Writing - part x770, Writing a Novel, Protagonist in the Initial Scene, Expressing Introspection

15 February 2019, Writing - part x770, Writing a Novel, Protagonist in the Initial Scene, Expressing Introspection

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:  Deirdre and Sorcha are redirected to French finishing school where they discover difficult mysteries, people, and events. 

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. 

To start a novel, I picture an initial scene.  I may start from a protagonist or just launch into mental development of an initial scene.  I get the idea for an initial scene from all kinds of sources.  To help get the creative juices flowing, let’s look at the initial scene. 

1.     Meeting between the protagonist and the antagonist or the protagonist’s helper

2.     Action point in the plot

3.     Buildup to an exciting scene

4.     Indirect introduction of the protagonist

The protagonist is the novel and the initial scene.  If you look at the four basic types of initial scenes, you see the reflection of the protagonist in each one.  If you noticed my examples yesterday, I expressed the scene idea, but none were completely independent of the protagonist.  Indeed, in most cases, I get an idea with a protagonist.  The protagonist is incomplete, but a sketch to begin with.  You can start with a protagonist, but in my opinion, as we see above, the protagonist is never completely independent from the initial scene.  As the ideas above imply, we can start with the characters, specifically the protagonist, antagonist or protagonist’s helper, and develop an initial scene. 

If we start with a protagonist, we need some kind of guide.  Here is a general guide for developing a modern protagonist.  We’ll look at examples and explain the ideas.

1.        Normal person (not wealthy, noble, or privileged)

2.      Loves to read

3.      Loves to learn

4.     Unique skill(s), power(s) and/or learning

5.      Pathos (poor, homeless, abused, friendless, ill)

6.     Individualistic and independent

7.      Introspective

8.     Leader

9.     Naturally good

10.  Rejection of the urban

11.   Rejection of the modern

12.  Appeal to the imagination

Individualistic and independent comes out of skills, powers, and/or learning—this means the protagonist has a reason for introspection, or rather, we have a reason to understand the protagonist’s thoughts.  The problem is showing the mind of the protagonist—you can’t tell, you must show.  This becomes the conundrum in Romantic literature.  How do we show the introspective mind of the protagonist?

The author has basically two ways to show the mind of the protagonist.  The first is the actions of the protagonist.  For example, you can’t just tell us the protagonist is a nice person.  If they kick kids and animals to the curb, you know they aren’t nice at all.  So, showing through action is one way of expressing the mind of the protagonist.  You can only go so far with this.  Action doesn’t work for everything—it definitely comes up short when the protagonist needs to explain some complex idea or the protagonist needs to tell others what is the plan, or even what the protagonist thinks of the plan.  How do we express the mind of the protagonist in these circumstances?

The answer is dialog, but dialog only goes so far.  Unless the protagonist is mentally ill or super naïve, you can’t expect him or her to simply open up to the world or the lady at the supermarket express lane.  The answer is the cultivation of an intimate the protagonist can use to communicate ideas with.  This intimate is usually the protagonist’s helper, but not always. 

The simplest protagonist’s helper is a sidekick, but the sidekick isn’t the only type of protagonist’s helper.  The protagonist’s helper can be a lover, a servant, a gentleman’s gentleman, a friend, a boss, a mentor, a rival, and all.  Any close intimate who isn’t in direct conflict can become the protagonist’s helper.  I really like protagonist’s helpers.  Romantic characters are too individualistic and independent.  They don’t make good lovers or even empathetic characters without a strong protagonist’s helper.  The protagonist’s helper can take the edge off the romantic protagonist. 

You can also have an intimacy with the antagonist depending on the role of the antagonist in your novel.  I haven’t written a novel like this, but A Christmas Carol comes closest.  In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is helped by three spirits.  These sprits stand in place of the antagonist, and they provide Scrooge an intimate means of expressing his inmost thoughts.  Scrooge and A Christmas Carol are really not romantic, but they are moving in that direction.  It is entirely possible to have a protagonist who is intimate with a positive antagonist.  That positive antagonist can provide the sounding board of the protagonist’s helper.  Perhaps we should look at the idea of the positive antagonist again.

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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