Writing - part x599, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Reasoned Worldview, Created Concepts

28 August 2018, Writing - part x599, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Reasoned Worldview, Created Concepts

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

Worldview is the most important feature of any fantasy, science fiction, or magical realism novel.  In fact, I could argue that worldview is the most important feature of every novel. 

Novels that attempt to show the world of the time are a reflected worldview.  Novels that attempt to show the ideas of the time are a reproduced worldview.  Novels that build their own worldview are a created worldview.

How do we ensure the worldview doesn’t cast the reader out of the suspension of disbelief?  The problem becomes when the writer does not properly reflect or reproduce the worldview.

A created worldview is simply a reflected or reproduced worldview that is then extrapolated or interpolated to build a new and unique worldview.  You see it in science fiction and fantasy all the time. 

A reasoned worldview is real and begins with the familiar then moves to the unfamiliar.  The ultimate point is to not provide disruption in the narrative. 

Let’s look at creating a worldview.  I wrote before that I use a reproduced worldview for my historical based fantasy.  I use James Frazier’s Golden Bough for the basis of my magic systems.  This makes my worldview relatively easy to create (reproduce) because I’m using the accepted (logical as much as it can be logical) means of magic.  To be clear, I don’t believe in actual magic, but I sure like to use it in my reproduced worldviews.  I handle magic as if it is an actual thing in the world.  When using the ideas in the Golden Bough, I can use a magic based worldview that those who believe in magic agree with.  I just write it and use it and that’s it.

What if you aren’t using the magic systems described in The Golden Bough?  Well, you make up your own.  We have a great example of a made-up magic worldview.  The problem with this worldview is that it is not very logical nor well thought out or developed, but it is a best seller.  Most everyone in the writing business has read it.  Plus, the worldview, though pretty illogical, not well thought out, or well developed still allows the suspension of disbelief, and in general, it doesn’t kick the reader out of the worldview in spite of its problems. 

If you haven’t guessed, I’m writing about Harry Potty.  The Harry Potty worldview is based loosely on some magic reproduced ideas, but not well developed on the reproduced magic systems described in The Golden Bough.  You can’t help, as a writer, to touch on some of the ideas in The Golden Bough just be using the word magic.  To most people, magic produces a certain idea in their minds based on what they have read and what they imagine.  The Harry Potty magic world is based on some undefined quality that the magic people have and the muggles (non-magic people) don’t have.  The magic people can use their magic through language—they use imaginary language to produce their magic and wands to direct their magic.  This is logically based on the idea of energy and vector which is a real-world concept in science. 

The Harry Potty worldview makes sense to people because it has these reasoned and logical touches that reflect the real world, but then puts magic into the picture.  We are able to accept the idea of producing magic with words and directing magic with a special magic wand.  Additionally, in the Harry Potty world, magic can be stored in objects.  The actual processes of many of these phenomena are not described or defined, but that’s okay.  This is the way many authors develop magic or future technology. 

The absolute point is to have a system of magic or advanced technology that appears to make sense.  It must or should be consistent.  You will note that the world of Harry Potty is not very consistent, but hey, it is a bestseller. 

As an author, your job is to create this worldview and to hold your readers in it.  The biggest problem is writing obvious inconsistencies or disruptions that kick your readers out of the suspension of disbelief.                 

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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