Writing - part xx082 Writing a Novel, Protagonist and Revelation

24 December 2019, Writing - part xx082 Writing a Novel, Protagonist and Revelation

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.

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

The novel is a revelation of the protagonist.  The telic flaw is connected directly to the protagonist.  The plot is the revelation of the telic flaw.  This connects the protagonist to the plot and the telic flaw.  The point is that to plan a novel, I simply need to plan the revelation of the protagonist.  To accomplish this, you need to develop a protagonist.

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 (Secrets)

14.  Thoughts

15.  Telic flaw

I design a protagonist around the initial scene.  This is the way I write a novel.  This isn’t the only way to write a novel, but it is the way I have discovered to write well-conceived and powerful novels.  This goes back to the initial scene. 

Above, I gave you four options for developing the initial scene.  Yesterday, I told you to take two off.  Authors have used three and four, but they don’t produce the kinds of exciting initial scenes we want.  Here’s the list again.

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

Let’s plan to put one and two together.  Let’s also focus on the other characteristics of the initial scene.  Notice that first, the initial scene must include the protagonist.  This should be obvious, but let’s go down the list. 

I guess the life of the protagonist includes everything.  My perspective is that the life of the protagonist is the revelation of the protagonist.  These are the secrets I reveal to my readers.  And, boy should your protagonist have secrets.

Everything in your novel should be revealed thought actions and words—no telling.  This is the most important point in all writing.

Everything at the beginning of your novel is a secret—it is unknown to the reader.  The author plans the revelation—this is the plot of the novel.  Now the plot includes the telic flaw resolution, but this is all part of the revelation of the protagonist.  What can you reveal at first?

The obvious.  What can the reader see on the stage of the novel?  The character’s description is obvious.  The protagonist’s clothing, articles, not the stuff in their pockets or purse, unless you show them checking or putting them in.  That’s action.

So the plan should be to reveal everything through actions and dialog.  Start with actions.  If I want to show that my character is an author, don’t tell us.  Show us that she is writing.  Show her editing, writing, calling her publisher, or sending an email.  Don’t tell us, show us.  This is true of everything, but especially true of nonphysical attributes.  For example, if you want to show us your character is kind, show him being kind.  If you want to show that she is intelligent, give us a scene.  Here’s my personal peeve.

I don’t have a problem with cut outs from a scene or dialog when the subject or reason for the dialog has moved outside of the point of the author (plot of the novel, telic flaw resolution).  What irritates me is when the characters are involved in a very interesting conversation, and we are learning a lot, when suddenly the author decides to bug out of the dialog.  I’m sure you have seen this.  The author tells us, the character makes an intelligent quip or explains a difficult subject—I want to hear the quip or the explanation. 

You see this all the time in some novels.  The author obviously couldn’t figure out something intelligent to write, or to put in the mouth of the protagonist and just shrugged it off.  Usually, your readers what to see everything.  I like to show letters, notes, telegrams, and other messages.  I actually had a reader who wanted me to show the letter that I thought was obvious.  I showed the response, but not the original letter.  Maybe I will.

If you remember the novel is a revelation of the protagonist, the readers should want to know everything about them.  They really do.  Back to the point.

The most important thing is to show the mind of the protagonist.  As an author, figure out your scenes to do just this.  Look for opportunities to show how your protagonist thinks.  This will define their actions through the novel.  Further, if you remember, the novel is the revelation of the life of the protagonist, you can design entire scenes to reveal the protagonist and all their secrets.       

These revelations lead to the plot and the resolution of the telic flaw.

By the way—happy night before Christmas.

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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