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.
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 another example of scene setting from the novel, Aksinya. This is a transition and introduction scene. We begin at Aksinya's house and move to the Bockmann's estate. The trick is to provide the place, time, and characters in such a way as to not lose your readers. We can obviously use the setting from the previous scene, but the break makes it very important to set the scene distinctly.
Aksinya
and Natalya took up residence at the house across the street. Sister
Margarethe lived there with them.
She waited on Aksinya and on the Lady Natalya. Aksinya insisted. Now, Aksinya and Natalya had tea together
every afternoon. Sister Margarethe brought the tea and Natalya poured.
They
went to school, and although Aksinya didn’t progress well, Natalya began to
speak reasonably fluent German.
When
the coupe met them the next Friday, Freifrau Bockmann was in it. Before they set off for Grossbock, she
inspected the dresses and jewelry Natalya had chosen for the party and nodded
her approval.
When
they arrived at the Freiherr’s estate, the decorations were already in place. The front of the house, the foyer, and the
ballroom were wonderfully adorned for the Advent Ball. Seasonal decorations more akin to Christmas
instead of Advent filled the hall. A
couple of large Christmas trees loaded with candles and decorations sat next to
the great fireplaces. Freifrau Bockmann
led Aksinya and Natalya through the rooms and showed everything to them. It took a while. Aksinya was grateful to finally sit down to
dinner. Afterward, she and Natalya went
to bed.
In
the morning, everything in the house was about preparation for the event that
evening. By noon all the Freiherr’s
servants were dressed in their archaic festal livery. The maids and women servants were adorned in
dresses and aprons from a style over a century old. Everything seemed to match the overall
festive décor. In the afternoon, Natalya
dressed Aksinya in a wonderful maroon dress with gold piping and lace. The gold was real and the dress was ancient
satin. Natalya brushed it for hours to
make it shine. The bodice was tight and
fit Aksinya well. The dress was
petticoated and whaleboned. Still, it
was from an age younger than the livery Freiherr Bockmann loved so much, but
older than the current fashion of the time.
Natalya
wore a dress that had been Aksinya’s sister’s.
It was white and red with a little more modern flair, but still appeared
as though it would be appropriate in the court of an emperor.
When
Aksinya stepped down the stairs into the ballroom, everyone stopped to
watch. Freifrau Bockmann gave an audible
gasp. She and the Freiherr ran up the
stairs to greet her. The Freiherr went
to one knee on the landing. Freifrau
Bockmann curtsied and took Aksinya’s hand, “Dear Countess, you are
ravishing.” She looked Aksinya up and
down then took a surreptitious glance at Natalya that quickly returned to
Aksinya, “You are so beautiful.”
Aksinya
cocked her head, “Lady Natalya is very skilled.” Her voice sunk to a whisper, “She even made
my hair look pleasant.”
“Pleasant,
it is wonderful. She is incredibly
artful. You are so elegant and make our
simple home seem like an aristocratic court.”
Aksinya
smiled, but the corners of her lips didn’t follow.
Freiherr
Bockmann took Aksinya by the arm and led her to one of the great
fireplaces. A wood fire roared within
it. He sat Aksinya in a chair that faced
the ballroom. Natalya stood at Aksinya’s
side. At first, the Freifrau and
Freiherr sat and conversed with Aksinya about the people she would meet that
evening and the weather. When the guests
began to arrive, they stood beside Aksinya and greeted each one. The guests were announced by the house
steward and directed to the Freifrau and Freiherr. Freifrau Bockmann introduced each guest to
Aksinya. She did so formally and with
gravity and used Aksinya’s full name, Countess Aksinya Andreiovna Golitsyna. She then introduced the Lady Natalya.
Aksinya’s memory
was excellent, but after the first fifty couples, she lost track entirely. Then the young single men arrived followed by
the Catholic churches’ leaders in the city.
Among this group, Aksinya remembered only the Cardinal of Wien and the
Abbot of Sacré Coeur. The Cardinal was a
pinch faced older man with an Italian accent.
His secretary, Herr Schwab followed him everywhere. The Abbot was jollier and a little younger
with a great smile and a provincial tone to his German. They both seemed pleasant men.
Notice that the important question at the beginning is about place. Natalya would be content to be a servant--Aksinya makes her an equal and friend. The transition is from Akinya's house to the Advent party. Aksinya isn't so happy with an Advent party, but there isn't so much reticence from the people of Wien. The point of the transition is to reintroduce the characters of Aksinya and Natalya in their party finary. Then we get to the introduction of the guests. This is a simple method of running through a party introduction. The point then is to brin in very special characters who will be inpurtant in the future in the novel.
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.
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: I am awaiting for you to write a detailed installment on identifying, and targeting your audience, or audiences...ie, multi-layered story, for various audiences...like CS Lewis did. JustTake care, and keep up the writing; I am enjoying it, and learning a lot.
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, www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, thefoxshonor, http://www.aseasonofhonor.
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