Writing - part x228, Novel Form, Touching Emotional Tension and Release

22 August 2017, Writing - part x228, Novel Form, Touching Emotional Tension and Release

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 c9n 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. 

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 your scenes.

 

Here is an example of developing or building emotional tension and release in a scene.  This example is from Shadow of Darkness an Ancient Light novel.  In this scene, because her cries disturb the neighbors and to prevent her from being sent to a people’s asylum, Vasily convinced the Orthodox Churches’ Nunnery at the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow to accept her as a novice.  Because Sveta speaks Russian, French, German, Hebrew, and Aramaic the Mother Superior takes her in.        

 

We know Sveta’s problems and the Convent is willing to take care of her.  This is really neat historical information because at this time, Stalin had allowed the Orthodox Church to act, teach, and minister much as it had before he purged them after the revolution.  This is a time of great peril for the Church and for the members.  At the same time, they are trying to help others while gaining the skills they need.  Sveta is just another girl-child ravaged by the war, but she also has skills she can bring to the Church.

 

Because the convent accepted her, Sveta must say goodbye to her friends, the Grossmans.  Don’t shy away from these types of scenes and don’t make them too smarmy.  I think I captured just the feel I wanted in this scene.  There are tears, but they are downplayed.  I wanted an opportunity for Olga and Sveta to share a few words.        

 

        Vasily and Sveta returned home, and they waited until Katya and Fedya came home from school.  Katya and Olga helped her pack her few clothes and books.  Everything fit in her small bag.  Then, Vasily, Katya, Fedya, and Olga walked with Sveta to Novodevichy Convent.  Vasily pulled the bell chord.  Sveta kissed them all while she held tightly onto her small bundle of goods that included the roubles Vasily had kept for her.  She glanced up with tears like whispers on her cheeks, “Thank you, Vasily.  You gave me my life back.  I will never forget you.  Thank you Fedya.”

        Katya pulled Sveta close and kissed her tears, “You are the sister I never had.  I love you Svetochka.  Write if you can, and visit us if they let you.”

        Finally, with great embarrassment and overflowing tears, Olga put her large motherly arms around Sveta and whispered, “I never thought I could love you, Svetlana Evgenyevna.  Yet, you of all of them needed me the most.  If you need comfort or care, I am here for you.  That is the most I can ever give.”

        “Thank you, Olga Mikhailovna.  I have nothing to give to you.”

        Olga shook her head, “You don’t know what you brought back to my heart—you may never know.”

        Mother Larisa came to the door and peeked out.  She immediately opened it.  She expected this traveler.

        Sveta waved at her friends as the door shut and closed her away from a whole life, the only life she could remember.

 

The tension and release in this scene is based almost exclusively on emotion—the emotion of the characters.  I think this emotion was well moved to the reader.  It isn’t necessarily weepy, but there is appropriate emotion.  In fact, I would say, the emotion in the scene is intentionally downplayed. 

 

When you write a scene that is intentionally filled with potential emotion, the best plan is to pull the emotion out of it.  You do this through description and by emphasizing the words and not the way things are said.  As I noted, not smarmy. 

 

You don’t have to tell us how the characters are feeling (please don’t).  You don’t have to tell us they are sad or whatever—just show us.  That’s all you have to do is show us.  Give some context with some conversation.  I swear, the conversation will do it for you.  Just the words themselves have power in these types of scenes.  Sveta says, “Thank you, Olga Mikhailovna.  I have nothing to give to you.” Then the response that many might not have expected.  Olga’s roughness sheds a little when she confesses that Sveta has brought back some degree of feeling to her heart.  You don’t and can’t tell this kind of emotional confession, you can only show it and let the words soak through to your readers.  Your readers will get it without any other explanation.  What I should write about is how not to build tension and release.         

 

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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