Development - Beginning of the Creative Process

20 February 2012, Development - Beginning of the Creative Process

Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little. I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel. Over the last year, 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.

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/.

So, what does the beginning of the creative process look like?  For me it begins with a scene or more precisely, the setting of a scene.  Does that seem too simple?  Is it so odd that a novel might begin with a picture?  There is much more than that, of course.  The basis for the picture is a critical piece of the process.  The question is where did the picture and the components of the picture come from and how did they come together to form an idea.  Or which element came first, that is, was it the idea, the theme or the scene.

The scene I'm writing about is that beginning first scene that defines the novel.  I'll have to confess, in all my novels, the first scene drove the development of the novel.  The first scene was the catalyst that focused the character development.  In every case, the theme followed almost immediately based solely on the first scene.

The first scene isn't the only way to conceive of a novel, but it is definitely the cleanest.  If you realize that the initial scene is the power of the novel, the point that excites the reader to read, and the ideas that blossom to become the novel itself, then it should not be so surprising that this scene would also propel the writer to create a novel.

I'll continue to write about the reasons I wrote and conceived of the novel Aksinya, tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples: http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites: http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.