Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 410, Ideas Producing Creativity and Entertainment in Scenes Developing the Rising Action

25 May 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 410, Ideas Producing 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 consuming, thinking, and producing. 

How to generate ideas may be more pertinent to getting a novel length idea, but then again, maybe not.  All creative ideas come from the same process: consume, think, produce.  My experience tells me that most people don't spend enough time consuming (reading and study) and thinking to get to producing.  Many say, I just can't get any good ideas.  Or, I had one great idea, but it petered out.  As they say, with luck even a blind squirrel can find a nut.  You might stumble across one great idea in your life and make a fortune with it.  Unfortunately for you, that hasn't been my experience either.  Most creative people have lots and lots of ideas.  Some are great, some are lame, and some can be used to a purpose.  Usually creative people discard more ideas than they use. 

The real indicator to whether you have consumed and thought enough is that you are getting ideas.  You should keep a journal, like I do.  When you get an idea, jot it down.  If it is a good and usable idea, fluff it out.  If it fluffs nicely, produce something.  Until you've spent a few years in study, reading, and thinking, don't come whining to me that you don't have any great ideas.  If the ideas aren't in your brain now, you have to stuff them in. 

This still doesn't answer the question of generating ideas.  I'll get to that.

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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