5 June 2018, Writing - part x515,
Developing Skills, Build a Scene, more Character Tension Development
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, 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.
With
a character, we now can move into the mechanics of the writing.
Here
is my expected scene setup.
1.
Initial scene: General Bolang
informs Sorcha and Deirdre that they are going off to a Catholic girl’s
boarding school instead of to aviation training. He gives them reasons, and sends them
off. This is the output.
2.
Based on the expected output,
Deirdre and Sorcha are taken or go to school.
Somehow I need to give them no options to escape. They inspect the school and the output is the
end of the day.
3.
First day of class is the obvious
input. The output will be their
investigation of the off areas in the school that they observed. Perhaps they will talk to the teachers and
the students.
With a scene input, we can move to
the scene itself. The scene input is the
hard part. Following the setting, we
move on to the output. The next step is
to write the tension development in the scene.
An entertaining (successful) scene
is always made up of tension and release in the scene. No matter what the subject or concept of the
scene, a scene cannot be considered a good scene without tension and
release.
First a scene is not a novel, but
every scene must include tension and release.
This is a complex way of stating that every scene must be filled with
entertainment and excitement. Tension
and release is the way you incorporate entertainment and excitement into a
scene.
1.
Setting tension – there can be
tension that comes directly from the setting.
2.
Character tension – tension that
comes from the interaction of the characters.
Character tension is the main way we
build tension and release in a scene. In
fact, character tension is the main focus of almost every novel. Novels have a protagonist and an antagonist—character
tension. The point is to move this character
tension from the telic flaw into each scene.
I noted the following means of scene tension development from the telic
flaw and the plot of the novel:
1.
Tension between the protagonist
(Azure) and the antagonist (Mrs. Calloway) drives the tension between other
characters.
2.
Mrs. Calloway’s animosity for Azure
rolls down the intelligence and offices of the Crown from the Queen on down,
Azure is excluded and rejected.
3.
The second problem between Azure and
Mrs. Calloway is that Lachlann Calloway, Mrs. Calloway’s son has begun to
pursue Azure romantically.
4.
Lachlann is in love with Azure, but
Azure doesn’t have any time or energy for him.
5.
Azure and New Scotland Yard.
6.
Azure in her role as the Keeper of
the Book of the Fae.
These tension developments come from
the telic flaw an plot of the novel and drive the tension in the scenes, but
there is still not enough tension for all the scenes.
Some of the scenes in the novel don’t
include New Scotland Yard, the Crown, British Intel, Lachlann, Mrs. Calloway, or
the Fae. These are early scenes and
mostly involve Azure’s school and friends.
These are part of the setting but not necessarily part of the plot. They are necessary to the plot, but they
provide setting elements rather than resolve the plot.
What do you do to build tension in
these scenes? For example, with school friends
or especially the headmistress and with Azure’s landlady and friend
Accalia.
First, for the scenes with Azure’s
landlady, Miss Highgate, I built up a tension of Azure’s difficulty in paying
her bills. Azure is the only one who usually
fixes food and looks after Miss Highgate and Accalia. I also threw in my signature supernatural
with these two. Miss Highgate is a
vampire—I never tell you this in the novel, but she is certainly odd—this is
what I lead the reader to believe.
Accalia is a wear creature. I don’t
tell you this either—I just leave it to the reader’s imagination. This is the point of the tension, I do set up
some level of tension between the three.
Accalia is upbraided by Azure and Miss Highgate for her lack of
decorum. Accalia isn’t very bright, but
she is defensive of the house and of Azure and Miss Highgate. Miss Highgate is just dangerous. All of this produces plenty of tension. Oh—did I mention that Azure must lock and
bolt her door every night, to prevent accidents.
As to Azure’s friends and
headmistress, friends produce a certain level of tension just being
friends. The headmistress likes to play
golf and quiz Azure on her life and work.
These levels of intrusiveness provide great tension. They play golf. I use golf in this novel as a means of
letting the players converse, communicate, and compete. The point is to allow some degree of tension
from the game while the player’s converse.
I add more tension to this by having Azure win some pounds through bets
on the games. This goes along with the
overall tension of Azure’s odd penury—she is personally poor, but supported
with her work with the crown.
The overall point is that I provide
significant means to build tension in my scenes. I start with the tension from the telic flaw
and the plot of the novel. I add tension
as needed based on the characters and their expected interactions. I provide situations and existing conflict or
character details to extend and build tension in each scene.
Perhaps I should look at tension
from this standpoint:
1.
Telic flaw
2.
Plot
3.
Situations
4.
Existing conflict
5.
Character details
6.
Setting details
We should look at this before we move
on to tension from items.
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
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