6 January 2018, Writing - part
x365, Novel Form, A New Novel, Investigation Example Initial Scene
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.
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.
For novel 30: Lady Azure Rose Wishart, the Chancellor of
the Fae, supernatural detective, and all around dangerous girl, finds love,
solves cases, breaks heads, and plays golf.
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.
With
a protagonist, a telic flaw, a theme statement, and an initial setting, I’m
ready to begin a novel. I’ll move to the
telic flaw for the novel. Since I am
going to provide the first chapter as a teaser any way, I might as well show
you the initial scene.
Here
is the theme statement as a reminder:
Lady
Azure Rose Wishart, the Chancellor of the Fae, supernatural detective, and all
around dangerous girl, finds love, solves cases, breaks heads, and plays golf.
Number
one—once I’ve introduced the protagonist, I must reveal the protagonist in all
her glory. This isn’t the full glory of
Lady Azure Rose Wishart, but it’s pretty close, or at least, her detective
persona. Here I continue the initial
scene for Lady Wishart:
When
they stepped out on the pavement outside the shop, a light rain had fallen
leaving the streets damp. La Cross took
a look at the dirty streets and gutters and hailed a cab instead of
walking. Ms. Morris stifled a
laugh. Usually they would walk the few
blocks to the Bank of London branch of the Bank of England.
When
they arrived, La Cross gave his arm to Miss Rose to ensure she had no mishaps
while she negotiated the pavement to the glass front of the Bank. The pristine white of Miss Rose’s overcoat and
dress wasn’t reduced at all. By her
movements, Ms. Morris understood that Miss Rose was both very aware of her
surroundings and her clothing.
A
bank official, one of the vice presidents took them up to the offices marked
with police tape. A couple of bobbies
stood outside the door to a locked office.
Blood stained shoe prints marked the blue and white carpet from the
room.
When
they arrived, Miss Rose immediately took over, “La Cross, have the policemen
move to either side of the door.” She
pulled off her white overcoat and handed it to La Cross.
La
Cross accepted the coat before he realized what he had done. He made a motion to the policemen while
keeping the coat well away from the floor.
The policemen moved to either side.
He handed the overcoat to Ms. Morris, who hung it from a clothes tree to
the side.
Miss
Rose hiked up her silk and lace dress a couple of inches and moved to the
doorway. The door had a sign, Bank
Manager. On the right side was a name
plate, Mr. Benjamin Price, “Whose tracks are these?”
La
Cross moved beside her. In a slightly
strained voice he answered, “The floor inside is covered with blood. These were likely made by those who
discovered the body”
“And
those who inspected the premises afterward, I would guess. A little shoddy, that. In the future, I expect you to protect the
entire scene before I arrive.”
La
Cross made a face, but didn’t say anything.
Miss
Rose knelt and inspected the carpet. She
looked over the door, and with her hands behind her back examined the door
handle, “I suspect this has been unlocked and opened multiple times. You’ve taken fingerprints, but too many
touched the handle and the keys to gather much evidence. Who discovered the body?”
La
Cross spoke between his teeth, “The bank manager’s secretary originally
unlocked the door. He didn’t notice any
bloody footprints when he did. He stated
that there was no indications of blood on the handle, the floor, or the door. The secretary unlocked the door, but the door
was bolt locked on the inside.”
Miss
Rose smiled, “Then who opened the door?”
“They
originally called the super. He had to
break open the door. Until then, no one
realized it was a case of murder.”
“Very
well. Give me the secretary’s keys.”
La
Cross handed her a large set of keys.
Miss
Rose examined them, “Who else has keys to this door?”
“The
bank manager. They were still in his pocket. The super and the secretary.”
“No
one else?”
“Not
that we can tell.”
“That
is the first order of business. I assume
you have begun a search for anyone else who has a key to this office.”
“We
have, but no luck so far. The question
is how and who locked the bolt on the inside—it doesn’t have a key at all.”
Miss
Rose smiled. She took the keys in her
gloved hand, “The question is why did the bank allow this manager to have a
bolt on his door—a bolt that could not be unlocked.”
La
Cross put up his hand, “If you will, Miss Rose.” He held out a pair of purple forensic gloves
to her.
Miss
Rose pulled off her white gloves and put on the forensic pair, “Very kind of
you. My gloves are sufficient to prevent
contaminating the scene, but they do cost a few pounds to replace.”
La
Cross looked up at the ceiling, “Miss Rose, as the bank president explained to
us, the bank manager, Mr. Price, reviewed many materials after hours and
required privacy and security when doing so.”
I
have multiple tension and release expressions going on in this scene. Technically, this is the third scene. The first was the beginning at Scotland
Yard. The second was the meeting with
Lady Wishart, Miss Rose. The third is the
investigation. This is a long scene, and
I’ll give you an opportunity to see the parts.
Azure
arrives before the door of the murdered bank manager. La Cross and Ms. Morris are at her
service. The tension and release ideas
in this scene are first the investigation itself. This is being unveiled for the reader and the
characters. The second is the revelation
of Miss Rose. She is properly Lady Azure
Rose Wishart, but she uses the name Azure Rose while she is acting as a
detective. The revelation of Azure Rose
Wishart is the point of the entire novel.
This part of the revelation, as a detective, is just part of her
character and the point of the novel.
A
third tension and release in the novel is La Cross’s response to Azure. I wanted to make light of the fact that she
insisted that La Cross pay for any damages to her clothing. I likely need a statement from Ms. Morris
about how Scotland Yard might be responsible while Azure is under contract—thus
the recurring joke about how he tries to protect her clothing.
There
is a fourth tension and release cycle that concerns Ms. Morris interaction with
Azure and La Cross.
The
point is to entertain. The entertainment
should come out of the interaction of the characters, the revelation of the
plot, and the revelation of the protagonist.
Simple, but the form must be simple even if the writing is complex and
involved.
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
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
No comments:
Post a Comment