Writing - part x251, Novel Form, Release and more Tension

14 September 2017, Writing - part x251, Novel Form, Release and more Tension

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.  Eventually, Sveta comes to the attention of Stalin. 

 

I showed you Sveta’s initial meeting(s) with Stalin.  She had seen him at many parties and events.  He makes her acquaintance at Beria’s ascension party.  We see the results here.

 

This is why the creative element of the mistaken translation.  Indeed, historically, the Soviets had problems with their translators.  Because they had a closed society, they had initial problems with their translators and translations.  What I don’t tell you in the novel is how they really solved their problem.  In the novel, I give you an approach to solving their problem that is fanciful, but not too far from the truth.  However, the truth is a little worse than the fiction.

 

I’ll pass it to you here.  The Soviets realized they needed a strong language program for two reasons.  First, for translators, and second, for spies.  This is one of my favorite spy topics and the basis for many of my spy novels.  The systems of language training in the west is pretty much out in the open, except for clandestine spy ops.  The training in the Soviet was much more radical.  Since they were a closed society that did not want to expose their people to the West (too much chance of defection or acceptance), they developed their own training communities where they placed skilled children to learn languages in a immersive environment.  I touch on these training programs in the novel I’m currently writing about the Russian spy at Edwards AFB. 

 

In these immersive communities, they forcibly trained children to speak, read, and write perfectly in the selected language.  Those who were skilled in writing became journalist spies in the West and actually worked in major periodicals and for news outlets.  Many rose to very high positions.  Those who were very skilled at reading became the translators and interpreters of the West’s information.  Those who spoke perfectly were used as spies, infiltrators, and for clandestine operations.  The low end became translators for the Soviet.  The reason was to hide the Soviet language programs.       

 

Here is the scene:        

 

        In the morning, all the offices around Embassy Relations were filled with turmoil and change.  Sveta and Marya entered into her section.  The work went on as usual.  The reports lay on her desk.  Sveta glanced at the fine portrait on her wall.  She was portrayed in her green dress speaking the people’s words to the world.  She smiled uncomfortably every time she saw it.  A copy of it was in the people’s museum of art, and she heard it was a great favorite.  With Beria’s promotion, there was no turmoil or adjustments in her office.  A copy of Pravda sat on her desk.  It announced the changes for Beria and at the NKVD, now the MVD.  It also quoted Stalin calling Sveta a people’s prodigy and the Little Ptitsa.  Later in the morning, Sveta received an order from Stalin to visit him at his offices in the Kremlin.

        Marya and Sveta took Sveta’s motorcar to Red Square and the Kremlin.  After they passed the three main checkpoints, they were ushered immediately in and up to Stalin’s offices.  They waited only a short time before they were both invited into the office of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.  Stalin stood beside his desk, “There you are, Little Ptitsa, and I see you brought your shadow with you.  Beria told me she would come too.  Did you see your new titles in the paper this morning?”

        Sveta smiled.

        “Yes, I see you did.  That is very good.  I was impressed.  I heard from Beria and Abakumov about your skills, but I didn’t realize how effective they might be.  Come, sit down.  Your secretary also.”

        Sveta and Marya sat in the chairs before his desk.

        “I would like you to expand your office to include all our language training and translators.  Can you do that?”

        “Not without more staff and help.”

        “That goes without saying.  I will provide them.  I don’t want you to move out of the MVD, but I want you to become a special directorate.  I have already sent instructions to Kurglov about that.  You are also to have an office at the university.  I noted in you records, your skills have not been officially acknowledged by our educational system.  I have taken care of this also.  You may consider all the language instruction at the university under your supervision.”

        “Comrade Stalin, I am afraid you give me more responsibility than I can appropriately handle.”

        Stalin turned toward Sveta his eyes widening, “That is a new thing for me.”  He laughed, “I have never had anyone tell me they didn’t want the power I offer.”

        “I worry that my plans and training will become diluted by so much responsibility.”  Sveta stared at him, “In addition, I am concerned about becoming embroiled in the politics of these organizations.”

        “I understand the political dimensions.  I will try to give you the latitude you require and reign in the potential problems.  Will you take on this responsibility—for me and for the Soviet?”

        “I will, but only if you will promise that you will keep my directorate out of the petty mechanizations that seem to burden many of them.”

        “Beria and Abakumov said you speak plainly and do not play games.  I like that very much, Little Ptitsa.  I promise you, in as far as I can keep your directorate out of, how did you say it, ‘petty mechanizations.’  I will also require you to translate for me—yes.”

        “Yes, but please don’t expect miracles.  I am only a girl.”

        “Only a girl, but the People’s Prodigy.  You will find yourself on my official schedule.”

        The interview was at an end.  Stalin nodded to them, and Marya and Sveta exited his office.  On the way out of the Kremlin a woman in Stalin’s outer offices stared at them both.  The woman was older and dark with a strong oriental cast.  The woman stepped up to them, “Good morning, Svetlana Evgenyevna.  I am Lida Dzhugashvili.  I arrange all of Comrade Stalin’s social calendar.  You will be receiving messages from me when he requires your help.”

        Sveta looked into her eyes and saw the effects of Leila’s manipulation.  Leila was thankfully not present and had not been present in Lida’s mind for a long time, “Thank you, Lida.  I appreciate all the help you can give me in maintaining my schedule for Comrade Stalin.”

        Lida nodded and Sveta and Marya continued out to Sveta’s automobile.

        Inside the motorcar, Marya puckered her lips, “There is much to do.  I don’t like this at all.”

        “We don’t have much choice.”

Here is a scene based release.  Stalin met Sveta in the last scene and was enamored of her translation skills.  He immediately makes use of her skills.  This is a classic Soviet approach to any problem: point and shoot.  In the West rules and regulations tend to prevent great success and great failures.  That was the problem of point and shoot and the political nature of many of the Soviet promotions.  When you chose the right person, the result is fantastic.  When you chose the political person, many times the result is gross of catastrophic failure.  The Soviet moderated both by violently removing failures when they became obvious.  Kind of a balance to their system.

 

In this scene, the release is that Stalin proposes and literally orders Sveta to assume a new position in the Soviet hierarchy.  He gives her control of a directorate for languages.  This release immediately results in new tension.

 

I also provided a touchstone to the theme and another side of the plot in the novel.  Lida Dzhugashvili was and is Stalin’s long-time lover.  She was with him in Siberia, and I place her with him as his social secretary at this time.  In real history, we don’t know what happened to her.  She was similar to Eva Braun in Hitler’s life—the hidden lover.  In the novel previous to this, Sveta knew that Leila, her aunt, was manipulating Hitler through Eva Braun.  In this novel, Sveta has come to realize that Leila manipulated Stalin through Lida.      

 

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  

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