Writing - part x233, Novel Form, Communication in Tension and Release

27 August 2017, Writing - part x233, Novel Form, Communication in 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 tension and release in a scene.  This example is from Shadow of Darkness an Ancient Light novel.  Sveta has a penchant for learning and speaking languages.  Her mind was injured during the battle for Berlin.  The Abbess discovers the many languages Sveta understands and can speak perfectly.  This scene introduces the plan the Mother Abbess and Father Nicolay have for using Sveta.  I should and could say, the plans the Orthodox Church has for Sveta.  If you didn’t get it before (I didn’t tell you), in history, the Mother Abbess, Father Nicolay, and His Beatitude, Alexius Simansky, Alexius the First, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia are the fundamental leadership of the Orthodox Church in Russia at this time.  These three people literally control and lead the Orthodox Church.  In the novel, I don’t make this completely obvious; however, the equal to the Catholic Pope, his assistant, and the head of the most important Convent in the Orthodox Church might lead you the right way.        

 

Sveta has some idea—about as much as the reader, and that’s my point.  A novel is the revelation of the protagonist.  In this case Sveta.  The other characters are important in the way they relate to and work with the protagonist.  Their importance should become evident to the reader just as they become evident to the protagonist.  Now, just a few historical searches on the internet will inform the reader, but I’d rather the reader make a slow burn to understanding.  Perhaps I’ll give you the scene where Sveta finally begins to put everything together.  I’d hope my readers beat her there.  This is both the power of tension and release and the power of not telling everything.  

 

Here is the scene:        

 

        In a few days, Mother Anna took Sveta back to the commissar’s dress shop to check the fitting.  Everything was in order, but Mother Anna made Irina make a couple of small fixes to the clothing. 

        In a week, Mother Anna called Sveta to her office in the early afternoon.  She had instructed Sveta to come early from the bookstore.  When Sveta entered the office, Mother Anna closed and locked the door, “Now to accouter you as a jewel.”  Mother Anna chose the rust dress.  She helped Sveta put on the undergarments and the special stockings.  She took away Sveta’s novice cross, but let her keep her rosary—as long as it was hidden.  It was small, and Sveta would not leave that off.  She buttoned Sveta into the dress and put on her shoes.  The shoes were nicer than any Sveta could remember; they were warm and soft and fit her feet perfectly.

        “I wish I had a mirror in here,” Mother Anna pronounced wistfully, “If you could see how beautiful you look.  Almost like a princess.”  She placed the rust colored hat with a light black veil on Sveta’s head, “With this veil, you do not need to keep your head down.  You will keep your head up.  I know you can.  I see you in the chapel all the time with your shoulders square and your head held high.  You must hold that posture tonight.  Do I make myself clear, Svetlana?”

        While she tried to keep her head high, Sveta returned, “But what am I to do tonight?”

        “This evening, Father Nikolay will take you to a dinner where you will meet many people.  Specifically, you will be introduced to His Beatitude, Alexius Simansky, Alexius the First, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.  He is the head of the Church.  His Beatitude is looking for a person with your skills.”  Mother Anna held Sveta’s cheeks between her hands, “At this dinner will be many Soviets and many people from other countries.  There will also be many Communist Party members.  Some will be SMERSh and NKVD agents and high level commissars.  Many dangerous people.”

        “Can’t you come too, Mother Abbess?”

        Mother Anna shook her head, “No child, I cannot be seen there.  That is not my place or my calling.”  Her voice was wistful.  “When you return, you must tell me everything you see and hear.

        “While you are there, you must translate for His Beatitude.  You must not tell anyone that you are a novice here or anything about your past.  This must be clear.”  Mother Anna moved Sveta’s head in a nod.  “Do not introduce yourself to anyone.  Only Father Nikolay or His Beatitude will introduce you.  Listen carefully to everything Father Nikolay and His Beatitude ask you to do, and listen carefully to everything that goes on around them both.  Is that clear too?”

        Sveta nodded her head between Mother Anna’s hands.

        “I love you, Svetlana.  You will do a great work for us, and if you please His Beatitude, your gifts will be put to magnificent use for the Church.  Do you understand?”

        “I think I do, Mother Abbess.”

        “Keep your head high.  Nothing about you.  Don’t introduce yourself.  Stay close to His Beatitude.  Follow Father Nikolay’s instructions.  Is everything clear?”

        “Yes, Mother Abbess.”

        “Good,” she kissed Sveta’s forehead, “I send you out with the blessings of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to work a miracle for the Church.”  Mother Anna crossed herself and Sveta copied her.

        A knock came at the postern door.

        “That is Father Nikolay.  When you are dressed like this, you will enter and exit the convent through this door only.  I will be waiting when you return this evening.”

Let’s look at secrets a little.  I’ve written that secrets drive all novels, and the more the secrets the better.  Can this whole concept be better encapsulated than by this scene?  At the same time information is flowing from the Mother Abbess to Sveta, more secrets (or mysteries) are being developed.

 

We are getting the what of Sveta’s work when she is going off with Father Nicolay.  Sveta will become a translator for the head of the Orthodox Church.  The questions we suddenly have are the same questions Sveta has.  Where is she going?  What exactly will she do?  Who will be there?  What will happen?  Will she be in danger?  All these questions fall into the background—they are immediate and real to Sveta and to the reader.  It is as if by providing information, the Abbess is actually building more tension in the scene.  Did you get that?  The character providing information is building more tension in the scene.

 

This could not be accomplished using mental thoughts or revelation from the mind of the Abbess.  In that case, everything would be revealed.  Through conversation, that does reveal everything the Abbess knows, the tension increases.  If this were a mind meld of telling instead of showing, the reader would get too much and the tension would decrease.  We don’t want a release here—not a full release.  The arrival of Father Nicolay is a slight release, but the rest of the release (still not a complete release) comes with the dinner party.

 

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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