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Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Writing - part x515, Developing Skills, Build a Scene, more Character Tension Development

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
 
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 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:

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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