Writing - part x791, Writing a Novel, Imagination and Introspective

8 March 2019, Writing - part x791, Writing a Novel, Imagination and Introspective

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

This focus on imagination is what brought the Romantic protagonist from the common through knowledge and education to skills, powers, and learning.  The imagination is the key that turns the Romantic protagonist into the Romantic protagonist—the only being in the world who can accomplish the telic flaw of their novel.

Why should a Victorian Era protagonist be introspective?  The world was set and established—it couldn’t be better than it was or different than it was…and thus came the Romantics. 

In every way, the Romantic Era is set apart from the Victorian Era.  The Romantics saw the common person becoming the uncommon person—that’s the Romantic protagonist.  The question is how does the protagonist become a Romantic protagonist?  The answer from the Romantics is through imagination or specifically introspection.  Is there a difference?  Yes, actually there is a difference between introspection and imagination, but for the Romantics effectively there isn’t or there shouldn’t be. 

Imagination is the quality that allows the common person to aspire to becoming the uncommon.  Imagination is the quality that provides the personal impetus to develop the skills, powers, and learning than uniquely define the Romantic protagonist.  Introspection is connected to imagination as long as this is upheld. 

I’ll state that introspection and imagination should hold together as one.  There is one case where it does not, and this is a problem in modern literature.  This problem is when introspection becomes thoughts about others and not about the protagonist.  Introspection should properly be about the protagonist and how they will fix and reconcile their own problems.  As long as this is the case, the world is wonderful.  However, if the protagonist suddenly (or not so suddenly) turns the introspection to others, suddenly it is no longer true introspection, and we have lost our Romantic protagonist.  Imagination is imagination as long as it reflects introspection.  If it becomes something else it isn’t worth reading or writing about.  I’ll give you an example.

Harry Potty in the third or fourth book suddenly becomes introspective not about himself but about others.  This is the lowest point of the writing of these novels and a black mark on the publisher and the author.  As long as Harry is looking at his own problems with a mind to correcting them, he is a Romantic character and protagonist—the moment he begins evaluating other characters personality and problems, he is just an idiot.  The readers recognize this.  This is likely the greatest fear and worry any human has—the question, what does so and so think about me.  We don’t want to address this in real life and we certainly don’t see this as entertaining.  Introspection for the purposes of improvement is one this, introspection to complain about others is something else.  We don’t want our friends, leaders, celebrities, and even fictional characters revealing our problems.  We don’t mind a Romantic protagonist with the same problems we have seeking to improve and resolve those problems, we just don’t want those same protagonists trying to solve other people’s problems, especially in introspection. 

Imagination is a great thing when it results in positive and improvements, but is a terrible thing when it takes down or complains.  And there you have it, the power of imagination in Romantic writing is that it provides a positive result.  This is how imagination and introspection work in the Romantic protagonist.

                

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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