The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky by David Litwack has launched! This fabulous title is available now on all online retailers and in your local book stores. You aren’t going to want to miss this new literary journey exploring the clash between reason and faith, and the power of hope and love.
The Book
After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light—two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.
Summary: A mysterious nine-year-old from the Blessed Lands sails into the lives of a couple in the Republic, claiming to be the Daughter of the Sea and the Sky. Is she a troubled child longing to return home, or a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of the Republic? The answer will change the lives of all she meets… and perhaps their world as well.
Author: David Litwack
Genre: Fantasy/Speculative Literary Fiction
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Guest Post – “My Writing Style”
Matthew Arnold wrote: “Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can.” Hemingway said it a bit differently: “My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the simplest possible way.”
I believe good writing is clear thinking, saying what you mean in the simplest possible way.
The problem for fiction writers is that we don’t always know what we mean when we stare at a blank screen. And we certainly haven’t rounded out those imaginary new friends we call characters. Much as when we move into a new community or take a new job, it takes a while to get to know people. That’s why a writer needs time to live in the story, to dwell inside the heads of his characters.
Over a series of rewrites, I try to understand my characters better. What is it is they want? What obstacles stand in their way? Then I lead them head on into those obstacles and let them battle their way through.
I try to say things in the most straightforward way. One of my favorite quotes is from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of that gem of a book, The Little Prince. He said: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” I aim to remove the unnecessary.
At the same time, I understand that a novel is a partnership between reader and writer. No reader will ever feel the same about the characters and the story as I do. My task is to give sufficient detail to stimulate their imagination, to provide enough brushstrokes to meld with their life experience and let them paint a picture of their own. Only in this way can the reader suspend their disbelief.
In my blog, I give a couple of examples of this kind of use of detail:
• From Gatsby: http://davidlitwack.com/wordpress1/?p=313
• From Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus: http://davidlitwack.com/wordpress1/?p=1745
What style do I strive for? Be clear on what I’m trying to say, then say it in the simplest way. Provide sufficient detail to stimulate the imagination of my partner, the reader, but leave room for them to add their own distinct influence on the image in their mind. Only then will the magic of fiction work. Only then will they believe what they’re reading is real.
David Litwack, author of There Comes a Prophet, Along the Watchtower, and The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky
www.davidlitwack.com
The Giveaway
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