Writing - part xx115 Writing a Novel, Formatting

26 January 2020, Writing - part xx115 Writing a Novel, Formatting

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. 

We started with descriptive paragraphs and then turned them into action scenes.  The next step is to take two of the characters you described and bring them together for a conversation.  This is called dialog. 

In the beginning, I never thought about formatting—and then I had to send in my first paper for publication.  Suddenly formatting became a big deal.  If you write technical papers, you know exactly what I mean.  All those classes in college and all those recommendations from professors, who should have known, were worthless because they didn’t tell you there is a format and then there is a format.  What I mean by that is that for all technical papers, there is a certain format that they are presented to a publisher.  Some publishers, however, require their own format.  I’ve found that, in general, except for a few journals, most publishers just want the general format.  This is also true of fiction publishers and novel publishers.  If there is a format, why not put your documents and especially fiction into the format.

Here we go.  The proper and general format for almost every fiction work I have submitted is first the body of the text is double spaced with one inch margins and non-justified.  The font is 12 point Times New Roman, and the paragraphs set off with one quarter inch spacing for the first line.  The first page should include, on the left side, your name, address, phone number, email.  On the right side at the top you should list the number of words in the piece, short story, novel, and etc. 

Go down about four total spaces and center the title of your work.  I use 14 point Times New Roman, but the standard is still 12 point.  One space below put by and a space below that put your nom de plume.  Your pen name or what you want to use professionally.  Go down another four spaces and start the text of your piece. 

For the header, on the first page put the title on the left and the chapter (Chapter X) on the right.  For every subsequent none chapter beginning page, put the title on the left, the chapter (Chapter X) on the right and one space below the title on the left place your last name and the page number.

For non-chapter works like essays, papers, and short stories, you don’t need the chapter on the right, but you still need the title, page number, and your last name on all pages.  This is necessary, according to publishers, because if a printed text gets mixed up, the pages can be identified.  That makes sense—it’s also the way things are supposed to be formatted. 

Now, if you send in a piece that isn’t formatted correctly, what will happen?  First of all, I think publishers do give some leeway, but theoretically and anecdotally, they toss stuff that isn’t in the proper format.  Some authors have postulated that certain publishers use formatting to willow out those who can’t understand or who aren’t serious about their writing.  The thought goes, that if the writer can’t even make the formatting correct, they would take the same poor care with their writing.  

In any case, I recommend using this basic formatting for everything.  You can see examples in many places on the net.  You can see examples in all my first chapters on my websites.     

Since you should be putting or organizing your writing for your portfolio in electronic formats, you might as well format your words as well.  This is what I did with my papers, poetry, and other writing.  You likely need some kind of organization.  I’ll write about that next.

I’ll also write about formatting too, and I’ll give you more 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  

fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic