25 December 2015, Writing Ideas
- New Novel, part 623, Descriptive Sound Effects Tools for Developing 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.
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|
Cover
Proposal
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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.
If tone is the feel of the writing,
the author must start first with what tone he wants to convey.
The second method of developing tone is through tension and
release. Let’s look at the specific
tools used to create tone in tension and release (these can also be used in the
scene setting). I like the list from the
question—it is nearly exhaustive: 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. Why don’t we look at
each of these tools?
Sound
effects are simply onomatopoeia, exclamations, or descriptive words. Here is an example of using descriptive sound
effects to create a tone. I’ll note some
of it in the text so you don’t miss it.
I like to write about Christmas—here is a little Christmas surprise.
Christmas rolled around with its normal
excitement and delight. Marie and George
Hastings planned to bring their children to the Lyons Lyons
Christmas afternoon, Breckenridge opened
the door and was overcome by two little children. Little Paul ran between his legs, “Happy
Christmas, Breckenridge.”
He was followed closely by his three
year old sister, “Happy Christmas, Breckenridge.” Her soft pallet decimated the name and the
salutation.
George and Marie were not far behind
them. Little Paul and Leora headed for
the parlor and stood in absolute awe of the Christmas tree. Aleksandr and Bruce had brought it from the
countryside, and Tilly and Lumière had decorated it. It was the first time a tree ever held all of
the ancient decorations Tilly’s mother had given her. Under it were presents and pretties of all
kinds. Breckenridge and George brought
in presents from the car and laid them also under the tree.
When Breckenridge announced the arrival
of the Hastings, Lumière and Tilly, Bruce and Aleksandr came running. Marie embraced Lumière, and Tilly lifted
little Leora in her arms. The gentlemen
all retired to the study. Marie kissed
her sister, “How are you Lumière? You
look so much better now.” Tears filled
her eyes, “You don’t know how long I have waited to say those words to
you. Why don’t you visit, Lumière?”
Tilly led them into her sitting
room. They sat and spoke while Tilly
entertained little Leora.
Lumière laughed, “I love you Marie, but
the Foreign Office just works me to the bone.
You’ll have to ask them for a holiday.”
“I just may. You don’t have to work, Lumière. You know that.”
“I need to work.”
“Yes, mother said that about you. How is your friend, Aleksandr?”
“He is well. He took me to the opera and bought me
chocolates.”
“That sounds promising.”
Lumière sat up straight and shook out
her hair, “He works for Uncle Bruce. He
is Dr. Diakonov.”
“Really?
I didn’t realize he possessed that level of education.”
“He was once an Assistant Professor of
Oriental Languages.”
“What about your work?”
“That is going well too. I was promoted to assistant diplomat. I was in China
Marie grabbed Lumière’s hand, “Mother
told me about Geneva
“I’m all right, Marie.”
Marie stared into her eyes, “I am always
so worried about you Lumière, but when I heard…”
Lumière turned her head, “Would you like
tea?”
“Yes, please. The day is freezing and dreary, but no snow.”
Lumière called Breckenridge for tea, and
he served them all. The gentlemen
ordered coffee. After a while,
Breckenridge announced dinner. Bruce
gave the blessing.
Throughout dinner, little Paul kept
glancing back toward the parlor. Little
Leora didn’t say much. She just watched
her brother. Paul stared so much, Bruce
finally asked, “Paul, didn’t Father Christmas bring you anything?”
“Yes, he did, but Aunt Tilly always
gives me toys and pretty books.”
“Just Aunt Tilly?”
“Of course, everyone knows who is
allowed to shop.”
“Really?”
“It is the mothers and aunts. Fathers and uncles bring home the money.”
Everyone laughed at his childish
understanding of economics.
Marie smiled at Paul, “You know, Paul,
you have another aunt.”
“I do?”
“Yes, I told you before, this is your
Aunt Lumière.”
He spoke in perfect French, “Shouldn’t
she be Tante Lumière.”
Lumière answered him in French, “Of
course.”
Paul was delighted and spoke from then
on to Lumière only in French. When
Lumière turned to say something to Tilly in English, Paul stared at her, “Tante
Lumière, why don’t you speak English properly?
I’m certain you can.”
Marie shushed him, “It is because she is
French.”
Paul took this explanation and thought
it over, “She looks like Mémère,
and Mémère is French, but Mémère always speaks most properly. Why does Dr. Diakonov speak his English
improperly—is he French too?”
Marie looked at him with some
exasperation, “Dr. Diakonov is Russian.”
Paul nodded, “He speaks Russian?”
“Da,” answered Aleksandr.
This was a new thing to Paul, and he
couldn’t speak Russian. He mulled this
over for a while and couldn’t make heads or tales of it. He finally asked, “Is dinner over? Can we open presents?”
Tilly grinned at him, “We can have
coffee and dessert after we open presents.
But first, we must thank those who work so hard for us all year
long.” Tilly presented envelopes and
gifts to Breckenridge, their upstairs maid, and their cook. The bonus was substantial.
The family all retired leisurely to the
parlor except little Paul and Leora who ran as fast as they could. Lumière sat on the floor with little Paul and
Leora while the rest of the adults found seats in the chairs that ringed the
room.
“Tante Lumière,” asked Paul, “Why do you
walk so funny?”
Marie came to her sister’s rescue,
“Paul, you should not ask such a thing.
It makes her sad. She was injured
during the war.”
Paul’s small face became distraught for
just a moment. He lightly touched
Lumière’s arm, “I am so sorry, Tante Lumière.
Are you a war hero like Pépère, Mémère, Uncle Bruce, and Papa?”
Bruce unbuttoned his top shirt button,
“Tante Lumière is a great war hero, but we don’t speak about it.” Bruce winked at little Paul.
Tilly punched Bruce, “You’ll just make
him more curious. Lumière doesn’t need
that.”
Lumière kissed little Paul’s cheek, “Perhaps
we should open presents. Will you carry
them around to everyone?”
Paul was delighted. He picked up the presents, read the labels,
and handed them to their recipients.
When he needed help, he asked Lumière.
Soon everyone had their presents in front of them. In turn, youngest to oldest, they all opened
their presents one by one and displayed them to each other. Lumière received Russian tea and
chocolates. When they had all opened
their presents. Aleksandr stood, “I have
one last present to give.” He stepped
over to Lumière and went to his knees beside her. He pulled a small ribbon tied box out of his
pocket and handed it to Lumière.
Lumière stared in surprise at him.
Aleksandr nodded, “I know you never like
to be the center of attention, Svetochka, but today you are.”
Lumière smelled the box, “It doesn’t
smell like chocolates.” She untied the
ribbon on the small box then she delicately unwrapped the paper. She held the box in her hand and slowly
opened it up. Inside was a diamond ring.
Aleksandr took her hand and put the ring
on her finger, “Lumière Bolang, will you honor me by becoming my bride?”
Lumière lowered her head and the ladies
took a deep breath. She turned her face
back to Aleksandr. Her cheeks were
covered with tears, “Even with all my faults, you will still have me,
Sashechka?”
“I will have you because I love you
Lumière—just Lumière.”
Under the Christmas tree Lumière lifted
her face to Aleksandr and kissed him.
She put her arms around his neck.
Everyone cheered and laughed.
After a while, Lumière’s sister and aunt had to help Aleksandr remove
her lips from his. Aunt Tilly laughed,
“That’s enough kissing until after the wedding.”
Paul stared at his beautiful Tante and
just pronounced, “Yuck.” While little
Leora clapped her hands in delight.
This
example comes from my yet unpublished novel, Shadow of Light. The tension
and release is evident in this scene—it is opening Christmas presents along
with the work subjects of the family that everyone tiptoes around. Of course, the engagement at the end is also
a tension and release. For the main
focus of descriptive sound effects—look at the last two paragraphs. The cheering and laughing is one obvious
descriptive sound effect. The other is
little Leora clapped her hands in delight.
Note
that a descriptive sound effect is the get off the stage end for the scene and
this chapter. This is a use for sound
effects. I noted yesterday, they can
identify the change of tone. In this
case, a sound effect concludes the scene and the chapter. The tone is maintained--the section is at an
end.
We’ll look at images created by similes next.
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
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