2 April 2017, Writing Ideas
- New Novel, part x86, Creative Elements in Scenes, Plot Devices, Two Way Love
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 27th 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 28th novel, working title Red Sonja. I’m also working on my 29th 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 scene
development 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
Below is a list of plot
devices. I’m less interested in a plot
device than I am in a creative element that drives a plot device. In fact, some of these plot devices are not
good for anyone’s writing. If we
remember, the purpose of fiction writing is entertainment, we will perhaps
begin to see how we can use these plot devices to entertain. If we focus on creative elements that drive
plot devices, we can begin to see how to make our writing truly entertaining. I’ll leave up the list and we’ll contemplate
creative elements to produce these plot devices.
Deus ex machina (a machination, or act of
god; lit. “god out of the machine”)
Flashback (or analeptic reference)
Story within a story (Hypodiegesis)
Third attempt
Secrets
Judicial Setting
Legal argument
Prophecy
Two way love – Current discussion.
Three way love (love rival)
Rival
Celebrity (Rise to fame)
Rise to riches
Military (Device or Organization manipulation)
School (Training) (Skill Development)
Supernatural
Comeback
Retrieval
Taboo
Impossible Crime
Human god
Revolution
Games
Silent witness
Secret king
Messiah
Hidden skills
Fantasy Land (Time Travel, Space Travel)
End of the --- (World, Culture, Society)
Resistance (Nonresistance)
Utopia (anti-utopia)
Fashion
Augmented Human (Robot) (Society)
Mind Switching (Soul Switching)
Unreliable character
Incarceration (imprisonment)
Two way love: here is my definition – two way love is the use of the romantic relationship between two people to further a plot.
Two
way love is a plot device that focuses on the relationship between two
people. This focus can be from puppy
love to marriage and beyond. The main
point is two people who are dedicated and centered on each other. Usually, the relationship moves from meeting,
to friends, to love, to some kind of stronger relationship. Everything is reasonable in developing the
love in a two way love. The only point
that isn’t reasonable is interjecting another person into the mix—this interjection
is three way love. Two way love is
indeed a plot device. I’ll give you an
example below.
From
Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse:
Captain
Cross pulled Shiggy out of the door and to the side. Shiggy could see the black SUV at the
street. The Captain searched in his
pockets for a moment and brought out a small giftwrapped box, “I would be
pleased, Shiggy, if you would accept this Christmas present from me.” He handed it to her.
Shiggy
took the gift in both hands and stared at it, “This is for me?”
“Of
course it’s for you.”
“May
I open it, now?”
“If
you wish.”
Shiggy
tore off the wrapping and opened the box, “It’s beautiful. Earrings.
They’re blue and silver.”
“Blue
like your eyes. I noticed your ears were
pierced, but you haven’t worn anything in them when I’ve been with you.”
“Sorcha
hasn’t got to jewelry yet. Thank
you. Thank you very much. I’m sorry.
I don’t have a present for you.”
“You
don’t need one for me.”
“But
now I feel obliged.”
“If
that’s so, then I’d like you to promise to get to know me better.”
Shiggy
smiled, “I’d like that too.”
Captain
Cross leaned forward, “May I kiss you, Shiggy?”
That
got Angel’s attention. She grabbed
Shiggy’s hair, “That’s obviously bad judgement.
If you let him kiss you, I’ll poison him.”
Shiggy’s
eyes filled, “Please, let me kiss him.”
“Not
now. Perhaps never.”
Shiggy’s
tears began to fall, “I really want to kiss him.”
“Stop
it Shiggy.” Angel spit on her hand and held it menacingly near Captain Cross’
face.
Shiggy
blubbered, “William, I would very much like you to kiss me, but at the moment,
I must decline.” She pushed him away.
Angel
cheered, “That away, Shiggy.”
Captain
Cross gave her a puzzled look, “I understand.
I think.”
Shiggy
burst into tears, “I don’t.” She ran to
the front door, and into Lyons’ House.
Sorcha
found her there bawling in the foyer.
Sveta
heard her and came running, “Now, what’s the matter?”
Sorcha
hauled Shiggy up on one side and Sveta took the other. Shiggy tightly held the box Captain Cross had
given her. Sorcha picked up Shiggy’s
clutch, “Whatever is the matter with you, Shiggy?”
Shiggy
sobbed, “William gave me such a nice pair of earrings, and he asked to kiss
me.” Shiggy roared, “But this stupid fairy
threatened to poison him. I’m so mad, I
could poison her.”
Sorcha
held her, “Calm down, Shiggy.
Relax. I’m sure William
understands. A kiss on the first date is
a bit quick.”
Shiggy
glared, “By whose standards?”
Sorcha
grimaced, “Well not by Mrs. Calloway’s.”
Sveta
shook her head, “Perhaps not by Mrs. Calloway’s standards, but certainly by
mine and by our families’. It was very
nice of William to give you a gift.
Let’s wait a little for the kissing part.”
Sorcha
commiserated, “Plus my team is going to hell right now. I have a pilot who’s chasing me. Muscle who’s chasing my assistant. How can we operate together like this?”
The
focus of this novel is not the romance, but romance is a beautiful part of the
novel. The novel is about Shiggy, but a wonderful
touch in the novel is the romance between Shiggy and Mr. Cross and Sorcha and her
beau. This plot device brings great entertainment
to the novel and builds power in the novel through relationship.
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