Writing - part x249, Novel Form, More Reflection Tension and Release

12 September 2017, Writing - part x249, Novel Form, More Reflection 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 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. 

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.  I thought you might like to know what the event is, so I gave it to you in a scene.      

 

In this scene, Beria is the focus.  Sveta and Marya are both attending, and so is Kuglov.    

 

Here is the scene:        

 

        At the beginning of January, People's Commissar Beria called a special staff meeting.  Sveta sat in her accustomed chair near Beria, but not at the table.  Marya sat behind her with her notepad in hand.

        Beria stood up, “Our great leader Stalin and the Politburo has seen fit to promote me to Deputy Prime Minister of the Soviet state.”  He paused.  The men and women in the room applauded generously.  “Our great organization also has a new name, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the MVD.  I will still oversee many of the affairs of the MVD, but this direct work is now in the hands of my deputy, General of the Army and now People's Commissar Kruglov of the MVD.”  The applause continued.  He stared at Kruglov, “I don’t expect great changes in the MVD due to this event, but I have the greatest confidence in Comrade Kruglov.  There will, of course, be a party where all of you are invited.  Svetlana Evgenyevna, invite the embassies and their staff.  Your people will be necessary for translation.”

        Sveta nodded.  Marya made notes.

        This event caught few by surprise.  Beria was a great supporter of Stalin and everything seemed to be coming together for him to eventually become Stalin’s successor.

        Sveta and Marya were concerned about what might happen to their office under People's Commissar Kruglov.  They needn’t have worried.  Kruglov was not about to cut off the best intelligence stream the NKVD, now MVD, ever had from the ambassadors and embassies.  The reports Sveta compiled were eye popping.  Kruglov had seen nothing as detailed or useable as they.

        At the same time, Sveta passed detailed information on issues affecting the Church to Mother Anna.  There were few great moments of intelligence that saved church members’ or clerics’ lives, but in almost every case, the Church was able to forestall or move those most at risk.  The MVD rightly assumed Sveta gave information to the Church—they knew she was.  They just didn’t care much about it right now.  Plus Sveta’s indiscretions where the Church was concerned were well balanced by her utility in the larger scheme.

In George Orwell’s 1984, you probably remember that the names of organizations changed at the whim of the government.  These name changes were the results of governmental attempts to cover over the failings and failures of the past.  Thus, the NKVD becomes the MVD.  It eventually was called the KGB.  It had more than one name before it was the NKVD.  Names are very important to fascist states.

 

At the same time the NKVD becomes the MVD, Beria is promoted to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Soviet State.  The assumption of the entire world and the Soviet was that Beria would follow Stalin as the head of the Soviet State.  This didn’t happen, but for a moment in time, Beria was the second most important man in the Soviet Union.  I’ll feed you more, but what likely happened to Beria was that he lost much of his power when Kruglov took over the MVD.  That itself led to his loss of power and eventual deposition. 

 

Then I gave you a reflective narrative statement.  I usually don’t like to do this, but this seemed to right place to provide it.  It is basically a wrap-up of the point of the entire event and many scenes before it.

 

I’ll give you more examples.

 

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