Writing - part x606, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Expanding the Telic Flaw

4 September 2018, Writing - part x606, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Expanding the Telic Flaw

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

The telic flaw is the problem the protagonist must resolve.  This ties the protagonist directly into the plot.  Here is another point about the telic flaw from Aristotle: although the telic flaw isn’t necessarily an actual flaw in the protagonist, the telic flaw should be directly tied to the protagonist in some way.

In a detective novel, the telic flaw is that the protagonist detective must solve the crime.  Detectives solve crimes therefore the telic flaw is tied to the protagonist through the occupation or calling of the protagonist.  Let’s pick another simple example.  In a novel about an engineer who designs a World War II fighter aircraft, the telic flaw is the design of the aircraft.  The protagonist engineer is directly tied to the telic flaw through the fact that he designs the aircraft. 

I chose this example because it relates directly to The Wind Rises a movie based on biographies and history about the development of the Japanese zero fighter.  Whether you like or agree with the movie, my point from a telic flaw standpoint stands, and it is a great example of what I’m writing about.

The telic flaw of The Wind Rises is the development of the zero fighter.  The engineer protagonist designs the aircraft and works to develop and test it.  The direct connection to the telic flaw is the protagonist.  Because this is a romantic work, he is the only engineer in the world who can design the aircraft and see it to a successful conclusion.  This is the telic flaw of the protagonist and the plot.  In this way, the telic flaw is directly and uniquely connected to the protagonist.  The protagonist defines the plot and the entire movie.

Now, considering the side issues insinuated by the idea of the telic flaw.  Aristotle considered the telic flaw to be so tightly connected to the protagonist that it completely defined both the protagonist and the plot.  In The Wind Rises, we find this exactly.  To achieve his goal, the design of the zero, the protagonist must overcome his company, his government, his wife, his mother, his relations, and his own life.  The telic flaw is a direct and complete connection of the life and person of the protagonist to the plot. 

Only the protagonist could achieve what this protagonist achieved—this is the message of the movie and the reason for the romantic nature of the plot.  This is exactly how a telic flaw works.  Let’s look at this in greater depth and begin to tie the protagonist or a protagonist to a plot through the telic flaw.

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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