Scenes - Scene Setting, Who, and yet more Examples

15 December 2012, Scenes - Scene Setting, Who, and yet more Examples

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/.

Here are my rules of writing:

1. Entertain your readers.
2. Don't confuse your readers.
3. Ground your readers in the writing.
4. Don't show (or tell) everything.

A scene outline is a means of writing a novel where each scene follows the other with a scene input from the previous scene and a scene output that leads to the next scene. The scenes don't necessarily have to follow directly in time and place, however they generally follow the storyline of the protagonist.

A storyline outline is a means of writing a novel where the author develops a scene outline for more than one character and bases the plot on one or more of these storyline scenes. This allows the scenes to focus on more than the protagonist. This is a very difficult means of writing. There is a strong chance of confusing your readers.

Whether you write with a scene outline or a storyline outline, you must properly develop your scenes. All novels are developed from scenes and each scene has a design similar to a novel. Every successful novel has the following basic parts:

1. The beginning
2. The rising action
3. The Climax
4. The falling action
5. The dénouement

Every scene has these parts:

1. The setting (where, what, who, when, how)
2. The connection (input)
3. The tension development
4. The release
5. The output

There are lots of approaches to scene setting. That means there are about a million plus ways you can set a scene. The main point is you have to clearly get across the where, when, who, what, and how.

Here is a introduction and who setting for a secondary character, Tilly, from the novel Sister of Darkness. This novel is on contract and should be published soon. Paul Bolang is a major character in the novel. Leroa Bolang is a major character. The children are secondary characters except Lumière. Lumière is a major character in the novel. Here is another example from the novel.  Tilly is an important secondary character in many of these novels.

      The purser did not speak to Leora.  He held out a bag to her and nodded toward the gangway.  Leora took the bag and headed down to the dock.  The children gathered tightly around her.  They were strangely afraid or else reflected Leora’s own unspoken tension.  At the end of the gangway, they moved to the side of the street, and Leora opened the bag to see what the British government through the purser gifted them.  Under the fog dampened glow of an electric street lamp, she discovered British passports for each of them along with their original French documents.  The new passports were stamped with official looking visas and showed a trail of movement between France and England.  Other permits and papers identified each of them.  It was the brick-a-brac of modern government officialdom.  At the bottom of the bag, Leora found a few limp British pounds.  Not much, but a start.
      Leora sighed and glanced around.  The first thing they needed was a place to stay with a bath and clean clothing.  When she moved, she could feel the grime on her body.  She sighed again.  Leora grasped the girls’ hands and expected the boys to follow—she began to step off the curb.  The muted sound of a motorcar and a couple of bright head lights rushed out of the fog.  Leora stopped.  The car slowed as it neared them and before it passed, braked to a halt. 
      The back door popped open and a well dressed woman jumped out, “There you are.  Lucky to catch up with you.”  Her clothing was immaculate, woolen, and very modern—a suit-like skirt and a coat that covered a frilly white shirt.  Her face was round, but not plump, and ringed with short light brown hair.  She was not tall, but her figure was sleek and almost athletic. 
      Leora barely recognized the woman, but the voice was unmistakable, “Tilly.  That is you isn’t it?”
      “Of course it is,” the woman embraced Leora.

I use a similar description in setting my characters for each of the novels. The description allows a standard for those who read the novels to have a continuity in imagining the characters. This also provides tags for the character that are used throughout to set the character in later scenes.

My Notes: once you have a theme, you need to begin to visualize your plot, focus your theme, and define your characters. More tomorrow.

I'll move on to basic writing exercises and creativity in the near future.

The following is a question asked by one of my readers. I'm going to address this over time: Please elaborate on scene, theme, plot, character development in a new novel creation....ie, the framework, the development, order if operation, the level of detail, guidelines, rule of thumb, tricks, traps and techniques.

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.centurionnovelthesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor, http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.