Writing - part x490, Developing Skills, Build a Protagonist, Action

11 May 2018, Writing - part x490, Developing Skills, Build a Protagonist, Action

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, and specifically revelation of the plot and protagonist telic flaw (the same thing).  If we want to be a successful writer, we must aim for great protagonists, and a great protagonist means a great or compelling telic flaw.

In moving to mechanics, you have to start with something.  The something I recommend is the protagonist.  As I noted for you, the protagonist owns the telic flaw and the telic flaw is the catalyst for the plot.  The resolution of the telic flaw is the plot of the novel, so obviously, the best place to start any novel is with the protagonist.  I hate to do this because I usually end up writing a new novel—let’s develop a character.

I happen to have a list of great protagonist characteristics.

1.      Skilled or becoming skilled—they are competent.

2.      Even though these characters are unique and uniquely different, they feel like real people. 

3.      Intellectual. 

4.      Pathos building. 

5.      Action oriented.

Here is a list of updated ideas from yesterday. 

1.      Isolated and protected

2.      Were-creature

3.      Mystical

4.      School girl

5.      Arts

6.      France or Britain

7.      Deirdre and Sorcha

Here is my initial description:

The girl stared intently at them both.  Her large eyes glared with intensity and some agitation.  She looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t.  Her face simply sent her severe displeasure and reproach.  She looked young with gently pale cheeks only tinged slightly with rose, and the slight swell of youth in her face, but that was her only manifestation of lack of adulthood.

She was not very tall, but somehow, she looked imposing.  Her face was thin like the rest of her, but her appearance wasn’t emaciated—it looked restrained and strong.  In contrast to her black dress and black bonnet, her hair swept long pale and straight from the crown of her head to a single thick braid at her back.  Her eyes were a piercing light blue that glanced haughtily under thin nearly invisible brows.  Her nose was likewise striking and straight, but not so large to mar her features.  It pointed to her lips and chin—the lips being a thin pale pink and her chin oddly pointed.  All in all, her face was beautiful, but unforgettable—a face that was in no way plain, but left an impression of tightly controlled energy and chilly restraint. 

Her name was Cassandra Lyons, but the nuns and teachers all called her Lady Glamis.  She was some relation of the House and clan of Glamis a Scottish noble family. 

In the list above, I noted characteristics that help build an entertaining character.  What I’ll do is look at these characteristics in Cassandra Lyons.  The fifth is action oriented. 

This might seem easy, but the opposite of action oriented is reluctant and ambiguous.  For some reason reluctant and ambiguous are popular characters at this moment.  I hate them.  I am not reluctant or ambiguous about action.  When I see action, I’m all in.  I want my characters to be all in.  For example, when there is a school dance, just to make a setting and perspective, the hero is the one who dances, not sits in the corner.  The hero is the one who asks the wallflower to dance.  The hero is not the wallflower or the quite one in the corner—that is action. 

Likewise, when a rescue or action is required, the hero (protagonist) should be the first one out of the gate.  What other purpose is there for a protagonist?  Just say’n.  Now, reluctance or ambiguity is reasonable for certain events and things.  For example, if the protagonist is asked a question of an illicit or with moral consequences.  To be specific, let’s say the protagonist is asked, “Is there anyone you like?”  There is no reason for the protagonist to put everything on his or her sleeve—the answer should be ambiguous.  Likewise a question such as, “Did you kiss her?”  A gentleman or gentlewoman does not answer such questions.  Unless you are developing a cad, ambiguity and reluctance are reasonable.

Thus, there are action events that require a response and non-action events that don’t.  To me, based on the character, they are obvious.  To others they might not be so obvious, but they should be evident by the feel of the writing.  When Harry Potty refuses to act in a heroic way that peeves me.  He is the messiah and the chosen one and all that.  For him to not act is the opposite of a protagonist who is action oriented.  I’d rather have a heroic fool running into danger than a cowardly intellectual hiding from the world.

In any case, I think readers are drawn to characters who don’t shirk.  They may lose.  They may see defeat.  They may experience failure.  But they are the kinds of characters we want to be.  That is the overall point.  Protagonists we love are those we wish we were—not in the sense that we want to be them, but in the sense that we want to think we would act and respond like them.  We want to think that we would be like Sara Crew—giving our last six-pence for bread and sharing five of the six buns with a beggar girl even though we are hungry.  We want to think that we would be like Jonny Rico in Starship Troopers, fighting the bugs for human freedom and existence even when success looks futile.  We want to imagine we would be like Kirth Gersen from Jack Vance’s Demon Princes novels using our minds and bodies to seek out the murderers of our family and friends.

In any case, great characters are true heroes.  Powerful authors downplay the strength and power of these characters, but we know their hearts and minds.  We know they are true heroes, and we love them for it.  This is the point, to a great degree, of action oriented.  

   

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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