Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 379, Tension and Entertainment Scenes Developing Tension in the Rising Action

24 April 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 379, Tension and Entertainment Scenes Developing Tension in the Rising Action

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but the publisher has delayed all their fiction output due to the economy.  I'll keep you informed.  More information can be found at www.ancientlight.com.  Check out my novels--I think you'll really enjoy them.

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/.

The four plus one basic rules I employ when writing:

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

All novels have five discrete parts:
1.  The initial scene (the beginning)
2.  The rising action
3.  The climax
4.  The falling action
5.  The dénouement

The theme statement of my 25th novel, working title, Escape, is this: a girl in a fascist island nation will do anything to escape--a young cargo shuttle pilot not following the rules crashes on the island.

Here is the cover proposal for Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer.  Lilly is my 24th novel.

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action.  I've just started on the next major run-through of my novel, Escape.

I'm an advocate of using the/a scene input/output method to drive the rising action--in fact, to write any novel. 

Scene input (easy), scene output (a little harder), scene setting (basic stuff)--now to the hard part--creativity.

Whatever creative ideas we develop for the scene, we need to put them into the context of tension and release.  So, for bathing and nudity between Tolinka and Lilly, what could be a good tension and release.  Remember, Lilly wants to play a trick on Tolinka.  What better trick is just getting her to bathe in the onsen?  For tension and release, what if we build tension by showing the scene from Dane's point of view (POV).  He hears everything going on behind the privacy screens.  So, we hear the build up of tension as Lilly divests Tolinka of her clothing and washes her--we know from the novel, that this is normative Japanese culture, and the culture Lilly has absorbed.  The tension builds to a release--Lilly accidentally, intentionally pushes Tolinka into the onsen--that's a great "trick."  The tension build up goes to a release. 

How about nudity and Dane.  Lilly and Tolinka are in the onsen--Tolinka has lost her towel, the chime sounds and Dane enters.  Tolinka is naked, that's part of the tension buildup.  Dane is a guy--he could see everything, if he watched.  A small release is that Tolinka dives into the water.  A larger release is that Lilly gives Tolinka her towel--now Lilly is naked.  This is both a release and a build up to the next play (trick). 

You can see, the point of creativity is to write in tension and release for every creative point in the scene--it does no good to "tell" what is going on or to tell the tension--the author must show the tension and the release about each creative element.  That is how we develop entertainment in the rising action.

More tomorrow.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:

http://www.ancientlight.com/
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com  

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