Writing - part xx092 Writing a Novel, Study

3 January 2020, Writing - part xx092 Writing a Novel, Study

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

Ideas.  We need ideas.  Ideas allow us to figure out the protagonist and the telic flaw.  Ideas don’t come fully armed from the mind of Zeus.  We need to cultivate ideas. 

First of all, if you are writing novels, you need to read novels.  The first point of discovering ideas is to read, read the classics, and read what you like.

Second, fill your mind with good stuff—basically the stuff you want to write about.  When I wrote good, I mean good.  From a novel standpoint that would be great novels and entertaining novels in your genre.  At the same time, I also mean good novels outside your genre. 

Third, you need to know what will build ideas in your mind and what will kill ideas in your mind. 

Forth, it is all about study.  That are you studying?  If you say—nothing, you will never be able to create ideas.  It can’t happen.  Ideas come from what has gone before.  Ideas come out of developments in human imagination and ingenuity.  Without study, the only ideas you will get are old retreads.  You must study, and when I write study, I mean study.  You might ask what and how I am studying.

The first thing I am studying is resources to submit my novels and books for publication.  At the moment, I’m not interested in self-publishing, so I am researching publishers and submitting novels for publication.  I just submitted one to Daw and one to Baen.  I currently have twelve novels out for consideration by twelve publishers.  I’m still writing another novel.

My writing pace has slowed down because we are entering the period of finance preparation, but I am still writing and studying to write my current novel code named (the initial name) Shifter.  Shifter requires study in the history of the worship of the gods in Britany, the language and culture of Britany, plus the people and times of Britany in the 1990s.  This is modern research, but still a large body of information to write this one book.  This is true of all novels I write.  Then there is my normal research.

I do dead languages mostly Anglo-Saxon and ancient Greek (classical Greek).  Usually, I am studying something in either of these languages.  Right now, I am making a cultural translation of the Book of Hebrews from the New Testament.  Yes, Hebrews is a koine Greek work, but I’ve been asked by many groups to teach the New Testament documents.  I approach them with Strongs, Vines, and Woodhouse because I look at them first as classical Greek documents and second as koine Greek documents.  This study is very time consuming, but it also is allowing me to write a new translation of Hebrews with the potential for publication.  This is study, but I am also making another study.

I have been writing about Japan and Japanese culture in some of my novels.  I wrote a transition novel set in the USA, but I do have plans to write another Japanese novel—likely a transition novel again.  This requires some degree of integration in the culture—this is another part of my study.  Then there is the bit and pieces.

Bits and pieces are all the other things you study just because they happen to interest you at the moment.  Sometimes I write a paper for publication, and sometimes I just study a subject.  The life of the writer is study.  I’d say the life of a human is study, but I guess my idea of humanity is kind of high.  Life means study.  Life means figuring out what the world is about, why the world is about, and what is my purpose in it.  This is study, and this is life.       

Next, fifth, teach.  

I am looking at using the kathartic method to get ideas for a protagonist and a telic flaw.

    

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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