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L.D. Alford: Writing Secrets |
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Advice |
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I can hear you now--who do you think you are to give anyone advice on writing? Your assertion is likely correct, but many people have asked me these questions, and this is usually how I respond.
Titles Unless you get a bolt from the blue while you are writing your novel, a title is best affixed when you finish the first draft. Sometimes it takes a long while to match the right title to a book, and sometimes the marketing savvy of your editor/publisher helps fix the title. Here are some ideas on how not to put together a bad title. Once you have a potential title or titles in mind:
Check it on Amazon, B&N, or any other book seller site. You want your title to be nearly or absolutely unique. This means no one else has used it in common practice or knowledge. If you have a great title, but everyone and his brother is using it already, how will you separate yourself from the crowd? Just take a look at some common titles on Amazon and see how many hits they generate--sometimes thousands. If your title gets confused with a thousand other titles, no one will find your book. On the other hand, if your book has a strange title, you might get no hits at all.
Make sure your title reflects your work. Roz Young recommended my book Aegypt be called, In the Tomb of the Goddess of Darkness and Light. That's catchy, but too long. There are some other works with Aegypt in the title and another work named Aegypt. Just one. I felt that that was great probability. Someone looking for Aegypt (either novel) would find mine. This is a positive.
Don't hold on to your working title if it doesn't work. For example, I gave a working title of Seeds for The Seeds of Rebellion to the work The End of Honor. The working title of The Fox's Honor was Duel. The title of A Season of Honor was Desert. These titles simply stood in place for the final titles. Eventually, the Honor theme became the focus of each of the titles, and finally, I gave the series the title The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox. This was a request from my publisher and made sense from the context of the books.
So to recap, make sure you have a somewhat unique title, that can't be confused with too many works. Check it out before you go to print.
Themes and Subthemes Anyone who has read Boccaccio, Chaucer, or Shakespeare knows that most themes have been used multiple times by multiple writers. That doesn't mean there are or can be new themes to be delved or powerful themes that have not been explored enough. The purpose of artistry in writing is to package these themes in new wrappers so the message and the ideas are fresh.
One of the most powerful themes and subthemes is sexual tension. This theme is easily observed in works like Romeo and Juliette. This theme is incredibly powerful and is exploited in most non-juvenile novels where men and women interact. The interaction of adult men and women almost always requires some degree of sexual tension. Sexual tension can be developed in three separate spheres of thought: natural, ethical, and moral. Moral use of sexual tension is a classical theme and revolves around licit and illicit sex defined by the boundary of legal, acceptable, customary, or promised marriage. Marriage is the general goal and the theme is propelled by the promise or hope of marriage. This is the classical theme in much of English literature especially in the Victorian Era, but is a theme and subtheme in much if not most of English literature. Examples are easy to come by--the Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, Jane Austin, and all. A variant of this theme is breach of marriage and or adultery. Examples here are well known, The Scarlet Letter is just one.
In the Twentieth Century and following, the sexual theme has morphed into one of ethical or natural sexual tension. These themes and subthemes are pervasive and generally intellectually crippled. Instead of marriage, the end of the theme is sex itself or the sex act. This theme is usually simply a subtheme, but focuses in sexual longing and desire driven by various romance based ideas culminating in the sex act with or without marriage or a promise of marriage. Ethical sexual tension, by definition, culminates with a stated or implied promise of some type. Natural sexual tension, by definition, simply ends in sexual congress. There is not a lot an artist can do with natural or ethical sexual tension--it certainly cannot really drive the theme of a novel although many have tried.
The moral sexual theme is one that is still well used in literature and should be--successful reproduction is the focus of human existence. Without it there will be no people to read all that great literature. The main point here is this theme is both critical and essential to literature and I recommend using the moral sexual theme or sub-theme to appropriately propel your writing.
Now, I will provide one of my real writing secrets. One theme that has not been used much is sexual tension in a successful or positive marriage. In fact, I don't know one novel that successfully exploits this theme. You can see examples, amazingly, in some movies. Most of the time, in literature, movies, and theater the theme of marriage focuses around failed or broken marriage with an end of the change of spouse.
I am writing novels to exploit the sub-theme of sexual tension in successful marriages. Generally, the first portion of the tale is one of moral sexual tension with the result of marriage. Following marriage, usually authors ignore the concept of human sexual tension as though it didn't exist at all. As though sex or moral desire after marriage was nonexistent. In The Fox's Honor, The Goddess of Light, The Goddess of Darkness, Twilight Lamb, and Regia Anglorum, I exploit the subtheme of moral sexual tension in successful marriages. I attempt to do this with class and without any salacious detail. This is a theme that is not new, but underused and I think the modern world needs to see this as a positive example in literature.
Illustrations and Dingbats Black and white illustrations are easy for modern books. These are usually diagrams, charts, maps, and drawings supplied to the publisher for integration in the work. I usually develop diagrams and maps unique to my books while I am writing them. Since more than 50% of my works are historical in nature, most of their scenes come directly out of the real world. Take these sketches and turn them into black and white illustrations for your novel. You can't use copyrighted material or take from someone else. You can redraw a map or simplify it in your own hand or use non-copyrighted material.
Dingbats are the marks and decorations in books that usually separate POV (Point of View) or time sequences in chapters. The publisher usually finds the right one to match your book, but if you have made one or have an idea for one--pass it on to the publisher.
Marketing When you finish writing a novel--don't stop there. The next step is producing your marketing documents. This is really the time to do it because the novel is at the forefront of your mind. This is like the victory lap--the time to really celebrate what you have accomplished.
Here is the basic information you need:
Title: <Pick a good one that fits the work and is exciting possibly mysterious. Roz Young advised me to name Aegypt to be In the Tomb of the Goddess of Darkness and Light. This is a descriptive title and conveys some of the story and mystery, but I thought Aegypt was an easier hit with more excitement with a feeling of antiquity.>
XX,XXX words <Minimum for a novel is about 60,000>
Keywords
and Market Focus:
<list of key words, example from The Goddess of Light> Fiction, Egypt, Ancient
Egypt, Tunisia, Tomb, Suspense, Mummy, Archeology, Mystery, Germany, France,
Britain; <statement of audience, example from The Goddess of Light> will fascinate anyone interested in mystery and suspense—will
appeal particularly to those who enjoy archeological historical mystery and
suspense novels.
<Theme comparison with a similar work> The theme of The
Goddess of Light is similar to the gothic horror novel The Jewel of
Seven Stars by Bram Stoker; it is a completely new twist on the many
Egyptian and archeological historical mysteries currently in print.
<Other pertinent information about the work> The Goddess of Light is a
continuation of the adventures of Paul and Leora began in Aegypt.
Genre: Fiction
Suspense
Synopsis:
<Write 3 different synopses: one as long as it
takes (not more than 1000 words) , one 500 words, and one 250 words>
Author's reviewer’s quotes:
<Get three or make up three from your readers, these should be exciting and
become the basis for future marketing>
Short descriptive teasers:
<More marketing information. These are what eventually become the
front and back teasers in your printed novel. You need at least
three.> Novels Here is the current list of novels I am working on or have finished. You can see the working title may be entirely different than the final title. This is because until the work is finished, I usually don't bestow a title. I think the year started is right in most cases.
A work can only be considered completed when it is published, and I keep a list of changes for each book after publication. If I ever get a chance to fix some things, I will. Once I have a work started and outlined, I can finish the first draft in about 2-3 months of daily writing (0700 to 2100). I like to aim for 10 to 20 double spaced pages per chapter and about 20 chapters. This is a guide to give about 60,000 words or more per novel. In general, I have a goal of about 100,000 words per novel. Some novels need more and some a little less.
Proofing When you proof a document--read it out loud at least once. You will find many poorly written and expressed areas. Even if you don't think of the work having an oral component--read it out loud. This technique will reveal many repetitious words and redundancies. It will show you where the writing is poor. This is the final step prior to publication.
During the writing of a work. Write it and review chapters as you write. The goal is to have gone through every word at least 5 to 10 times prior to the completion of the manuscript and that is starting with a good manuscript. I have been through Ghost at least 100 times. I made major revisions about 10 times. This is because Ghost is a very complex story and needs to be just right. The follow-ons to Ghost have required less revisions but that is because the first work was finally there, yet I know it needs more editorial work.
Don't be content with your work. Think about it. Write yourself notes about it. Add depth to it. Drive it with whatever theme you are building for it. In the Goddess of Darkness (my current project), the work sees improvements due to the historical study and nuance I am building into it daily. When I find a piece that needs to be inserted in an earlier chapter, I go back and introduce that piece. Even if that causes a rewrite, the work is improved and the writing gets better.
Don't be afraid to leave notes so you can continue a strong passage. For example, if you failed to provide a good description and you know you need one. Put in a note <description> and when the passage is complete, go back and fix it. You will find the descriptions flow better when you understand your characters better.
Don't forget to use AG's advice about character development. Give all your characters a handle that describes them and allows the reader to instantly recognize them. For example, Mr. Fletcher's corpulence instantly reminds the reader that he is fat. When you refer to Mr. Fletcher, give the reader a picture. This can be done with accents, languages, facial characteristics, etc.
Watch words
-ing got utilize
-ing He was walking. (with strong past tense verb constructions like) He walked.
had Stay in the past tense. Movement into the perfect tense makes tedious reading. If you must introduce an idea in the past shift to the perfect tense for only a couple of sentences to introduce time sequence, then transition back to the past tense. Otherwise the use of the word "had" can be easily replaced with much stronger and direct verbs. He had a cat. (can be changed to) He owned a cat. He possessed a cat. He loved his cat.
"I don't like cats," he said disgustedly. (not good) "I don't like cats," he said with disgust. (a little better) "I don't like cats," he gagged. (very good)
were She taught children. (Better)
gotten
got
even Even the cats didn't like it. (bad) The cats didn't like it. (better) Everyone including the cats didn't like it. (exactly the same statement, still redundant, more specific)
said Said is dead. Don't use said to tell us what a person is saying. "I like you," she said. (bad) "I like you," she gushed. (better) "I like you," she kissed his lips. (best)
utilize
How do you get published? Write and write a lot. I discovered there are basically two types of novel authors: those who have short story length ideas and those who have novel length ideas. If you get short story length ideas, you must write many short stories and essays (we are talking something like 50+), have some of those published and acknowledged, then at some point try to combine those stories into a novel form. Great examples of authors like this are Ray Bradbury, Randell Garrett, George R.R. Martin. You can spot them because they write chapters that are like short stories, independent but connected to the novel by theme. If you are a short story style author, you must write a lot of short stories and you must generally get them published first before you can think of getting a novel accepted and published. If you are a writer who works with novel length ideas, you can't expect to write the great American novel and get it published on the first try--that just won't happen. I have read a lot of stuff with potential that was ruined by the inexperience of the author (me included). You have to live and write and live some more. You must make your writing reach out and grab the reader--this takes writing hundreds of thousands of words, and if you aren't a short story writer, you better learn to be one, or you better start writing and writing a lot. I wrote 8 novels before one was published. I think I am getting the hang of it now. It has taken me a long time, and every chapter I write, I always have to remind myself of the rules I have learned about good writing--otherwise my writing would be as poor as the normal junk you see in the book stores (or not). Getting published takes as much time selling your work as it does writing it. Over the years I wrote hundreds of submission letters and repackaged my writing as short stories and novellas. Until recently, I was just too busy with work to take the time I needed to get published--I liked to write better than I liked to sell my work. The rejection letters don't help at all. You have to find a publisher who loves your writing and writing style. This is where luck (if you believe in it--I don't) or providence comes in. You must get your writing in front of someone who sees either the potential in it or you. When I finally had and took the time to sell my work, I was blessed with a connection that put me together with a publisher--OakTara. I hope this arrangement and blessing continues for a long time--at least until I run out of novel length ideas.
How do you learn to write well? Assuming you think I write well and qualified to give advice: you write and write and write and write, and you follow these simple rules. (I thank Roz Young for this advice) First, get A.B. Guthrie's A Field Guide to Writing Fiction. You can find this book, used, for about $60+. I can guess why it is not in publication, it really tells you how to write fiction well, and everybody already thinks they know how to write well. (The first step to great writing is probably acknowledging you aren't the worlds most proficient writer.) If you absorb the lessons Guthrie (the Pulitzer prize winner) is willing to teach, you will be a great writer, and hopefully a published one. Second, Guthrie says this (though he wasn't the first) "show, don't tell." You must completely take this idea to heart. If you are careful, you can move a story along with a little telling, but don't even think about it unless you have fully absorbed this simple rule--show, don't tell. What do I mean by this? The example below is the same short section. In the first section, a paragraph, I shortened the story by "telling" you what happened. I wasn't happy with this because, I felt, you, the reader, should feel the poignancy of Leora's children's pain (and hers) when she left them. First cut: Leora embarked alone for Britain the next day. She had enough money in her purse for the tickets, food, and a couple of days in an inexpensive hotel—it was all that remained of Paul’s last paycheck with the gracious addition of Marcel’s generosity. The sun was brilliant at first and that gave her strength. She had explained everything to Monsieur Bolang, and left her children safe in the care of their pépère and mémère. The children were unhappy, but she explained that mama must go looking for their papa. Their petite kisses still tingled on her lips. Second cut:
Leora embarked alone for Britain the next day. She had enough money in her
purse for the tickets, food, and a couple of days in an inexpensive hotel—it
was all that remained of Paul’s last paycheck with the gracious addition of
Marcel’s generosity. The sun was brilliant at first and that gave her
strength. She had explained everything to Monsieur Bolang, and left her
children safe in the care of their pépère and mémère. The children were
unhappy, especially Lumie’re. The others cried and clung to her, but
Lumie’re stood quietly tears filling, yet not overflowing her brilliant
emerald eyes. Leora took the girl in her arms and gathered them all close. You see how much stronger the second exchange makes the writing. In the first example, I used metaphor to express the pain of separation, in the second, you, the reader, see their experience first hand--and I still get in the metaphor. You can also see the metaphor is less strong, but a weakened metaphor is more than made up for with "showing" the actual event. I could likewise expand Leora's explanation to Monsieur Bolang, but I already showed you some of it in the previous chapter, so I think this would be repetitious. There is so much more to this idea of showing and not telling that if I even told you everything, I would simply be repeating Guthrie's book. I will give you another example of the rule. Don't tell us what a person feels, show us through their words or the words of others. Example: First cut: Leora was angry. Second cut, how about this? Leora kicked the dust, "Why did you have to say that?" Third cut: Paul grabbed Leora's arm, "Why are you so angry?" Simple examples but you can see how the writing is strengthened. Third rule, "don't show or tell everything." People ask me all the time from my books, "What really happened to x." or "Did x do this to y." I try to not let my readers know anything more than the characters understand themselves. I don't like to explain anything. I want the interaction of the characters to show everything. I don't want my readers to predict what will happen in the story. I want them guessing all the time. Guessing as much as the characters are themselves. In the real world, people's motivations are ultimately unknown. People's thoughts are unknown. There are always mysteries. Most of which we simply ignore. You can always leave your readers hanging, but don't leave them confused. Make sure your writing is clear and you are getting across what you want. This is where good editing and lots of it can help you. Find as many readers as possible and beg them for feedback. Once the novel is published, it's just too late to fix it. |
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Why Write? |
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I love to write. I always have. The play of words and seeing the finished product on a page always has intrigued me. As a child, my mother would write stories for me on her typewriter while I dictated them to her. When I was a High School student, I wrote serious poems to my friends in their year books. In college I started writing novels, but I didn't know what I was doing. Jack Vance tells us, you have to live life before you can adequately capture it on paper. With a lot of practice and a lot of living, I was able to put together A Season of Honor. While my mother died, as I watched over her in the hospital, I wrote Antebellum. The words and the novels kept flowing. I have written ten novels, and, God willing, I hope to write many more. |
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What I Write: |
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I write hybrid literature. Even my science fiction literature is not typical, but it is more true to a literary genre. All my writing incorporates some mix of literary genres. For example, The Second Mission is historical fiction, but also incorporates a science fiction plot driver. Centurion is historical fiction, but provides a mixture of action adventure with a military focus to a historical period that has not been typically approached that way. Centurion unlike most of my works, does move the reader through history in a typical literary fashion. Aegypt is historical fiction with a fantasy, suspense driver and moves the reader through time using a fantasy theme. Antebellum is historical fiction that uses a suspense and fantasy driver. Goddess uses a fantasy driver in a suspense theme. My science fiction is more typical of the genre, but it uses technical detail and human interaction to set it apart. The driving themes in my science fiction are human traits, for example, honor in all its varieties or desire in both a negative and positive sense. But the plots are studded with technical resolutions and complex denouncements based on the science fiction worlds themselves. As a scientist, I can give true life to ideas that are fantastic yet real. |
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Where I Write: |
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I have and I do write anywhere. I wrote on Centurion while flying in the back of a C-18 to Germany. I started writing Centurion in Mildenhall, England. I wrote The Second Mission in Korea and in a small tobacco shop. I always carry my writing computer with me wherever I go, and I keep a journal beside my bed to write down anything I don't want to lose. My favorite place to write, however, is a small building behind my house. It has windows all around. My sheltie sits in front of the open door and protects me from stray birds and the aircraft that fly over head. |
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How I Started Writing: |
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My family always loved books. We read books, and books were always available in our house. If you love books, you want to emulate the characters in them. Children who read books and whose parents read to them, build up imaginary worlds using their favorite characters. As your imagination improves, and you learn to write; you want to put your stories on paper. If you keep on writing, eventually, you want to write books. I started with simple stories, but in high school, I fell in love with poetry. My English and American Literature and Philosophy teacher, Mr. Martin motivated my interest in poetry. Through his encouragement, the idea of succinctly writing strong descriptions of memorable events, people, and emotions inspired me. I discovered, good poetry communicates at different levels than simply one of plain text. To me this is the basis of all good writing. Many times the words unsaid are more important that what is directly spoken or described. |
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How I Write: |
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The creative process, as Socrates and Aristotle asserted is cathartic. I also learned the basis of this from Mr. Martin. You must fill your mind with all kinds of good and powerful information, emotions, sensations, and experiences. When appropriately filled, you let it all out on a page of white paper, or in my case into an ether construction that looks like a white page--Plato would be proud. An artist must be very careful that every input does cause his imagination to expand and become filled. Experiences that exhaust you; exhaust your imagination. Experiences that bring out your emotions, enhance your ability to express, on a page, those emotions. Encounters in silence and unique or dramatic visual experiences build up your imagination. Based on my own prejudices and understanding, here is what I think fills and empties (these are experience based and not logic based, so don't get all worked up about the examples): |
| Filling | Emptying | |
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Contemplative process: |
Creative process: |
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Reading |
Writing |
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Imaginative contemplation |
Making a video |
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Playing or singing |
Writing music |
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Reciting a poem |
Memorizing a poem |
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Studying |
Studying for a test |
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Writing essays and technical papers |
Writing fiction |
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Reading a fiction book |
Reading a nonfiction book |
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Watching a contemplative movie |
Watching TV |
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Listening to well developed music |
Listening to anything you might hear from an elevator or from the enclosed car next to you |
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Work |
Leisure |
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Listening to intellectual conversation and debate |
