22 October 2019, Writing - part
xx019 Writing a Novel, Tension and Release Example
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 29th 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 30th novel, working
title Red Sonja. I finished my 29th 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.
That gets us back to the
protagonist—complexity makes the protagonist and the telic flaw one and the
same.
I wrote that I don’t use outlines,
and I told you I would tell you what I use instead of an outline, but I forgot
to tell you. So let’s look at that
today. This is all related to the
protagonist and the telic flaw.
If you remember, a novel is always
the revelation of the protagonist, and the telic flaw is the problem that must
be resolved by the protagonist in the novel.
We can therefore plan our novel in two ways. There appears to be two means, but there is
really only one. We’ll see.
When I write you develop your
protagonist, you write notes about:
1.
Name
2.
Background
3.
Education
4.
Appearance
5.
Work
6.
Wealth
7.
Skills
8.
Mind
9.
Likes
10. Dislikes
11. Opinions
12. Honor
13. Life
14. Thoughts
15.
Telic flaw
Now that we have tied the telic flaw
to the protagonist—to whatever degree you have designed it, the point is to
write, plan, or outline a plan for the revelation of the telic flaw
resolution.
The means is to craft each scene. The goal is the telic flaw resolution. The way to craft a scene is to take the
output from the previous scene, use that as the input, predict or plan the output
of the scene, and then plan the tension and release development (the contents
of the scene) that goes from the input to the output. This is as complex as it sounds. This is what I will attempt to explain.
How do you craft a scene? First, you must start with 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
The tension and release are what
make the scene. What I mean is this, you
can just write a scene, but a scene is like a novel. In a novel, we have the initial scene which
leads into the rising action to the climax.
A novel further has a falling action and a dénouement.
Here is a scene from my novel, Lady Wishart: Enchantment and the Detective. Take a look at the scene for all the elements
of scene development. Chief Inspector La
Cross and Ms. Morris were described in the previous scene.
Bea’s
was on Theobalds Road and a brisk walk from the Bank of London. Except for the possibility of tea, Chief
Inspector La Cross would have been entirely put out by the meeting place. He and Ms. Morris walked into the quaint
storefront and found a seat inside at a table near the front. They both ordered tea.
Bea’s
was almost empty. The only other
customer was a very young woman who wore a spotless white overcoat over a
preposterously elegant lace and silk white party dress. At least it looked like a party dress to the
Chief Inspector. He didn’t get out much
in society, so he really had very little idea about fashion of any kind.
The
young woman sat near the back with a laptop computer before her. The computer sprouted a couple of odd antenna
at either side.
Ms.
Morris also noted the lady. She was
astonished by both the youth of the woman and her clothing. The dress did not look modern or fashionable
at all. It was peculiarly magnificent
and completely out of place at this time of day and for an early tea. The woman sat at the back of the tea shop
with her head down, so Ms. Morris couldn’t get a very clear view of her.
The
Chief Inspector kept his watch at the front of the shop. Ms. Morris couldn’t help observing the woman
at the back. She held a slight
premonition, but she didn’t say anything.
After
a few moments, the Chief Inspector’s phone, permanently kept in Ms. Morris’s
large going out bag, rang. She reached
into the side pocket and answered the phone.
She handed it immediately to the Chief Inspector.
Inspector
Corbyn’s voice came over the phone loud enough that Ms. Morris could hear
it. The inspector’s tone was almost
giggly and completely out of character, “Hullo, Chief Inspector. I just received an email from Neel Rhosyn. Would you like me to read it?”
The
Chief Inspector sneered, “You sound frivolous.
Of course I want you to read it.
I’m waiting.”
“Mr.
Neel informs you that he doesn’t think much of your observational skills. He asks that you turn around slowly and make
eye contact with the person seated behind you.”
“Oh,
bloody.” The Chief Inspector handed the
phone to Ms. Morris. He slowly turned
around. When he did, the woman in white,
at the back raised her head and smiled.
She took a blue rose from under her white overcoat and placed it on the
table in front of her.
That’s
when both Ms. Morris and Chief Inspector La Cross achieved a completely clear
view of the woman. The lights of the
shop seemed to increase a few notches in brightness, and the woman in white
could be observed with great clarity.
Ms.
Morris gave a start. She was looking at
a very young woman, a girl of not twenty years.
Her face was classically heart shaped and aristocratic. Her hair was honey blond and long. She had no, or very little makeup on, but she
didn’t need any. Her lips were
delicately rose colored. Her nose was
small and dainty. Her entire face was
refined and pale. It wasn’t pale as if
she had a pallor, but naturally pale as though she were cast of the finest
porcelain, which the sun and wind could not touch. She looked like an aristocrat from one of Ms.
Morris’ favorite BBC shows or one of her turn of the century—Twentieth
Century—books. Ms. Morris’ mouth flew
open, and she had to consciously shut it.
The
Chief Inspector swallowed nervously and took a long sip of tea to hide his
discomfiture.
The
girl just continued to smile. After an
extended moment, she made a sign with her white gloved fingers that was at once
condescending and entirely fitting for a true aristocratic lady.
The
Chief Inspector stood as if mesmerized and stepped slowly toward the very
ladylike girl. Ms. Morris followed
directly behind him.
When
they arrived at the table, the lady did not bid them sit. She did not stand. She gazed with steely blue-grey eyes at them
both. The Chief Inspector danced from
foot to foot. Ms. Morris had no idea how
to continue. From her training there
must be introductions, and everything here screamed for an introduction. This young woman was not about to make
another move to reduce their astonishment or discombobulation.
She
let them brew for a few moments then addressed them. Her voice sounded a deep contralto peppered
with a high Oxford accent, “Chief Inspector La Cross, I presume. You aren’t as cautious or observant as I was
led to believe. I could have placed more
than one bullet in you before you moved.”
The
Chief Inspector took a step back, “Young woman are you telling me you are
armed?”
The
lady smiled and properly ignored his question, “I am the Blue Rose. I believe you requested an appointment with
me.”
The
Chief Inspector choked, “I was looking for Neel Rhosyn. Are you he…ah, she?”
“Not
observant at all. Neel Rhosyn means Blue
Rose in Welsh. I never told you Neel was
a woman or a man—that was entirely your own assumption.” She held out her gloved hand in a very
aristocratic motion.
After
a slight hesitation, the Chief Inspector gently touched her hand.”
She
grasped his hand as if expecting more and didn’t let him go.
The
Chief Inspector had no idea what to do now.
Ms.
Morris cleared her throat and whispered to him, “She means for you to venerate
her hand.”
“Must
I?”
Ms.
Morris rolled her eyes, “Really.”
Remembering
back to his training as a schoolboy, Chief Inspector La Cross very awkwardly
bent his head over her hand and pressed her fingers. He forgot at the last moment that pressing
the fingers was a bit forward, but the girl released his hand, “We are not that
well acquainted Chief Inspector La Cross, but I shall let it slide. Please be seated.” She offered her hand to Ms. Morris.
Ms.
Morris took the lady’s hand very adroitly and nodded.
The
Blue Rose smiled, “Much better, Ms. Morris.
I would expect such niceties from you.
You may also be seated.”
The
Chief Inspector and Ms. Morris took their seats, and the attendant brought over
their cups of tea.
The
Blue Rose raised her hand in a very elegant gesture, “Please bring me a cup of
your black tea special and a few assorted scones.”
The
attendant gave an unexpected curtsy and headed toward the kitchen.
When
the Chief Inspector and Ms. Morris were seated and the Blue Rose had her tea
and scones, she opened her hand, “Please share these wonderful scones with me,
and thank you for the early tea.”
Ms.
Morris could tell the Chief Inspector wanted to say something slightly
untoward, but he kept his mouth shut.
They each sipped their tea and bit into a scone. The lady’s gloves had almost unnoticed been
removed. Her hands were beautiful, but
Ms. Morris noticed they were not at all what she expected. Slight calluses marked her fingers and
palms. When the girl noticed the
attention, she gracefully turned them so only the unmarked tops were evident.
Finally,
the Chief Inspector had recovered some of his poise, “Ms. Rose…”
“You
may address me as Miss Rose.”
“Yes,
Miss Rose, I’m very happy to make your acquaintance.”
“Let’s
not start with falsehood, Chief Inspector La Cross. May I address you as Hercules?”
The
Chief Inspector flustered, “That is highly irregular.”
“Saying
Chief Inspector over and over might become a little preposterous, and Mr. La
Cross would be less familiar and undignified.
Perhaps just La Cross then.”
“Well,
yes.”
“Then
La Cross, you are not at all happy to make my acquaintance, but in spite of
that, I am willing to help you.”
La
Cross took a sip of tea to moisten his very dry throat, “Yes, yes. I’m glad you are willing to help us.”
“My
official support does not come without enumeration.”
“One
moment, Miss Rose, you have provided us assistance with over twenty cases in
the past all gratis.”
“That
is true, but that was when you didn’t expect or directly request my help.”
La
Cross grumbled.
Ms.
Morris put in an aside to the Chief Inspector, “We do have detective consulting
fees available in our budget.”
La
Cross interrupted, “Yes, yes, I know that.
What assurances do I have that you, Miss Rose can help us with this
current difficulty?”
Miss
Rose laughed gaily, “You have none at all.”
She leaned forward slightly, “You must trust evidences of my past skills
and those future ones you will soon see in action. A retainer might be in order. If I assist you in this current difficulty,
you will assure me of just compensation for my future work.”
La
Cross swallowed another long sip of tea, “How much do you want?”
“What
is your current pay scale?”
Ms.
Morris pulled a piece of paper from her going-out bag, “We usually pay per
hour.”
“That
is quite unacceptable. What is your
maximum for a solved case?”
“Usually
we limit our detective consultants to a thousand pounds per case.”
“That
will be sufficient. I doubt I will
require more than a few hours to solve your current case.”
La
Cross sat up straight, “I bloody well don’t think you can solve this current
case that quickly.”
Miss
Rose held up her hand, “I will ignore your vulgarity at the moment, La
Cross. Shall we make a bet on it?”
La
Cross snarled slightly, “A bet. What
kind of bet?”
“Double
or nothing. Your current case has to do
with a high ranking employee in the Bank of London branch of the Bank of
England. He was murdered in a bolt
locked room by some unexplained means. I
will explain the means and discover the murderer. You will pay me two thousand pounds for my
efforts. That is all.”
La
Cross made a very ugly face and leaned back in his chair. The chair creaked with his movement, “How do
you know so much about this case, Miss Rose?”
“I
am very astute, and I read the news as well as the tabloids. Everything has been reported in them
already. You haven’t removed the body
yet, and you haven’t been able to make heads or tails of the situation.”
La
Cross grumbled, “That’s all true, but…”
“What
buts are there? I think I understand the
situation well enough.”
Ms.
Morris couldn’t help it, “Miss Rose, you understand the situation very well.”
“Then
write out our agreement. I will sign it
and you will sign it. I will solve your
case.”
La
Cross stood.
Miss
Rose picked up her teacup, “I did not give you leave to stand La Cross.”
La
Cross shook with indignation, “Pardon me, but I wish to speak with Ms. Morris
for a moment in private.”
“Very
well, you are dismissed to converse as you desire. If you wish to remain seated—I shall not
listen to your conversation.”
La
Cross motioned to Ms. Morris.
Ms.
Morris nodded to Miss Rose and stood, “If you will permit me.”
Miss
Rose nodded, but she didn’t smile.
La
Cross and Ms. Morris moved a few paces away and entered into a decidedly robust
discussion. After a few moments they
returned and took their seats. La Cross
tried to smile pleasantly, “I will accept your offer of help, but if you can’t
explain the circumstances and discover the murderer then you will receive nothing,
not a farthing.”
Miss
Rose smiled and nodded, “That is acceptable to me.”
Ms.
Morris wrote the agreement on an official Scotland Yard document and pushed it
across the table to Miss Rose. Miss Rose
carefully read the agreement, added a line, and signed it. She pushed it back to Ms. Morris.
La
Cross grabbed the paper and read it, “Why did you add this line: Scotland Yard
shall recompense Miss Rose for any damage to her clothing or equipment?”
“La
Cross, it should be evident to you that we will be entering a murder
scene. I don’t wish to have my clothing
or my accessories blood splattered or otherwise dirtied.”
La
Cross struck out the line, “I suspect that two thousand pounds is sufficient
recompense for any damages.”
“If
we are to continue working together, I will not be bullied into any undignified
or unladylike actions that will injure my clothing or possessions.”
La
Cross signed the paper and crossed his arms, “You can be responsible for your
own behavior, actions, clothing, and possessions. I will not pay for more than that.”
“Very
well, but in the future…”
La
Cross growled, “I don’t expect any future to our arrangements.”
“We
shall see.” Miss Rose elegantly pulled
on her white gloves and stood. She made
a motion that the others were to stand, then she headed toward the front of the
tea house.
La
Cross stood and paid the tally. While he
completed the transaction, Ms. Morris whispered to him, “Chief Inspector, based
on previous contracts with New Scotland Yard, we may be responsible for any
damage to Miss Rose’s clothing, person, or other possessions.”
La Cross
lifted his eyes to the sky and made an inarticulate noise in his throat. Ms. Morris trailed carefully behind him where
he could not observe her grin.
The tension and release in this
scene is based entirely on the Chief Instructor negotiating a contract for the
services of Miss Rose. The tension is
built in the scene by numerous interactions between the characters. All of these interactions are meant to be
somewhat humorous. The ultimate point of
the scene is to reveal Miss Rose who is the protagonist of the novel.
There are numerous jokes many of
which relate to the clothing of Miss Rose and the pay schedules of New Scotland
Yard. These are used as creative elements
through the novel. There is also a
buildup of tension with a bet about how quickly Miss Rose can solve the current
crime. All of these creative elements
follow through future scenes. In
addition, the bet is resolved in the next scene.
The point of this example is to show
how you can use the characters, creative elements, setting, and telic flaw to
design tension and release. In the case
of this scene, the release of the scene is the agreement.
I suspect I should give another
example of tension and release development.
Notice the kicker as well—it’s the last paragraph in the scene.
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
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com
fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic
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