Writing - part x589, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Place and Logic Issues

18 August 2018, Writing - part x589, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Place and Logic Issues  

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:  Suspension of disbelief is the characteristic of writing that pulls the reader into the world of the novel in such a way that the reader would rather face the world of the novel rather than the real world—at least while reading.  If this occurs while not reading, it is potentially a mental problem.  To achieve the suspension of disbelief your writing has to meet some basic criteria and contain some strong inspiration.  If you want to call the inspiration creativity, that works too.  Here is a list of the basic criteria to hope to achieve some degree of suspension of disbelief. 

1.      Reasonably written in standard English

2.      No glaring logical fallacies

3.      Reasoned worldview

4.      Creative and interesting topic

5.      A Plot

6.      Entertaining

7.      POV

We know that subtle logical issues will not knock the reader out of a strong suspension of disbelief.  Then what should we be looking for in our writing?

Logical issues come in three varieties: worldview, time, and place.

We looked at worldview to a degree, and we looked at time.  Let’s delve into place today. 

I’m a time and place snob.  I want my writing to be accurate about times and place.  I intend my writing to be accurate to as perfect as possible in terms of time and place.  What I mean by this is I want all the historical incidents in time and place and all the places to be as real as possible.

I study history.  I study places.  I visit places.  All with the purpose of making everything in my novels as accurate as possible.  My science fiction is different, but I still use real places as models to make the writing and the descriptions as accurate as possible.

When I write a modern novel set in the real world (as opposed to a science fiction novel), I always use real places and real time incidents in the setting of the times.  For example, I set Khoine: Enchantment and the Fox at Boston University.  I used real buildings and incidents from the time to populate my novel.  When I needed a restaurant, I used one the area—a popular one with the students.  When I needed a place for my protagonist’s parents to live, I found a place through google maps that would look like and be near the exact place I intended.  Now, I did make the interior and the exterior a little different to meet the needs of my novel, but the place, streets, and locations are real.  You can drive to them.  The descriptions are exact and close until you actually get to the house.

When I need a restaurant, I use the actual restaurant, menus, interior, and etc.  The reason is that a restaurant is a public space.  I don’t see any reason to not be as real as possible.  I would like my readers to read my novels, go to the restaurant, and say, “I’ve been here, through a book.”  The same for places like a university or municipal building.  As I noted, for public spaces I use exact places and interiors.  For private spaces, I usually use an imagined interior, but based on a real building or space.

You actually don’t have to go to this level of detail.  Place is even less of an issue than time.  In general, unless your readers are super familiar with an area, they won’t notice large or small issues.  They will notice huge issues.  For example, if you put a country in the wrong place, a capital in the wrong place, an institution in the wrong place.  For example, if you state that your protagonist works in the CIA headquartered in San Francisco, or that the US capital is in Georgia, your readers will baulk unless you explain why we are working in a science fiction or a alternative history setting.  Alternative history settings are acceptable, but you need to explain the whys and wherefores.  Most any setting, idea, or worldview is acceptable in a novel, but you have to tell your readers the whys. 

I like to use real places and times in my settings—some authors do not.  I advise you to use real places and times in your historical settings.  This makes description easier and sets the novel solidly in the real world.  Most readers appreciate this.  You can point out real places, and the real incidents in the world can become turning points and critical elements in your plots.    

I try to make my places, spaces, and times match the real world.  I recommend it.  This isn’t as critical as logic in the worldview which we will look at from an overall standpoint and not just logical issues.

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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