Writing - part x700, Writing a Novel, Fleshing Out Characters, Protagonist

7 December 2018, Writing - part x700, Writing a Novel, Fleshing Out Characters, Protagonist

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:  Why don’t we go back to the basics and just writing a novel?  I can tell you what I do, and show you how I go about putting a novel together.  We can start with developing an idea then move into the details of the writing. 

The most important character in any novel is the protagonist.  The protagonist is the bearer of the telic flaw.  The protagonist is the reason for the novel.  The protagonist is the novel. 

I’m writing from the Florida Coast in Destin, and a tropical storm/hurricane is on its way.  More on the protagonist.

We know a little about Sorcha and Deirdre—actually, we know a lot about them from Deirdre: Enchantment and the School and from their backstories from that novel.  In any novel, you can’t recount the backstory or back information at the beginning.  You must reveal the backstory and any other information through showing in the new novel.  Thus in this new novel, the initial scene reveals a great deal of information about Sorcha, the protagonist and Deirdre, the protagonist’s helper.  It is important to note, first, the author must show the back story, and second, the novel must reveal the protagonist.  It can also reveal the protagonist’s helper, but not at the expense of the protagonist.  Since I focused the last novel on Deirdre, I decided to focus this novel on Sorcha.

The telic flaw is what the protagonist must resolve in the novel.  In the case of both Sorcha and Deirdre, the telic flaw is their finishing.  What I must reveal is about Sorcha and Deirdre, their back story, and their circumstances as well as their finishing.  As the protagonist’s helper, Deirdre has to contribute to the finishing of them both, but especially to the finishing of Sorcha.  Let me throw out—it is not unusual for the protagonist’s helper to give up his or her desires for the protagonist, but that is an entirely different kind of novel than I am proposing.  It’s just a thought for your bag of tricks.  Since the focus is on Sorcha, we’ll let her lead.

In Deirdre: Enchantment and the School, Deirdre was the protagonist.  She also ran the show.  She was the one who kept Sorcha on edge all the time.  We don’t need to have Sorcha keep Deirdre on edge, but we need Sorcha to take leadership, and we give her a situation and official position that allows her that latitude.  Notice however, that Deirdre likes to be in charge.  It grates on her to play second fiddle, so expect her to cause problems because of her personality.  Sorcha will have to act in a more and more finished manner to overcome Deirdre and any other situation or person confronting her.  Still, I’ll throw whit out, although the purpose is that Sorcha overcome the telic flaw, she must also help Deirdre overcome the telic flaw.  We haven’t switched the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper—we have made the telic flaw include the protagonist’s helper.  Sorcha must resolve this, and Deirdre can help.

What about the antagonist?       

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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