plot outline comes directly out of the theme and the storyline comes directly out of the plot outline.  So here is the outline--then how do you write the storyline?

Scene 1 (for this example): Christmas party at Lyons House 19 December 2014, damp night
George and Heidi arrive late
George and Heidi meet Sveta and Daniel
Heidi and Sveta have a confrontation based on contact (tension builder)
Heidi seeks a way to break off the confrontation
Daniel restrains Sveta, Heidi removes George (release)

First you set the scene.  Then you set the characters in the scene.  Then introductions.  Not every scene will have introductions, but most with characters will have some type of introduction.  If it is just a greeting or a "good morning."  I'm trying to make this simple for those of you who are just starting and I'm giving a way to measure your writing if you are more experienced.  So, here is an example from the scene above:

The room was not filled with people, but at least fifteen couples stood in the space.  Buffet tables filled with food and drink were under the stairs.  A quartet at the left side played Christmas music and classics.  Harold, the butler, led Heidi and George toward a handsome middle-aged couple at the side.  The man was medium height and shorter than George.  His hair was light brown and his features were fine but nondescript.  He had a very pleasant face with a few wrinkles--most seemed to grace his eyes and lips as though he was used to smiling. 

The woman was slight, petite and exquisitely beautiful.  Her skin was the color of cappuccino.  Her hair was black, long, and silky.  Her eyes, more appropriate on an Egyptian tomb painting were large and brown and exotic.  She seemed to have an almost timeless look, but slight wrinkles marked her eyes and lips in almost the same measure as the man—as though they had known many of the same joys and sorrows.

The butler stepped to the side, “Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Long, may I present Mr. George Mardling and his niece Ms. Heidi Mardling.”

Mrs. Long stepped forward and put her hand out to Heidi.  She had a very bright smile on her face.  She took Heidi’s hand and her eyes went wide.  Heidi released her hand immediately.  Mrs. Long was breathless.  She stammered a little, “Good evening.  I’m Sveta Long.”

Heidi made a deep curtsy, “Thank you very much, Mrs. Long for inviting us to your party.”

Sveta reached out to Heidi again.  Heidi stepped back, but Sveta connected with Heidi’s shoulder.  Sveta froze, and her head came up.  She stammered again, “You are very welcome.  Make yourself comfortable in our home,” but her face clearly said exactly the opposite.

Heidi glanced in Sveta’s eyes, then quickly turned her head away, “What I really need is a glass of sweet wine.”

Sveta looked like she was about to say something, but she lowered her head and stepped back.

Heidi sighed.

Daniel’s lips twitched, “I’m not sure what is going on, exactly.”  He grabbed George’s hand and shook it, “Good to see you back in England, old man.”

George forced a smile, “I’m glad to be back.  I’m looking for a new assignment as soon as possible.”

We begin with scene setting and character descriptions.  Those descriptions move directly into the introductions.  The storyline must always start with setting and that means descriptions.  This takes scene writing to its simplest.  Set the scene.  Scene setting is fist about the time and place and second about the characters.  Many inexperienced writers seem to miss this very critical step and try to launch directly into dialog or action.  You can't have a stage play without first setting the scene (actually in empty stage, people try, but that's why it is an experimental and rare method of presenting plays).  Let's put it this way, your readers can only see what you describe.  If you don't give them anything, their palate is blank.  You must provide the stage and the setting of the stage.  You must describe the characters. 

Once you have the stage, time, and characters set, you then begin the interactions in the scene.  If the scene is mainly dialog, you will likely have introductions or greetings.  This is normal human interaction.  This is perhaps one of the places inexperienced writers first slip up.  There is a lot of pressure and excitement in getting directly to the point, but that never happens in real life and sounds somewhat silly in a novel.  Human interaction always follows some degree of social lubrication.  "Good morning...," or "Let me introduce...," or "This is...."  You can't have human interaction in dialog without this natural social lubrication.  To do so is more than a faux pas, is it unthinkable.  This also allows the writer to build naturally into the conversation (dialog).  Notice how I work this in the example scene from Valeska.  The butler provides the necessary introduction.  This introduction is necessary because the reader and the characters must be introduced to these new characters.  Then begins the social dance.

I use this opportunity to begin to build the tension in the scene.  The moment Sveta and Heidi touch each other, they recognize there is something meaningfully different about the other.  The reader knows this about Heidi, but how can Sveta know?  Immediately, this provides the direction of the scene and the conversation.  What is there to say?  Obviously, the characters are locked in the social dance.  Nothing of significance can be spoken here.  Remember, I wrote before, that if you can get your characters into a safe environment for conversation, you can reveal all kinds of wonderful things (through their lips).  Likewise, when they are in an unsafe environment, nothing can be said of consequence.  This is such a situation.    

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