Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 398, more Theme Creativity and Entertainment in Scenes Developing the Rising Action

13 May 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 398, more Theme 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)

I can immediately discern three ways to invoke creativity:

1.  History extrapolation
2.  Technological extrapolation
3.  Intellectual extrapolation

Creativity is like an extrapolation of what has been.  It is a reflection of something new created with ties to the history, science, and logic (the intellect).  Creativity requires true study and true reading. 

Themes, creativity, and ideas--how do you develop them.  Notice, I didn't write how are you inspired by them or how do you find them.  In my opinion, creative ideas spring from hard work and imagination.  I don't believe your imagination works unless you prime it and use it.  The question then is how to prime and use it.  First true study and true reading.  If you apply hard work to study and reading, you may excite your creative being.  The problem is that creativity requires hard work.  Now, I have gleaned creative ideas from dreams.  I have found creative ideas from history.  I have found creative ideas from technology.  I have found creative ideas from logic or from thinking. 

The dreams were freebees.  I didn't expect them, but I received them anyway--I think most of them were the delusions of too much reading and study.  I have used dreams as a focus for some of my writing.  I'd say that was less than 5% of my creative ideas.  Historical extrapolation is a great place for ideas.  You can take ideas and recycle them over and over and they appear new--this is especially true if you are writing about a history that most people have no clue about or that is underrepresented in literature.  I write about Anglo-Saxon culture.  Most people don't understand it and few write about it (Tolkien did). 

Let's look more deeply at history and creativity.

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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