6 January 2016, Writing Ideas
- New Novel, part 635, Passive Auxiliary Verb Forms English Syntax/re-arrangement
of Words in a Sentence 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.
 |
|
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.
If tone is the feel of the writing,
the author must start first with what tone he wants to convey.
The first method of developing tone is through scene
setting--the second method 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?
Syntax/re-arrangement
of words in sentence as tools to develop tone.
What makes English so versatile and so difficult as a language are the
many verb forms that allow subtle changes in the syntax and meaning of the
sentences. Verb tense is only one part
of concept of syntax. English has more
complex forms of verb usage that are sometimes called “helper” verbs. They are most properly called auxiliary verbs. Here is a comprehensive list of auxiliary verbs.
|
Auxiliary verb
|
Meaning
contribution
|
Example
|
|
be1
|
She is the boss.
|
|
|
be2
|
progressive aspect
|
He is sleeping.
|
|
be3
|
passive voice
|
They were seen.
|
|
can1
|
deontic modality
|
I can swim.
|
|
can2
|
epistemic modality
|
Such things can help.
|
|
could1
|
deontic modality
|
I could swim.
|
|
could2
|
epistemic modality
|
That could help.
|
|
dare
|
epistemic modality
|
How dare you!
|
|
do
|
do-support/emphasis
|
You did not understand.
|
|
have1
|
perfect aspect
|
They have understood.
|
|
may1
|
deontic modality
|
May I stay?
|
|
may2
|
epistemic modality
|
That may take place.
|
|
might
|
epistemic modality
|
We might give it a try.
|
|
must1
|
deontic modality
|
You must not mock me.
|
|
must2
|
epistemic modality
|
It must have rained.
|
|
need
|
deontic modality
|
You need not water the grass.
|
|
ought
|
deontic modality
|
You ought to play well.
|
|
Shall
|
deontic modality
|
You shall not pass.
|
|
should1
|
deontic modality
|
You should listen.
|
|
should2
|
epistemic modality
|
That should help.
|
|
Will
|
epistemic modality
|
We will eat pie.
|
|
Would
|
epistemic modality
|
Nothing would accomplish that.
|
If
you notice we already saw some of the uses of be (is) and have (had). These auxiliary verbs are used to change the
verb tense in English. They have other
uses we will address.
Another
very important use of be (is) is to create the passive voice form of a
verb. For example:
They
were seen.
They
were seen by him.
She
was told.
She
was told by Jane.
He
had been loved.
He
had been loved by Jane.
The
passive voice of the verb is another verb form the author should reduce in his
writing. Some passive voice is good and
necessary. Too much passive voice is
bad. And here we have a real form of
syntax that allows the author to directly affect the tone of a scene. The most important rule about passive voice
is aim for zero passive voice. I’ll
explain when it is necessary.
Notice
in all six passive voice examples above, the object of the verb is either
assumed or it is set off using the word “by.”
Whenever I have an indirect object set off with “by,” I can easily
convert a passive construction to an active construction. Watch:
They
were seen by him becomes, he saw them.
She
was told by Jane becomes, Jane told her.
He
had been loved by Jane becomes, Jane had loved him.
This
is a direct conversion of a passive sentence to an active sentence. Do this for all your writing. The active voice is shorter and more direct
than the passive voice. Note, however,
there may be times where you might want to use the passive voice.
When
the object of the verb is intentionally vague or unknown, the author may not
wish to declare the object or for tome or to keep the object unknown. In the case of the other passive sentences
without an indirect object:
They
were seen. Who saw them may not be
important, rather the fact they were seen may be the most important piece of
information. In this case, the passive
voice may be the best choice.
She
was told. The who told may be
immaterial. The fact she was told may be
the most important piece of information.
He
had been loved. The who again might be
unimportant to the plot and theme.
The
purpose of the passive voice is specifically to make the action of the verb
more important than the actor of the verb.
This is an important means of building tone, but many times an overused
tool. If, for example, the author rarely
uses the passive voice and suddenly has a sentence in that verb form, the
reader will take note. On the over hand,
if the passive voice is overused, the reader won’t care and won’t be able to
tell the difference.
Don’t
overuse the passive voice—in fact, hunt it out and convert it to active voice,
except in the most very obvious and necessary situations.
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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