23 March 2018, Writing - part x441,
Developing Skills, Protagonist’s Helper, Example Lilly
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. I’m just finishing number 30, working title Detective.
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.
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
Today: Many people would
like to write, but writing is hard work.
I’ll express again, if you want to be a skilled and potentially a
published author, you need to write about one million words. That equates to about ten 100,000 word
novels. When you look at it this way, it
is a daunting goal especially if you haven’t written a single novel.
To
become a good writer, you need two specific skill sets first reading and then
writing. Without these skill sets, I
really can’t help you much. I provide
advanced help and information on how to write great fiction.
Characters
are the key to great writing.
Entertainment is the purpose of fiction writing. The key to entertainment is character
revelation. If we want to be a
successful writer, we must aim for great protagonists, and I would say, great
protagonist’s helpers.
The
protagonist’s helper is simply a character who is critical to the expression of
the plot of the novel because the protagonist could not achieve the resolution
of the internal or external telic flaw without that character. I’ll provide some examples.
In
my yet unpublished novel, Lilly: Enchantment
and the Computer, Dane is the protagonist’s helper. He is a friend, companion, helper, and lover
to Lilly.
First,
about Lilly. Lilly is a super genius in math
and computers who is living on the street to be able to use her scholarship to go
to the school of her choice. She in an
introverted person who is still vibrant and positive. She just keeps clear of people because she is
used to the street. Because she keeps in
a state of stink and unhygienicness on purpose, she doesn’t have any friends,
and she intentionally keeps herself like a pig to dissuade the men on the street.
Thus, when Dane gives Lilly positive attention,
she becomes enamored of him.
Lilly,
the dirty begins to bathe and comb her hair.
She doesn’t have a brush, so Dane gives her one. She needs money, so Dane gets her a job. She needs some legal help, Dane enlists his lawyer
parents. Without Dane’s realization, he has
become an idol in Lilly’s eyes.
Dane
is likewise clueless about girls. His
sister has intentionally protected him from girls, not for herself, but because
she knows too much about “girls.” So,
Lilly is becoming enamored of Dane, and Dane has no idea. Dane’s sister Ophelia knows exactly what is going
on.
We
have Dane set up as Lilly’s protagonist’s helper. You can see, he, at this moment, is not in love
with her, but he is growing to love her.
The problem is that neither know anything about love. As a protagonist’s helper, Dane can reflect Lilly’s
thoughts on many subjects back to her—thus we have a relationship of open mindedness. If becomes even more open minded when Lilly
and Dane must content with his sister as well as other forces around them.
The
point is this, with a protagonist’s helper character, the protagonist can tell
her mind. She can explain her thoughts
and her emotions. Lilly can express this
directly with Dane. Likewise, Dane can express
his thoughts and ideas with Lilly. Woah,
you might say, the revelation is supposed to be of the protagonist and not the protagonist’s
helper. This is absolutely true, however,
the thoughts of the protagonist’s helper can relate and reveal those of the
protagonist. The better and stronger you
can reveal the protagonist, the better and more powerful the novel. The protagonist’s helper relates and reveals
the protagonist in ways that are impossible without a protagonist’s helper. We’ll look at opposing protagonist’s helpers
from Escape from Freedom next.
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