Writing - part x292, Novel Form, Dénouement and Tension at the End

25 October 2017, Writing - part x292, Novel Form, Dénouement and Tension at the End

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.  Aleksandr and Sveta were given a reprieve through the British government’s intervention with the USA and the US State Department.  They have no idea that their friends and relations are waiting for them.  This is the power of tension building and between scenes. 

 

This is the end of the novel.  I thought it would be fun to show you.  I haven’t shown you everything, but I tried to show you how I develop tension and release in my scenes.  This scene is the final one of the dénouement.  With this scene, I clean up everything and end the novel.                                  

 

Here is the scene:        

 

        Sveta and Aleksandr walked slowly down the south foyer.  Sveta leaned heavily on him.  When they reached the outside door, he pushed it open.  Sveta stepped out of the building and raised her head.  She stopped dumbstruck.  Aleksandr bumped into her, “What’s wrong Svetochka?”

        She shook her head and put her hand over her mouth, “We can’t go out this way.  Back, go back.”

        Aleksandr stepped back into the building but repeated, “What’s wrong Svetochka?”

        She held her face in her hands, “I told you, Sashechka.  I left my parents and my brothers and sister for their own sake.  I just saw my mother coming up the steps.  I can’t let her see me.  Please help me, Sashechka.  Hide me, please.”

        “Sveta, there is no place to hide, but come on.”  He thought for a moment, “We can lose them in the building.”

        He led her to the left.  Sveta stopped suddenly and turned around.  She ducked behind a pillar.

        Aleksandr gripped her arm, “What now, Svetochka?”

        “My sister and Aunt Tilly.  Where will I go?  What can I do?”

        “Did they see you?”

        “No, they are going back the way we came.”  She gave a great sigh of relief.  Sveta turned around and froze.

        A woman and a man stood directly in front of them.  The woman was fascinatingly beautiful.  Just looking at her, Aleksandr thought he saw his Svetlana in about twenty years.  The woman was middle-aged, but captivating, proud and strong.  She radiated power.  She cried out, “Lumière!  Oh Lumière!” and rushed toward Sveta.

        Sveta raised her hands and crept behind Aleksandr, “No mother.  Please for your own sake.  Don’t touch me.  Don’t come near me.”  She backed up until she collided against the pillar then crumpled in a crouch.

        Aleksandr stood in front of Sveta.  The woman pushed him easily to the side, knelt, and embraced Sveta.  He swore he saw a flash of brilliant light.  Sveta was crying hysterically.  Her mother held her tightly.  Sveta looked up at Leora and put her arms around her neck, “Oh mama, oh mama.  You will be defiled by me.  You shouldn’t touch me.”

        Leora kissed her face again and again, “Dear Lumière.  Dear Lumie’re.  The Aton God has given you back to me.”

        “But mama, I am defiled.  I will defile you.”

        “Hush child.  I sense no evil in you.”  Sveta quieted then.

        Paul Bolang picked them both up in his arms.  Sveta folded herself in their embrace.  She buried her face in Paul’s chest and sobs wracked her body.  Aleksandr stood to the side not knowing what to do.

        Tilly and Marie rushed around the corner with Bruce and George in trail.  The ladies both screamed, “Lumière,” and ran to her.

        Bruce and George stood beside Aleksandr and watched the strange reunion.  Finally, Bruce stuck out his hand to Aleksandr, “I’m Bruce Lyons, old man.”

        George offered his hand, “George Hastings.”

        Aleksandr shook both their hands, “I don’t speak English very well.  I’m Aleksandr Nikolayevich Diakonov.”

        Bruce looked him up and down, “That’s a mouthful, but welcome to the family.”

 

The mystery of this scene, the secret of these scenes is that the readers knows everything and the characters know only bits and pieces. Literally, I set them up for a collision.  The collision is absolutely physical and there is no deus ex machina.  The reader knew Sveta’s parents were coming.  They knew Marie and the Lyons were coming.  The reader knew this and there should be no surprise that they meet in the same place.  The place, time, and date were all known.  They all rushed to get to that place, time, and date.  This should make sense to the reader.

 

This should feel right to the reader and when the characters come together, all I need to do is show this.  Then the kicker.

 

The kicker of the novel is the greeting from George and Bruce to Aleksandr.  When Sveta is accepted and reunited with her mother, father, Marie, and Tilly, we have the complete end of this novel.  The telic flaw was complete (resolved) and now the events are all wrapped up.      

   

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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