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Friday, April 17, 2015

Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 372, still more Developing Tension in the Rising Action

17 April 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 372, still more Developing Tension in the Rising Action

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but the publisher has delayed all their fiction output due to the economy.  I'll keep you informed.  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.
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 25th novel, working title, Escape, is this: a girl in a fascist island nation will do anything to escape--a young cargo shuttle pilot not following the rules crashes on the island.

Here is the cover proposal for Lilly: Enchantment and the ComputerLilly is my 24th novel.
Cover Proposal
The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action.  I've just started on the next major run-through of my novel, Escape.

I'm an advocate of using the/a scene input/output method to drive the rising action--in fact, to write any novel. 

Short digression:  I'm writing from Melbourne Australia on another around the world tour. 

In each scene, you must develop tension and release.  To be most precise, you must make each scene entertaining to the reader.  This is my specialty.  This is what I strive to accomplish.  Of course, I want to have a cohesive novel where the plot and theme come to a strong climax that is both entertaining and resolves the plot, but give me an entertaining scene.  How about twenty entertaining scenes.  What would you rather read?  Would you rather read a novel that is okay with a fantastic climax or one that entertains you from the first to the last scene?  This is really an important question.  My answer is that I want entertainment.  I want twenty fun filled and entertaining scenes, and I can live with a lackluster climax.  I'll put it to you a little more directly--do you think a novelist who can write twenty strongly entertaining scenes will give you a poor climax?

If you want a great novel, you must make each scene entertaining.  Why stop with the scenes?  Because a scene is the smallest creative increment of any novel.  A novel is composed of scenes.  You can have sentences, paragraphs, etc. without a novel, but you must have scenes to have a novel.  The smallest part of a novel is a scene.  The next point is to make them entertaining.     

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 

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