Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 421, Basis of Logic Creativity and Entertainment in Scenes Developing the Rising Action

5 June 2015, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 421, Basis of Logic 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. 

Creativity comes out of the rational and logical.  Note, to use historical extrapolation, you must be able to logically build from history to produce a creative character, theme, plot, and/or setting.  The same is true of technological extrapolation.  Even poorly executed historical extrapolation, like shiny skinned vampires, are based in logic (or should be).  Did you know magic follows set rules.  I've studied tem to write some of my novels.  It doesn't matter if you imagine magic exists or not, a novelist who writes about magic must provide a logical framework for the magic (an illogical concept).  The same is true of the science fiction writer who imagines a new technology--they must provide a logical basis for the new technology.  As long as magic follows some degree of explainable rules and laws (logic), your readers will accept it.  The point is to develop this logical framework.

For example, in Aksinya, I provide a basis for sorcery.  You don't realize that I spent literally years in the study of magic and sorcery (not to do it, but to understand what people thought were it's rules). I have no desire to accomplish sorcery or magic (if they really exist), I just wanted and want to write about them from an accurate standpoint.

In my books, sorcery requires certain magic texts with instructions that must be accomplished precisely or they will backfire on the sorcerer.  For the purpose of explaining about logic and creativity, I'll explain in detail about the development of a logical framework for sorcery and magic.

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  

fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea