Writing - part x456, Developing Skills, Telic Flaw, Exaggerated and Magnificent

7 April 2018, Writing - part x456, Developing Skills, Telic Flaw, Exaggerated and Magnificent

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.  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.

So what is a compelling telic flaw?  For entertainment and the plot, seek the exaggerated and the magnificent.  Think of great, or not so great, protagonists.  I gave you examples of negative protagonists who were exaggerated and magnificent.  Likewise, your normal protagonists need to be exaggerated and magnificent. 

I don’t like Harry Potty, but he is exaggerated and magnificent.  If you notice, everything about the world of Harry Potty is exaggerated and magnificent.  Look at the sparkly vampires—they are exaggerated and magnificent.  How about some famous spy novels.  James Bond is exaggerated and magnificent.  The Borne fellow is exaggerated and magnificent.  You can look at novels where the protagonist isn’t exaggerated and magnificent, but who wants to? 

We want our protagonists to be exaggerated and magnificent.  Or, rather, we expect our protagonists to be romantic characters.  Did I say romantic characters tend to be exaggerated and magnificent—they can’t help it.

The plot comes directly out of the protagonist’s telic flaw.  The protagonist’s telic flaw is usually the character point that makes the protagonist exaggerated and magnificent.  What then is exaggerated and magnificent, and how do we make it a telic flaw?

Let’s start in and continue in this idea.  Obviously, the spies above are extraordinary spies.  Whether the author knew anything about covert operations or spies, their spies are the best in the world.  This is underplayed, but not too much.  James Bond is so great a spy, he is allowed to assassinate anyone he deems an enemy of the state.  Borne is so great a spy that his memory was taken from him to do something.  The novels are a fun read, but the plot slips past one.  The point is the protagonist.  James Bond is the same.  The plots aren’t as important as the protagonist and the protagonist’s telic flaw, which permeates all the novels.

Harry Potty and the sparkly vampires are similar.  Harry’s telic flaw comes back to the fact he is the child a curse spell could not kill—he was the child who lived.  Each of the novel plays on this point and draws closer and closer to the ultimate climax—it just takes a few hops along the way.  Harry is exaggerated and magnificent because he is this child who could not die.  This is the telic flaw.  The spies are exaggerated and magnificent mainly because they are such perfect and great spies.  Did you notice that especially in the James Bond movies, the issue isn’t the spying anymore, but James himself.  James is the telic flaw because James is the best spy in the entire free world. 

Now, we still need a more direct and specific telic flaw—what might that be?

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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