8 April 2017, Writing Ideas
- New Novel, part x92, Creative Elements in Scenes, Plot Devices, School
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.
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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 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
Three way love (love rival)
Rival
Celebrity (Rise to fame)
Rise to riches
Military (Device or Organization manipulation)
School (Training) (Skill Development) – Current discussion.
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)
Valuable item
Identification
Contest
Search
War
Brotherhood (sisterhood) (camaraderie)
School (Training) (Skill Development): here is my definition – School is the use of an educational, training, or organized skill development to further a plot.
I
love to use this type of plot device. I’ve
written a couple of novels with girl’s boarding schools. I’ve also written about military training at
Sandhurst. One of my favorite novels
that uses a school plot device is Starship
Troopers. If you notice Starship Troopers proves that school or
training is a plot device—it isn’t a novel about school or training per
se. It is a novel about the war against
the bugs as well as the coming of age of the protagonist. In fact, the coming of age or maturity of the
protagonist is the theme of the novel.
The war against the bugs is the plot line (plot) or the storyline of the
novel. There are some technical
difference between a storyline and a plot, but I won’t go into those here.
Starship Troopers uses the military
plot device and the training plot device to build the plot of the novel. Notice, you have two plot devices right
there. A further plot device is war, and
I need to add that to our list. Another, is brotherhood or camaraderie. Each of these plot devices further the plot,
but aren’t the entire plot.
What
makes a school plot device? Notice, I
listed training and skill development as well as school. Anytime you use an organized training
situation to further your plot, that is school.
I’ll go further, I have used a college setting and the school plot
device in many of my novels. Here is how
they are different. A school can be a
setting for many reasons. It becomes a
plot device if the author uses the concept of the school (training) to further
the plot. Thus, just having a school as
a setting isn’t a plot device, having your protagonist teach or learn or go to
classes and interacting in the learning is a plot device. Here are some examples.
The
first is from Essie: Enchantment and the
Aos Si:
Essie and Mrs. Lyons arrived at Twiston
Davies House early Saturday morning on the last day of August. Their driver wrestled Essie’s new steamer
trunk from the boot of the Bentley and dragged it to the front of TD
House—Twiston Davies House. Mrs. Lyons
and Essie followed closely behind.
Before they could open the building’s door, a woman exited. She displayed a bright smile and wore an
apron and work dress. Her face appeared
gently wrinkled and her hair was grey.
She only gave a slight glance at Essie’s trunk, and immediately turned
her attention to Mrs. Lyons and Essie, “Good morning, I’m Mrs. Morris the
housemistress.”
Mrs.
Lyons stepped forward, “I’m Mrs. Lyons and this is Essie Lyons.”
“We’ve
been expecting you. We don’t get many
transfers during this semester.” She
turned a longer look at Essie’s trunk, “You didn’t bring much—are we expecting
a shipment…?”
Mrs.
Lyons glanced at the trunk, “No this is all.”
Essie
pressed the front of her dress, “I also have a keyboard.”
“Ah,
yes, you are the new music student. I
hope you have a pair of headphones. We
usually don’t allow playing of instruments in TD House.”
Essie
looked confused.
Mrs.
Lyons brow rose, “I should have thought of that. We’ll purchase some right away.”
Mrs.
Morris smiled a little broader, “That’s good.
We attempt to maintain a quiet environment for studies.”
“I
see.”
Mrs.
Morris waved for them to follow her through the door. They entered and Mrs. Morris held open the
first door on the left. They entered a
small office, “This is the TD House office.
Mademoiselle Froment is the Assistant Housemistress. She and I keep office during normal school
hours every day. You can also reach us
at any time on our pagers and cellphones.
Now, I need you, Mrs. Lyons to sign for the room and the key. I also have a packet for you and a booklet
with the TD House instructions and school rules. You and Essie must sign them both. I’ve written our phone and pager numbers in
the front of your booklet. I’ll answer
any of your questions now, and if you need any help later on, just call.” Mrs. Morris laid the documents in question on
the desk.
Mrs.
Lyons looked over the papers, “Essie doesn’t have a cell phone—should she get
one?”
Mrs.
Morris cocked her head, “We have phones in the rooms, but they only provide
local calling without a card or collect.
You can purchase phone cards in the school shop.”
“Ah,
I see.”
Mrs.
Lyons studied the paperwork, “It says a computer or laptop is recommended.”
“Recommended,
but not required. The library has
computers and our study areas also have them available.”
Mrs.
Lyons signed the boarding forms. Essie
printed her name on the school and boarding house rules.
Mrs.
Morris stared at Essie’s block handwriting for a long moment. She filed the form in a desk drawer, “Let me
guide you to your room.”
Mrs.
Lyons paused, “Allow me to tell our driver to follow with the trunk.”
Mrs.
Morris motioned to them and exited the office.
She opened the front door and instructed the driver to the service
lift. Then she moved quickly to the
front stairs, “Usually, the girls in the 10th year share a room, but
due to Essie’s late entry and your request, we’ve placed her in one of the 11th
year rooms. That will give her a little
more space and allow her to integrate with her class and house…perhaps a bit
less quickly. She has been assigned a
buddy in house Prosser—that will be Essie’s assigned house in the school. Her house buddy lives in TD. I’ll introduce you to her later.” Mrs. Morris led them up the stairs. The halls looked wide and modern although the
building on the outside appeared old and a classic design like all the main
school buildings.
The
driver met them on the first floor.
Mrs.
Morris led them to a corner room. Mrs.
Lyons handed Essie her key. The door
seemed to spring open at her touch before she inserted the key.
Mrs.
Morris’ smile slipped a little, “The door was supposed to be locked.”
Mrs.
Lyons tendered Essie a little glance.
She took the key and put it into the lock, “Essie isn’t very familiar
with keys. She showed Essie how to lock
and unlock the door, “You should do it this way, Essie.”
Essie
nodded.
Mrs.
Morris watched closely, showing a little less of a smile. She pushed open the door.
The
room lay at a bright corner of the TD House.
It held a lightly colored oak bed, desk, and a dresser. The windows looked out to the open quadrangle
between the buildings of the three boarding houses. The room appeared clean, and white muslin
curtains covered the windows.
Mrs.
Morris stepped in and opened the curtains.
The skies were partly cloudy, but bright sunlight filled the place.
Just
a short piece of a scene to show the use of a boarding school. There is so much more in this novel—I hope it
is published at some time so you can all read it. The school I use is real and some of the
names are real. This provides a level of
reality to the writing.
The second
example comes from Centurion. You can buy this novel and read it:
Tero
led Abenadar toward this group.
“Hey,
Nico,” said Tero, “here is a new man for you to train.”
Nico
was the giant. He was as broad and tall
as one of the huge doors leading into the camp.
His name in Latin meant battering ram, and Abenadar never learned if
‘Nico’ was a nickname or really his own.
Like all of the veterans, Nico’s face and arms were covered with scars,
and though his armor was complete, it showed signs of frequent repair. He carried a baton similar to the vitis of the centurions, but without
decorations. This, Abenadar learned, was
a training baton.
“So,
who is this,” said Nico in a voice as large as he was.
“I
am Abenadar of Natzeret.”
“Are
we now taking men from the Galil?” said Nico.
“I
am a citizen of Rome
“All
men are the same here,” said Nico, “What matters is not where you come from,
but how well you learn to be a legionnaire.”
“That
is why I’m here,” said Abenadar.
Tero
slapped Abenadar on the back, “I like this man already, Nico. Train him well.” He turned and walked back
toward the front of the camp.
Nico
said, “Good. Abenadar. Join the group. I was just explaining the march. Today, like every day, we march. Put on your shields,” said Nico.
All
the men except Abenadar had taken off their shields. They now used the long strap to loop them
over their backs.
“We
march, but first we need some fuel to march on.
Follow me, and we’ll see if any breakfast is left for starving
Romans—even one from Natzeret.” Nico led
them to the front of the camp. The men
followed closely behind Nico. As they
walked, they pulled their bowls and drinking cups from their packs. Abenadar copied them. He ended up at the end of a long line that
curved around the barracks toward the officium. Because they were trainees and not full
legionnaires, they had to wait for all the other men before they could
eat.
The
line moved quickly. When Abenadar
finally stepped around to the front of the barracks, the single line became
four separate queues that passed before large iron cooking pots. The first pot in each queue steamed from a
fire below it. As Abenadar stepped to
the front of the line, a cook dished thick wheat gruel called cibaria into his bowl. The cook filled his bowl almost to the top,
and added a large slash of olive oil to it from an amphora. From the second large pot, a kitchen slave
filled Abenadar’s cup with a thin mixture of water and beer that was almost
entirely water. As soon as he had his
food, Abenadar paused and looked around.
Nico and the trainees sat on the ground near the quaestorium. Abenadar joined
them there.
A
short piece that begins Abenadar’s training in the Legion. You get to see all of the training of a legionnaire
for better or worse. I wanted to show
people today how a legionnaire really trained and became a legionnaire. You can read how in this novel. In fact, this
may be the only historically accurate novel that describes the legionnaire’s
training in the first century. This is
the use of school or training as a plot device.
I should relate that Centurion
is not just about the training of a legionnaire. That is only a small part of the novel.
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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