Writing - part x193, Novel Form, Tension and Release, Pathos, Pity – Japan day 6

18 July 2017, Writing - part x193, Novel Form, Tension and Release, Pathos, Pity – Japan day 6

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.

These are the steps I use to write a novel including the five discrete parts of 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

I finished writing my 28^th novel, working title, School, potential title Deirdre: Enchantment and the School.  The theme statement is: 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.  

Here is the cover proposal for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School. 

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I continued writing my 29^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 28^th novel, working title School.  If you noticed, I started on number 28, but finished number 29 (in the starting sequence—it’s actually higher than that).  I adjusted the numbering.  I do keep everything clear in my records.  I’ll be providing information on the marketing materials and editing.

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 29:  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.

 

This is the classical form for writing a successful 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 (protagonist, antagonist, and optionally the protagonist’s helper)

d.      Identify the telic flaw of the protagonist (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

              

The protagonist and the telic flaw are tied permanently together.  The novel plot is completely dependent on the protagonist and the protagonist’s telic flaw.  They are inseparable.  This is likely the most critical concept about any normal (classical) form novel. 

 

Here are the parts of a normal (classical) novel:

 

1.      The Initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)

2.      The Rising action scenes

3.      The Climax scene

4.      The Falling action scene(s)

5.      The Dénouement scene

             

So, how do you write a rich and powerful initial scene?  Let’s start from a theme statement.  Here is an example from my latest novel:

 

The theme statement for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School is: 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.

 

Here is the scene development 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

          

If you have the characters (protagonist, protagonist’s helper, and antagonist), the initial setting, the telic flaw (from the protagonist), a plot idea, the theme action, then you are ready to write the initial scene.  I would state that since you have a protagonist, the telic flaw, a plot idea, and the theme action, you have about everything—what you might be lacking is the tension and release cycle in the initial scene.

 

Tension and release is the means to success in scene writing.  The creative elements you introduce into the scenes (Chekov’s guns) are the catalysts that drive entertainment and excitement in a scene, and this is what scenes are all about.     

 

I am moving into the way to develop sufficient tension and release.  One of the best means is through pathos.  I’ve written about pathos developing characters.  What I want to do is expand this into pathos developing scenes.  In most cases, a scene with a pathos developing character can be made pathetic.  In any case, almost any scene can invoke pathos—pity and fear.  This development of pity and fear is the driving force in tension and release.  The question is how the author develops it.

 

I’m in Tokyo Japan—this isn’t a travel log, but I might find some examples to put here.

 

Fear is just one mechanism for developing powerful and sufficient tension and release in a scene.  The other mechanism is pity.  

 

I’m not writing a travel blog, and I already have a hit and miss food, drink, and cigar blog, but I thought it might be fun to give some direct reporting from the Land of the Rising Sun. 

 

Day six in Japan is the long trip start day.  We packed our day packs for four nights and headed out of the house at Fussa.  On the way to the train station, we grabbed onigiri and snacks.  We took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kamakura.  You have to visit Kamakura to see the Big Green Buddha, plus you want to kick your feet in the ocean.  The Big Green Buddha is big and green and for a few cents you can go inside to get your NG (National Geographic) shots.  Somehow, we came to Japan during the season of all the school kids on their school trips.  They were everywhere, but how iconic to have an NG shot of the Big Green Buddha with Japanese school kids around it.  Get your camera taking skills at their peak and go to it.  This is also where you want to get an enma wood piece for an inexpensive souvenir.  You can also get a stamp for visiting each temple and many shrines and places.  Fill up your stamp book.  Other than the stamps and the enma wood blocks, there isn’t any special objects you necessarily need to buy here.  I’ll get to the places to purchase your gifts and treasures later.

 

From the Big Green Buddha, we headed toward the shore and the Sea Castle Restaurant.  This is a secluded and little known place and it is exquisitely German.  I haven’t had as authentic German in the USA.  The owners are Germans and likely came to Japan just after the War.  Their food is just German.  We all enjoyed bratwurst and kraut with kartoflen.  It wasn’t Japanese food, but what a pleasant thing to eat on a cool seaside day. 

 

I should have mentioned there is much more to the travel in these short tales, but I won’t bore you with the details—it is just fun.  We headed on the train to Jomyoji for the temple, shrine, gardens, and tea.  We thought the tea ceremony would be more of a ceremony—it wasn’t.  It’s inexpensive, but you only get macha tea ceremony tea with a couple of sweets and you can contemplate the bamboo and the gardens.  Do it.  Try it.  Take pictures.  I got some great pictures of ladies in kimonos at the shrine.  The Japanese love to dress up for their own tours and it makes you wonder if you have stepped back into the Edo period. 

 

We checked into our Air BnB place in Yokohama after Jomyoji.  This is so kool—that is to see how the average person lives in Japan.  We had an apartment with a couple of bedrooms, a kitchen, a toilet, a bath, and a small sitting room.  Cramped for living, but perfect for a night.  It is iconically Japanese.  I’m glad this isn’t the standard for the USA. 

 

We went down into the city for the Ramen Museum.  Now, this isn’t a museum and I’m not sure it’s worth seeing twice, but you should try it.  You have to try the Ramen somewhere and the Ramen Museum is supposed to be the place.  I thought it was a little expensive to enter and to eat.  I guess everyone is getting a cut.  One Ramen is enough for me, and we couldn’t find much safe food for our egg sensitive travel partner.  In any case, it is a place to visit—and eat the Ramen.                          

 

End of day six.

                

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