Writing - part x612, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Protagonist to Telic Flaw

10 September 2018, Writing - part x612, Developing Skills, How to Suspend Disbelief, Protagonist to 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.  The expectation of most writing and especially romantic fiction is that the protagonist uniquely is the only person, at least in the worldview of the novel, who can resolve the telic flaw.

Here is the plot statement and telic flaw from my novel Blue Rose Enchantment and the Detective:  Serial supernatural murders of magic users by ancient Celtic gods who are trying to cause problems in Britain in the modern era. 

I’d rather design a protagonist and place a telic flaw on him or her.  Since, we already have a plot statement (telic flaw) and a protagonist, the point is kind of moot.  Let me start with the protagonist from the theme statement and compare her to the plot statement.  Here is the theme statement:

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.

And then the telic flaw:

Serial supernatural murders of magic users by ancient Celtic gods who are trying to cause problems in Britain in the modern era.

I think, but observation, you can see how the protagonist in the theme statement fits directly into the telic flaw.  Or rather, the telic flaw is truly Azure’s telic flaw.  Look at each point.

First, serial supernatural murders.  Azure desires to be an acclaimed supernatural detective.  In fact, she already is a supernatural detective.  Therefore, as a telic flaw, the entire idea of serial supernatural murders fits her to the tee.  Further, the victims are magic users.  I noted to you that magic is a negative in my novels.  The fact that Azure is opposed to magic immediately provides a wonderful conflict and tension in the novel.  Her telic flaw is to solve the crime and with this, she is not conflicted—she is conflicted with the problem of magic, but not with her goals or work.

There is more.  The murderers are Celtic gods.  This also fits into the picture of Azure’s problems and skills.  The problem with Celtic gods is that they are significantly powerful—more powerful than a normal human.  Azure is a normal human.  The hidden elements in this telic flaw is that Azure must be somehow connected to Celtic gods or the gods of Britain.  To resolve the telic flaw, Azure must join with British gods, magic users, and the supernatural.  She must also work with the police.  All of this fits into her character and provides a perfect fit from the telic flaw to the plot and the character. 

Okay, the cheater is that I designed the protagonist and then developed the telic flaw from her.  This is how I write.  You can also go the other way, it just doesn’t work for me as well.  Maybe someday I’ll get an idea for a telic flaw and have to build a protagonist, but usually I work the other way around.

I guess we will move to entertaining next.

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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