Writing - part xx105 Writing a Novel, Creativity Portfolio Scenes

16 January 2020, Writing - part xx105 Writing a Novel, Creativity Portfolio Scenes

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. 

1.     Read novels. 

2.     Fill your mind with good stuff—basically the stuff you want to write about. 

3.     Figure out what will build ideas in your mind and what will kill ideas in your mind.

4.     Study.

5.     Teach. 

6.     Make the catharsis. 

7.     Write.

The development of ideas is based on study and research, but it is also based on creativity.  Creativity is the extrapolation of older ideas to form new ones or to present old ideas in a new form.  It is a reflection of something new created with ties to the history, science, and logic (the intellect).  Creativity requires consuming, thinking, and producing.

If creativity, especially in writing, is caused by writing—then we better get writing.  Write-on.  Yes, so what does this writing for creativity look like? 

Developing creativity is all about writing.  Well, there are the other six actions you should accomplish.  Then write.  Many ask, what should I write about?  I understand this.  If you don’t know what to write about, then what do you write about?  Random stuff?  Nah.

Let’s write about stuff that will help us both write better and that will build up our writing portfolio. 

I started you with paragraphs.  Write paragraphs about settings for places and people.  These should be 100 to 300 words of entertaining description.  Then I set you to writing scenes with these descriptions. 

These scenes should follow the scene outline.  Since you already have setting descriptions, all you have to do for these initial scenes is peg the setting, introduce a character (set a character), and set the character in motion in the scene setting.  Since I proposed that you write paragraphs describing an exterior with a building and characters to fit the building.  I told you to then write one of the characters moving within the exterior to the building and then into the interior.  That’s all that is necessary for this exercise.  The objective at this point is to learn to write first productive and proper paragraphs and then to place them in a cohesive scene.  The scenes don’t necessarily have to mean much, they are for educational, study, and portfolio purposes. 

Don’t stop with this scene.  Write another connected scene describing the movement of the character from the entryway of the building to some interior space.  You choose.  If your initial character was a maid, cook, or butler, they would move to the kitchen.  If they were a gentleman, they would move to an office or study.  If they were a lady, they might move to a parlor or bedroom.  If your characters are modern, the woman might move toward the day, living, kitchen, or great room.  A man might do the same.  A child might go to one of these or to a bedroom.  Pick your setting and your characters and move them around on the stage of the scenes. 

This exercise should begin to fill your electronic portfolio.  If you use paper or print your electronics, then this exercise should begin to fill your notebook.  You will have paragraphs and simple action scenes connected to a building, time, place, and characters.  I didn’t mention editing yet.

I have presumed that you are editing your writing.  I mentioned that to most authors, the first draft is the most difficult.  Editing is easy.  Each of these paragraphs you have written should be edited not once, not twice, not three times, but however many times it is necessary to get them right.  The first editing is for grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, capitalization, all those nuisance details of writing that must be correct.  At the same time and next we are looking for the basic paragraph structure and content.  Third, we are looking for entertainment.  And forth, skillful execution, tone, feel, and excitement.  Just read some of your favorite authors and see how they put together paragraphs.  T.H. White may be one of the best writers of paragraphs in English.  Figure out how White turned simple words, sentences, and language into great writing and you will have succeeded.  I’ll give you some hints and examples in the future.  There is still so much more to accomplish. 

Before I get deeper into the actual details of writing, I’ll give you the next exercise in scene development—dialog.  

Whatever you do, get your writing into electronic files.  We should also write about formatting too.  In any case, tomorrow, I’ll give you ideas about what to put in your portfolio.    

The most important step in creativity may be to just write.  This begins another chapter in this discussion of creativity—notes, records, and documenting.

I need to get to the point of extrapolating creativity, and also finish the thought about event horizon and worldview.   

The beginning of creativity is study and effort.  We can use this to extrapolate to creativity.  In addition, we need to look at recording ideas and working with ideas.     

    

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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