Writing - part xx009 Writing a Novel, Why No Outlines

12 October 2019, Writing - part xx009 Writing a Novel, Why No Outlines

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 websites 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

Perhaps I should go back and look again at the initial scene—maybe, I’ll cover that again as part of looking at the rising action.  The reason is that I’m writing a rising action in a novel right now.

I don’t write outlines.  I do write scene notes at the bottom of my text.  The reason I don’t outline is the topic of another discussion.  Let’s go for it.

If you like outlines and they work for you, I have given you a means to write a fictional outline.  You make a scene outline of the scene input and the scene output and string them together.  Then you fill in the details of the scene outline.  Now, here is why I don’t use any outline, and I’ll discuss what I do use.

I’ve found when I use an outline, my novel never follows the outline at all.  In fact, based on a good outline, you might be tempted to write a later scene out of order from the other scenes.  I’ve done it—don’t do it.  Every time I’ve written a scene out of order, I’ve never used it.  In fact, occasionally, I’ll write an entire scene or part of a scene and not use it.  This is what I’ve discovered.

I write in scenes.  I recommend that all writers of fiction write in scenes.  Scenes are defined by the input and the output of each scene.  You can write and develop a novel in as much complexity as you like.  As I mentioned before, I’ve discovered that any outline results in a novel that is more simplistic and more direct than I wish to write.  A novel is not supposed to be meandering, but a novel has multiple storylines and a single plotline.  All the storylines must support the plotline.  What do I mean?

The plotline is the direct line to the resolution of the telic flaw of the novel.  This is the direct story from the initial scene through the rising action to the climax and the resolution (falling action).  You can write a novel like this, but most novels are filled with connecting storylines that all converge at the climax.  All storylines must support the telic flaw and climax, but each storyline adds overlapping complexity to the novel.  Let me give you an example.

In a mystery novel, the mystery is usually the telic flaw.  The point of the novel is to be the revelation of the protagonist.  The plotline is the revelation of the protagonist as he or she resolves the mystery.  Notice, the plotline is the revelation of the protagonist in the resolution of the telic flaw, but the novel is a revelation of the protagonist.  Let me repeat, a novel should never include anything that doesn’t relate to the telic flaw and the revelation of the protagonist, but there is a lot of open space between the revelation of the protagonist as he or she resolves the telic flaw and the revelation of the protagonist.  These revelations of the protagonist are storylines.  They must and should support the plotline, but they are means to deepen the overall plot of the novel. 

For example, let’s say I have a protagonist with a mystery as the telic flaw.  That protagonist might have a boyfriend.  Does the boyfriend have any relation to the resolution of the telic flaw?  If the author is wise, the boyfriend might be a protagonist’s helper or some other important character.  Whatever the interaction of the boyfriend, the boyfriend is part of the revelation of the protagonist.  No matter the interaction of the boyfriend with the telic flaw and mystery, the author must address the boyfriend in the revelation of the protagonist. 

The perfect way to use this type of character is as a protagonist’s helper.  This integrates the character directly into the plotline with his own storyline.  If the boyfriend’s storyline is not integrated directly into the plotline, it is still not parallel and isolated from the plotline.  For example, if the boyfriend isn’t directly involved in resolving the mystery, he will still be in the way of the protagonist.  In some novels, he might get into the way so much that the protagonist might dump him.  Or he might be a doting and helpful boyfriend, but still in the way.  Every character can be handled this way.

If the complexity of this isn’t obvious let me be clearer.  Each major character will have their own storyline that interacts with the plotline of the protagonist and the novel.  I have found that an outline even a scene outline does not provide enough flexibility, detail, or complexity to allow me to interweave all the storylines with the plotline.  In fact, the driving power of the outline prevents me from developing storylines as effectively as I would like.  This isn’t true of everyone, but it is for me.   

That gets us to the protagonist—complexity makes the protagonist and the telic flaw one and the same.

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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