Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 769, more Details in the Initial Scene

19 May 2016, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part 769, more Details in the Initial Scene

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.

     4a. Show what can be seen, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted on the stage of the novel.

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, proposed title, Essie: Enchantment and the Aos Si, is this: Mrs. Lyons captures a shape-shifting girl in her pantry and rehabilitates her.

I just started writing my 27^th novel, working title, Claire, potential title Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse.  This might need some tweaking.  The theme statement is: Claire (Sorcha) Davis accepts Shiggy, a dangerous screw-up, into her Stela branch of the organization and rehabilitates her.  

Here is the cover proposal for Essie: Enchantment and the Aos Si.  Essie is my 26th 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 editing many of my novels using comments from my primary reader.  I finished my 27^th novel, working title Claire.  I’m working on marketing materials.

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)

 

How to begin a novel.  Number one thought, we need an entertaining idea.  I usually encapsulate such an idea with a theme statement.  Here’s the theme statement from Sorcha.

 

Claire (Sorcha) Davis accepts Shiggy, a dangerous screw-up, into her Stela branch of the organization and rehabilitates her.

 

The scene is the basic element of any fiction writing.  The author must be well versed in how to write a scene.  If this injunction sounds new to you, don’t feel bad.  I had no idea about scenes or the writing of scenes until I had written over 8 novels.  Unfortunately, your teachers failed to teach you this little truth about writing.  My friend Mile Klaassen has made an entire study of scene writing.  His approach is a little different than mine, but the point should be clear, if you want to write well, you need to think in scenes, and you need to know how to write scenes well.

 

I gave you my scene development outline, and I’ve been showing you how to use it.  If you approach every scene this way, I can assure you, your scenes will at least include the proper elements to make them entertaining and complete.  I can’t assure you that your writing will be good--only that you will have the tools to write a scene properly.

 

The first point, as I mentioned before is the scene input.  The second is the scene output.  You write from the input to the output.  Once you have imagined the initial scene input and output, all you need to do to write your novel is to imagine the succeeding outputs to the climax and falling action.  The output for a scene becomes the input for the next scene. 

 

The next step is the setting.  To me the setting is a critical part of writing that many authors short.  Most professional authors have setting down--let’s hope cold.  In general, most beginning and many somewhat experienced writers do not provide enough setting.  Usually, they do not provide enough description, but many authors don’t even give basic information that should be obvious to the readers and the characters.  I will not mention the writing because I don’t want to advertise them, but I have read some modern novels where the setting was so bad, the reader remained confused for a few chapters.  One of the best indicators of bad setting and description is reader confusion.  The best preventative for this is prepublicaton readers who will tell you when the writing needs help—and I don’t mean editing.  This is not what many people call editing.  This is indeed editing, but it is editing for clarity, entertainment, and logical flow.  This is the most important type of editing.  When a reader tells you something isn’t right, look for the root cause.  The root cause is never the reader, but always the writer. 

 

A typical root cause of poor writing is lack or complete setting or description (they are basically the same thing).

 

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  

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