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.
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 26th novel, working title, Shape, is this: Mrs. Lyons captures a shape-shifting girl in her pantry and rehabilitates her.
Here is the cover proposal for Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer. Lilly is my 24th novel.
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| Cover Proposal |
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.
One of my blog readers posed these questions. I'll use the next few weeks to answer them.
3. Change, complexity of relationship, and relation to issues/theme
4. Evolving vs static character
5. Language and style
6. Verbal, gesture, action
7. Words employed
8. Sentence length
9. Complexity
10. Type of grammar
11. Diction
12. Field of reference or allusion
13. Tone
14. Mannerism suggest by speech
15. Style
16. Distinct manner of writing or speaking you employ, and why (like Pinter's style includes gaps, silences, non-sequitors, and fragments while Chekhov's includes 'apparent' inconclusiveness).
Moving on to 3. 3. Change, complexity of relationship, and relation to issues/theme
The following is the plot outline for every normal novel. You can have a different plot outline, but that will make your novel something else entirely. I have written in the past about other novel plot outlines--let's just say, you likely won't sell a novel that isn't written in this way, and it likely won't be recognizable as a novel. Nuff said.
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
Since this is the outline of the plot, the plot must drive to the climax. The climax is the result and is resolved by the telic flaw of the protagonist. Therefore, the plot devolves from the protagonist. Since we have a theme statement, we have an initial setting and characters. The next step is to develop the characters. Once I design the protagonist, I can write a plot to the climax with a climax resolution. The means of this is the telic flaw. The telic flaw in a comedy becomes the telic change in the climax and resolution. Now, here is the point of this discussion. The telic change is where the protagonist overcomes their telic flaw. This is a characteristic of a comedy, however, in a tragedy, the telic change might not be successful, but it occurs. For example, we might design a character for the shape-shifting girl that is introverted, uneducated, and marginalized. This is her telic flaw. The novel plot is the change in her that makes her less introverted, educated, and involved. The climax isn't the magical change point, but rather marks the place where her change becomes obvious or resolved when she makes a different choice than is normal for her. The climax, a critical (usually life critical) situation that can only be resolved by the protagonist's change in their telic flaw.
In the case of the shape-shifting girl, her extroversion, education, and involvement needs to solve the life critical circumstance of the climax. This gradual change from introverted, uneducated, and marginalized occurs in the rising action. This is the purpose of 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
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, logic
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