Announcement: We are in the countdown phase for the publication of my new novels. The date on the internet is 1 September. We will see how close we come, or if the publishers meet the deadline. My Aegypt novels will be titled Ancient Light, and 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. The proposed cover and info can be found at www.ancientlight.com. 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:
The purpose of a novel is to reveal the protagonist and usually the protagonist's helper, the author needs to place them in circumstance that allows them to reveal themselves. The means can be conversation, exploration, discovery, other's conversation, confession, accidental discovery.
On stage revelation is where a character investigates another character within the narrative (or through conversation). For example, you show a character actually accomplishing the research. In Valeska, I have the characters trying to find one of the primaries in the book. Their investigations are shown both on stage and off stage. In one scene, they are searching a facility for evidence of the primary--this is on stage narrative investigation. The results of this investigation "reveals" the character.
Also, in the same novel, the characters, in investigating the primary, interview other characters. This is using conversation as exploration. Conversation as exploration is an excellent means of revelation. The results are usually true and when they are not, it is easy for the author to give indicators of the lack of truth. In Valeska, one notable scene is an interview with a fellow student of Leila's. In this interview, we learn much more about Leila's plans and operations. Here is the example:
In
the morning, George and Scáth headed down the A1 to the M1. It only took an hour. They exited the M1 close to Swords and headed
into the area to the west of Swords proper.
They found the address they were looking for—it was a house along a
short dirt lane. The house was very
fine. When George knocked on the door,
it immediately opened. A woman in her
mid thirties stood there. She was very
pretty and very Irish. Her skin was
freckled and pale. Her hair was red and
slightly frizzy. She wore a very fine
suit. George spoke first, “Mrs. Laighléis?”
“Yes, are you Mr.
Mardling?”
“I am, and this is my associate Ms. Scáth.”
Mrs.
Laighléis
smiled, “Ms. Scáth, a shadow
are you?”
Scáth
grinned.
Mrs.
Laighléis
gestured them inside, “Come in. I’ve
blocked off the morning for you.”
George ducked his head,
“Yes, thank you very much. We just have
a couple of questions for you about
Etan Arms, a company registered under your name.”
Mrs.
Laighléis
led them into a very fine parlor. She
pointed to the seats, “Please be seated.
May I offer you tea?”
That is the setup--I'll give you more tomorrow.
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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