Writing - part x568, Developing Skills, Supernatural Research

28 July 2018, Writing - part x568, Developing Skills, Supernatural Research  

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but my primary publisher has gone out of business—they couldn’t succeed in the past business and publishing environment.  I'll keep you informed, but I need a new publisher.  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 29^th novel, working title, Detective, potential title Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.  The theme statement is: 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 cover proposal for Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective. 

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I am continuing to write on my 30^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 29^th novel, working title Detective.  I’m planning to start on number 31, working title Shifter. 

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 30:  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 31:  TBD 

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:  Somehow the world and the world of writing has the impression that fantasy and science fiction is just stuff the author makes up.  This might be true is some regard, but in general is patently false.

The science fiction author must provide a high degree of rationality, logic, and science fact—unless we are talking about Star Bores or Star Dreck.  It is one thing to have science fiction and another science fantasy.  I’ll reiterate, science fiction must have a high degree of rationality, logic, and science fact.  You aren’t going to get this by just making it up.

Likewise, in fantasy, there are a couple of ways you can go, but both lead to the same point and both require extensive study and development. 

I like to characterize fantasy a little more delicately than many might conceive of it.  My novels are not called fantasy, but they all have some type of fantasy or supernatural element in them.  Maybe the question should be the degree of fantasy.  You could also ask of other novels, what is the degree of science fiction—many modern novels share the elements of science fiction, but we don’t usually refer to them as science fiction.

In any case, when we write about fantasy, similar to science fiction, fantasy requires significant suspension of disbelief.  In science fiction, the author achieves this through rationality, logic, and science fact.  In fantasy or normative fiction the author achieves suspension of disbelief through rationality, logic, and a well-developed world view.

Notice, all strong writing requires logic and rationality.  In science fiction you require science fact and in other writing of all types a purposeful and rational world view. 

Let’s look at the world’s current favorite fantasy novel (not called fantasy for some reason)—Harry Potty.  Harry Potty is not the type of novel I would write—it doesn’t fit into my style or type of novel, but Harry Potty is a set of novels with a strongly developed world view.  The author took a wizarding world and integrated it into the modern British world.  There are seams, irrationalities, and illogical issues throughout, but it’s also for young adults and children.  The author did an adequate job making a fantasy wizarding world.  The world is consistent and generally fits together.  This is the first type or point of the science fiction or fantasy world—the author develops a world which is consistent within itself. 

Don’t this this is easy.  Frank Herbert is reputed to have spent over ten years developing the universe of Dune.  I spent long years developing the universe of my Chronicles of the Dragon and Fox and Ghost Ship Chronicles science fiction series.  If you develop your fantasy or science fiction world from scratch, you must spend typically years and years to produce a properly logical and reasoned place.  Not to mention the many rules that your magic or fantasy system is based on.  This leads us into the second means or type of fantasy and science fiction world development.  

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  

fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic