9 December 2015, Writing Ideas
- New Novel, part 607, Love Examples of Tone Q and A
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 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 Escape
from Freedom. Escape is my 25th 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'm on my first editing run-through of Shape.
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. Historical 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.
13. Tone - how tone is created
through diction, rhythm, sentence construction, sound effects, images created
by similes, syntax/re-arrangement of words in sentence, the inflections of the
silent or spoken voice, etc.
14. Mannerism suggested 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 13. 13.
Tone - how tone is created through diction, rhythm, sentence construction,
sound effects, images created by similes, syntax/re-arrangement of words in
sentence, the inflections of the silent or spoken voice, etc.
I'm writing from Florida--thought you should know.
If tone is the feel of the writing,
the author must start first with what tone he wants to convey.
Aksinya is a great example of tone
in a novel. The novel moves from horror
and murder to blissful elegance and high society. The tone of the scenes range from love to
hate and from great happiness to despair.
The peaks of human emotion and human suffering are found in Aksinya—the tone
of the novel must therefore fit the scenes.
I can’t leave you without a scene whose tone is love. There is much more to this scene.
Ernst pulled her a little closer, “This is not the
place to speak about such things.”
“Really?”
“Come, we will converse
in private.”
Aksinya pressed
her lips together again, “Not without my chaperone.”
Ernst glanced at
her. He hesitated a moment, “Very
well.” He led Aksinya to where Natalya
sat. Aksinya made a sign to
Natalya. Ernst held to Aksinya’s fingers
on his arm and took her back toward the parlor.
He led her through the room and to the entrance to a smaller sunroom on
the other side. The music from the
ballroom still sifted to them. He
touched the back of a chair and glanced at Natalya, “I wish to speak privately with
the Countess. Would you sit here by the
door? You can still observe us though
the opening.”
Natalya glanced at
Aksinya. Aksinya nodded to her. Natalya sat in the chair, and Ernst led
Aksinya to the end of the sunroom. The
small room was like an enclosed balcony.
The outer wall was glass and overlooked a courtyard within the interior
of the building. A low stone wall stood
at the end as though the balcony had once been open, but the glass had been
added later. He rested against the edge
and held Aksinya’s hands. She pulled her
hands from his and leaned on the top of the wall. The top was unfinished stone with some
crumbling mortar in between. She picked
at the loose pieces of it, “What did you wish to say to me that you couldn’t
say in the ballroom?”
“The reason I am
so interested in you.”
Aksinya toyed with
the mortar, “I was about to tell you… you are interested only because of the
sorcery. I understand that.”
He stared out at
the darkened courtyard, “It isn’t the sorcery.”
Aksinya picked at
the mortar a little more fiercely, “It has always been about the sorcery.”
“Why are you
trying to tell me how I feel about you?”
“It is
obvious. It is because of the
sorcery. Isn’t that what you told me
before?”
Ernst grabbed her
hands and made her look at him, “It is obvious that I love you.”
Aksinya tried to
pull her hands out of his and turned her face away, “It is obvious because of
the sorcery. Don’t bring in such ideas
as love.”
“I’m telling you,
Aksinya. It isn’t the sorcery. I love you.”
“You…you used my
name.”
“Sorry, I’m telling
you, it isn’t the sorcery. It never was
the sorcery. That was just an excuse I
used to get close to you.”
“You said you were
trying to accomplish sorcery, and you wanted me to teach you.”
“I lied.”
“You said my
courtier told you about me.”
“I heard about you
from your uncle. He pointed me to your
courtier. I don’t know why the subject
of sorcery came up with him. I have been
studying it. I have been completely
unsuccessful. I know I can’t really do
it. It requires a faith in the world I
don’t have.”
“So you took my
book just to get me to go to the ballet with you.”
“Your courtier
said there was no other way to convince you.
I wanted to get to know you. You
are an astonishing person. In my mind, you
are a perfect woman.”
Aksinya mumbled,
“Ha, you know nothing about me.”
“But I do know a
lot about you now. Everything I know, I
love.” Ernst pulled Aksinya closer to
him, “Listen to me Aksinya. I want you
to be mine.”
She trembled and
tried to pull away, “What do you mean by that?”
“I want you to
marry me.” He pulled her close again and
put his lips on hers. Aksinya allowed
him to kiss her. She sunk into his
embrace. They stood there for what
seemed like to Aksinya for a long time. Slowly
he let her go, and she settled back with her feet solidly on the ground.
Natalya rushed
from the other room. She grabbed Aksinya
by the arm and tried to pull her away from Ernst, “Get back Ernst von
Taaffe. I know impropriety when I see
it. That was much too forward. Let her go.”
She punched at the young man.
Ernst let go of
Aksinya’s hands, and she fell back a step.
She stared at Ernst with dawning realization, “You…you kissed me.”
“Mistress, you
should have slapped him. Otherwise, he
will be encouraged…”
Aksinya closed her
eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, “No, Natalya. I wish to speak with him further.”
“I will stand
right here between you.”
“No,” Akisnya’s
voice softened, “No, please, Lady Natalya.
Just let me speak with him a moment more. I shall stand away from him, and he shall not
touch me again.”
“Only if he
promises...”
Ernst growled, “I
will promise for now.”
Aksinya pleaded,
“You see, Lady Natalya, he promised.
Allow me to speak to him for a little longer after that you and I will
retire for the evening.”
Natalya scowled at
Ernst. She glanced at Aksinya from the
sides of her eyes, “Very well, mistress.
But he must stand on one side of the room and you on the other. I shall be watching.” She pointed at Ernst, “If you make a single
move toward her, sir, I shall scream for her aunt and uncle and tell them
everything.”
Ernst moved to the
end of the enclosed balcony, “Lady Natalya, you need not fear. I will not attempt to molest your mistress
again.”
Natalya glanced at
Aksinya. Aksinya hastily moved to the
other end of the balcony. They waited
for Natalya to return to her seat.
Aksinya bent
forward a little toward Ernst. She
whispered and tried to get her voice to carry to him, “You…you kissed me.”
Ernst kept his
voice low, “I have wanted to kiss you for a long time.”
She touched her
lips, “Why?”
“Because I love
you.”
“What will you
gain by loving me?”
Ernst smiled, “I desire
you. That is all. I love you.
Do you love me?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Then I’m sorry I
was so forward, but I’m not sorry I kissed you.
I would hope to continue to woo you.
I want you to marry me.” He
pulled a small box from his coat pocket, “I have a ring for you. I would like to give it to you tonight.”
“For me? Then you are serious?”
“Why would you
think I wasn’t serious?”
“What about your
father, and his wish for you to join his business?”
“I told him
tonight that I would join the firm. I
made arrangements with him to begin to work the following Monday. I will still be able to escort you to dinner
and the opera on Wednesday. Didn’t you
understand me? Even if you will not make
up your mind tonight, I will continue to see you and entertain you. I will pursue you until your answer is
yes. You have no other suitors?”
Aksinya shook her
head.
“You don’t have
another lover?”
Aksinya shook her
head.
Ernst’s voice
softened, “Then there are no others ahead of me. I have no competition.”
“But I have never
imagined someone loving me before.”
Ernst shook his
head, “Why should a man not love you.
You are beautiful and intelligent.
Your deportment and social skills are excellent. You enjoy all the past times I enjoy. Why should I not want to share my life with
you?”
Aksinya stared out
into the darkness and whispered, “This is a temptation to me. It is surely a temptation.” She spoke more loudly, “Did Anatov
Aznabaev put you up to this?”
“Your
courtier? I haven’t seen him in a long
time.”
“Have
you been engaging in sorcery?”
Ernst
put up his hand, “Not since I met you. I
realized then, I could not achieve any of it.
I told you already, I don’t have the skills or the power to do it. I want to give you this ring.”
Aksinya
raised her eyes to his, “I’m not sure of what I will answer to you. I’m not certain if I love you.”
“Isn’t
it enough if I love you? I swear I will
give you everything in my power.”
Aksinya
cried, “Do not swear. Do not swear
anything to me. Don’t use those words
around me. Don’t you realize how
dangerous that is?”
“Dangerous
to swear what I am truly willing to do?
I do swear it. I swear to Aksinya
that I love her, will do anything I can for her, and will marry her.”
Aksinya
pressed her hands over her ears, “Don’t swear.
It is enough to say you will do it, but do not swear it.”
“Will
you accept my ring?”
“I
cannot—not yet.”
“Will
you accept my love?”
“I
must think on this—it is too difficult for me to decide right now. My mind is in turmoil.”
“Will
you allow me to continue to court you?”
Aksinya
sighed, “Will you kiss me again?”
“I
will, but only if the Lady Natalya will not scream.”
Aksinya
turned a little toward Natalya, “Lady Natalya, I wish to allow Ernst to kiss me
again. Will you please let him?”
“Kiss him? You should hit him.”
“I wish to kiss
him. Please allow me. I shall not ask for more than one tonight,
but I would like to kiss him once more.”
Natalya’s anger
was evident on her face, “I shall turn around for ten seconds. By the time I have counted to ten, I expect
you to be at my side. If you are not, I
shall certainly yell for your aunt and uncle.”
“Thank you, Lady
Natalya.” Aksinya didn’t wait to see if
Natalya turned, she ran to Ernst and put her arms around his neck. She clumsily brought her lips to his and
lingered there in a measured kiss. He
put his arms around her and held her tightly.
They parted at eight seconds and Aksinya ran to Natalya’s side. Natalya noted Aksinya beside her with an
impatient nod and began walking. Aksinya
glanced back at Ernst. His eyes lingered
on her. They did not leave her the
entire time until she lost sight of him when she exited the parlor.
This is a scene from late in the novel. It is before the first climax—the theme
climax. In this scene Ernst declares his
love, and Aksinya seems like she will accept.
The Lady Natalya shows some very interesting responses to Aksinya and
Ernst. You would think Natalya would
long for her mistress to find love. Life
and novels have strange events. Right now,
I want you to get the feel of tone—later we will look at the how of the tone. 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, logic
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com
No comments:
Post a Comment