Writing Ideas - New Novel, part x41, Creative Elements in the World of my Science Fiction Novels, The Ghost Ship Chronicles: Athelstan Cying

16 February 2017, Writing Ideas - New Novel, part x41, Creative Elements in the World of my Science Fiction Novels, The Ghost Ship Chronicles: Athelstan Cying

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

I finished 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 Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse. 

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I started writing my 28^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I’m also working on my 29^th novel, working title School.

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: transition from input to output focused on the telic flaw resolution)

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.  Since I’m writing a new novel, we need a new theme statement.  Here is an initial cut.

 

For novel 28:  Red Sonja, a Soviet spy, infiltrates the X-plane programs at Edwards AFB as a test pilot’s administrative clerk, learns about freedom, and is redeemed.

 

For novel 29:  Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.

 

These are the steps I use to write a novel:

 

1.      Design the initial scene

2.      Develop a theme statement (initial setting, protagonist, protagonist’s helper or antagonist, action statement)

a.       Research as required

b.      Develop the initial setting

c.       Develop the characters

d.      Identify the telic flaw (internal and external)

3.      Write the initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)

4.      Write the next scene(s) to the climax (rising action)

5.      Write the climax scene

6.      Write the falling action scene(s)

7.      Write the dénouement scene

 

Here is the beginning of the method from the outline:

 

1.      Scene input (comes from the previous scene output or is an initial scene)

2.      Write the scene setting (place, time, stuff, and characters)

3.      Imagine the output, creative elements, plot, telic flaw resolution (climax) and develop the tension and release.

4.      Write the scene using the output and creative elements to build the tension.

5.      Write the release

6.      Write the kicker

 

To me, the most interesting themes are about worlds, people, and life that goes on around us that is hidden or unrealized.  I have developed this type of world and theme and used it to build creative elements for my plots and scenes.  I’ll use my own novels as examples for this.  I’m moving to my science fiction novels.  The Ghost Ship Chronicles are a series of five novels (so far).  They are titled after space ships.  The first is Athelstan Cying. 

 

In science fiction novels, the creative elements or at least one creative element must be based in science.  Usually, the writer is creating an entirely new universe.  That universe is based on the world we know and the universe follows scientific ideas or concepts from the world we know.  It must be based on ideas and concepts familiar to the reader or there is no way the novel would be readable or interesting. 

 

The basic creative elements of the world of The Ghost Ship Chronicles are: mercantilism, capitalism, family traders, family trader space ships, trade, and love.  These are the basis of the universe of the novel.  I threw in love at the end because all five of these novels is ultimately about love. 

 

The universe of The Ghost Ship Chronicles is based on various cultures and societies on different planets but focuses on the mercantile and trading culture of the Family Traders.  The Family Traders have organized their society and culture aboard their ships on the principle of trade that also governs their commercial endeavors.  This colors and affects their society in many ways.  That is one of the entertaining creative elements or set of creative elements that form the universe of the novel.  By the way, this universe, even just considering the Family Traders, is so large, the reader is still discovering parts of it in the fifth novel.  

 

The plot line and theme of the novels in The Ghost Ship Chronicles is another level of complexity in creative elements.  Most specifically the creative elements in the plot and theme (as opposed to the setting) are:  warrior, prince, telepathic, power, spirit being, soul swap, lost ship, escape, loss, and love.  In Athelstan Cying, the crew of the Family Trader Twilight Lamb come across a lost ship, the Athelstan Cying, in deep space.  There is an extended backstory concerning the Twilight Lamb.  The captain’s son is a failure in their system.  He has wreaked havoc in the crew and council.  The problem is that the soul of one of the remaining crew on the Athelstan Cying is still existing.  When members of the crew from the Twilight Lamb go to investigate the hulk, the captain’s son, Den Protania is one of the muster crew.  He disobeys orders and the being on the ship tries to save him.  The being saves the body but not the soul of Den Protania.  In the end, the being is trapped in the body of Den Protania—that is the beginning of Athelstan Cying and the creative element set up for the rest of the novels. 

 

The creative elements for Athelstan Cying alone are: problem person, captain’s son, failure, debt, anger, and lost love.  Whew, did you note—there are numerous creative elements in the setting, numerous creative elements in the overall plot and theme, and numerous creative elements in the first novel.  Additionally, there are creative elements in every scene to drive the entertainment of each scene.  Many of these general creative elements come into play in a scene.  Additionally, other creative elements drive the scenes.  For example, all these general creative elements move in the scene where Den takes his first successful apprentice exam.  Additional creative elements in this scene are: fear of failure, interference, disbelief, dinner, parents, and embarrassment.  The character Den (with a different soul), is relieved and embarrassed to succeed where the original Den could not.  The Den of today is like two different persons in one being.  The first is a failure in the ship, the second is not a failure anywhere.  The conflicting emotions in Den and in Den’s relationship with Natana, the girl he once cast aside (in the past) drive the entertainment and the plot of this scene and most of the scenes in this novel.  You can see, the novel has an immediate level, a higher level, and a general level (setting) that drives the entertainment, plot, and theme.                         

 

I’m looking at my science fiction novels.  I’ll discuss the creative elements in The Ghost Ship Chronicles: Twilight Lamb 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  

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