Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 384, more Creativity and Entertainment in Scenes Developing the Rising Action

29 April 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 384, more Creativity and Entertainment in Scenes Developing 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 development:
1.  Scene input (easy)
2.  Scene output (a little harder)
3.  Scene setting (basic stuff)
4.  Creativity (creative elements of the scene)
5.  Tension (development of creative elements to build excitement)
6.  Release (climax of creative elements)

Creativity has everything to do with daydreaming and imagination.  I am a daydreamer and a thinker.  When I was younger, I spent a lot of my life thinking and daydreaming.  As I got older, I started writing down my ideas and daydreams.  The result was 25 novels, plus a lot of other writing.  The point is writing. 

If you can't think of something to write about, write about incidents in your life.  I did this for www.wingsoverkansas.com.  I wrote about the exciting flights I had while in the military (and some in my civilian life).  Everyone has an exciting life, you just have to sometimes tickle the excitement out of it.  If you never had something exciting happen to you--make it up.  If you can't make it up, writing might not be your bag.  I get ideas all the time for writing.  I keep a notebook just for writing ideas.  I sat down once and made sentence long notes about flying stories, and ended up with over 200 flying stories I could write.  I've written many of these. 

If you can't think of anything, just begin writing exercises.  I recommend descriptive writing exercises.  Write to describe striking places or people.  Sit down and observe an interesting person and describe them.  Get something on paper--anything.  Writing is all about writing and creativity is about dreams and the mind.  Writing is about a catharsis of the mind on paper. 

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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