22 October 2017, Writing - part
x289, Novel Form, Dénouement more Inter-scene 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 28th 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 29th novel, working title Red Sonja. I finished my 28th 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. Aleksandr and Sveta are facing a hearing in the
US State Department. Their friends and
relations (from the past) are seated outside waiting the results. They could be sent back to the Soviet Union
(likely as a prisoner exchange) to certain death.
I’m still use interlaced scenes here
to build tension. We see the judge’s
ruling is about to be given. I put this
together as a synopsis in dialog to build the tension and to inform the reader
about the known but unseen testimony.
For a detailed amount of information, this is a fun and entertaining
method of bringing the information to the attention of your readers.
The really entertaining part about
this kind of synopsis is that the reader has seen it all, but from a different point
of view. The reader saw the actual
events take place. Now the reader see
the events from the point of view of a State Department judge. This by itself builds tension in the
scene. I hope this puts my readers on
the edge of their seats. They know the
synopsis is true, but at the same time, they know the conclusions are false. This is how we develop fear from pity in your
readers.
Here is the scene:
The judge began his summary, “Miss
Kopylova and Mr. Diakonov, you elected to have a simultaneous hearing due to
your mutual interaction in the Soviet Union . You have elected to either both be allowed
entry into the United States
Sveta responded, “Yes.” Sveta explained what the judge said to Aleksandr.
Aleksandr repeated, “Yes.”
“Most of my questions are in regard to Miss Kopylova, but I
may also have some for you Mr. Diakonov.”
Both Sveta and Aleksandr nodded.
“Now, Miss Kopylova, according to your previous testimony,
you were born in America
“Yes, I was born at Fort
Leavenworth , Kansas
He shuffled the papers in front of him, “That would generally
make you a citizen of the United
States
“Yes.”
He stared over his glasses, “However, you also claim you were
granted British citizenship during the war.”
“That is also true.
After the fall of France
The judge continued in a disbelieving tone, “You claim that
you were abducted by the German Gestapo and taken to Berlin
“The Germans wanted to blackmail my father.”
“The story doesn’t stop there. During the siege of Berlin ,
you were injured in a Russian-German firefight and taken to the Soviet Union . Did
you forget to claim German citizenship too?”
“You are making fun of me.”
Sveta breathed deeply, “I escaped during the fighting in Berlin
The judge pulled off his glasses, “In the Soviet Union, you
worked at a Jewish bookstore.”
“I can read Hebrew.”
“Yes, so your testimony says.” He twirled his glasses, “You entered a
convent.”
“I was allowed to enter the Novodevichy Convent as a novice
because the state was going to place me in a people’s asylum.”
“By your own testimony, a people’s asylum is a type of mental
institution. Did the Soviet state
consider you insane?”
Sveta paused a little too long, “No, of course not.”
“As a novice nun, you came to the attention of the Patriarch
of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Father Alexius. He made you his chief translator. Translating what?”
“English, French, Greek…”
“Ancient Greek, according to your testimony.” He gave a snort.
“Your people tested me in all these languages—don’t you
believe them.”
“Through Father Alexius, you met Viktor Abakumov and Lavrentiy
Beria. At the time, Abakumov was the
head of SMERSh and Beria the head of the NKVD.”
He turned to the recorder, “Let the record show, these men were known to
be notorious murderers who oversaw the killing of millions of Russians and
other nationalities. Beria was executed
and Abakumov is thought to be in a Soviet prison. You, Miss Kopylova worked with these men and
in fact, Beria set you up as the head of a new office, Embassy Relations.”
Sveta took a deep breath, “Yes.”
“Because of your translation ability, you became Stalin’s
translator, titled Stalin’s Little Bird in Pravda.”
“Yes.”
“You were a close friend and associate of Stalin. He placed you in charge of the…” The judge
put on his glasses again, “The Special Directorate for International
Understanding. In this capacity, you
oversaw all the higher language training in the Soviet
Union as well as translators and embassy relations.”
“That is true.”
“You were granted high Communist Party
membership, and you held this position until the death of Stalin.”
“Yes, I was made a Communist Party
member—I did not request it.”
The judge put his hands flat on his
elevated desk, “At the death of Stalin, your sponsors were betrayed and because
you thought you would lose your life, you escaped to the West.”
“No.
I wasn’t afraid to lose my life.
I escaped because I no longer could do the work I was called to do.”
The judge picked up Sveta’s papers in
front of him, “That is your opinion, Miss Kopylova. Based on this record, I am of the opinion, I
must advise the State Department, that you should be immediately returned to
the Soviet Union .” He threw the papers down on the desk, “I
think half your testimony is bald faced lies.
You are a Communist Party member who worked for the highest levels in
the Soviet authority. Your work likely
led to the deaths of many American agents and operatives. In a nutshell, you are the example of the
consummate Soviet apparatchik.”
Sveta half stood, “You keep calling me
Miss Kopylova. You know my name is
Lumière Bolang. I told you that at the
very first.”
“But, Miss Kopylova, like half the
fabrications in your testimony, that information can’t be corroborated—you
asked us specifically to not speak to your supposed parents or siblings. All your Soviet documents say you are
Kopylova.”
“That is not true. You know I had false
papers when you captured me. Only my
testimony told you who I really was.”
“Your testimony plus the testimony of
every embassy staff since 1946. We have
pictures, Miss Kopylova. In any case,
who you were makes little difference compared to who you are.”
She sat down, “But you don’t
understand. I was helping the Orthodox
Church. I was helping the Jewish
Anti-Fascist Committee. I was helping
the embassies.”
“So you say. You try to show us that you were a pawn, and
instead we find a queen manipulating the Soviet State
“If you send me back, they will kill
me.”
“So be it.”
“Then what about Aleksandr?” Aleksandr heard his name and asked Sveta a
question. She shushed him, “Aleksandr
does not understand English very well.
He wants to know his status.”
“Now, about Mr. Diakonov.
There is much more in his record and testimony to lend itself to
asylum. He has skills we could patently
use in the State Department. His lack of
English language proficiency is an issue, but not a serious one. The main strike against him is that he is
associated with you, Miss Kopylova.”
“Because of me, you intend to also give him a death
sentence? He will not stay here if you
send me back.”
“That is why we agreed to give you a simultaneous hearing.”
“I see. I don’t want
Mr. Diakonov to lose his life because of me.”
“Very altruistic of you, Miss Kopylova, but that has very
little bearing in this hearing.”
“So is that it?” Sveta
stared at the table top, “You are going to send us back?”
“Yes…”
An aid ran up to the judge, “Sir, I have a very important
call on the line.”
“Perkins, we are right in the middle of an official hearing.”
“That is what the call is about.”
We
end the scene with a cliffhanger. What
will the judge do next? What has
happened? Who did Mr. Lyons call?
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
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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