29 February 2020, Writing
- part xx149 Writing a Novel, Not Like Us
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
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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
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, schience, and logic (the intellect). Creativity requires consuming, thinking, and
producing.
If we have filled our mind with all
kinds of information and ideas, we are ready to become creative. Creativity means the extrapolation of older
ideas to form new ones or to present old ideas in a new form. Literally, we are seeing the world in a new
way, or actually, we are seeing some part of the world in a new way. Let’s look at an example.
The writer must create like an
artist with the manipulation of writing (language) in the world through hard
work to present something that is not natural, common, or previously existing
in the world, and adds beauty to the world and humanity.
Happy leap day.
Great characters are usually the
opposites of great writers. The kinds of
characters readers like and the kinds of people who are successes in the world
are somewhat overlapping, but not entirely overlapping. In fact, few real people actually populate
any novels.
I’ve used this example before—remember
the bullies in school, the bullies and the bigger athletic kids. They really do usually go on to become the
leaders and managers in the world. Many
learn to study and read, but the reality is that they may never achieve the
type of leadership skills readers expect from leaders. The big kids and the bullies lead through
physical strength, readers want their leaders to be compassionate and logical. They want to be lead through
intellectualism. This is why I mentioned
the climax resolution as intellectual.
Readers don’t want a physical resolution to the climax. They want the protagonist to apply better
imagination, ingenuity, and skills to resolve the telic flaw of the novel. What they don’t mind is the weak intellectual
unassuming character who turns the tables on the bad guys because of their
skills.
For example, readers love it when
Menolly from Dragonsinger, gives one
of the bullies a black eye. The reason
is that although we intrinsically know Menolly, the child of a fishing craft
holder is stronger than she looks and has good athleticism, the novel isn’t
about her strength or athleticism. When
she uses it to punch the bully who deserves it, every reader immediately
remembers back to their days in school when they wished they had punched their
bully.
Readers don’t mind a release in a
scene, like the case of Menolly, that is physical, they certainly don’t believe
that real protagonists are brawny buff sword wielders who can win the prize
through physical strength. And indeed,
in most novels (and stories) the brawny buff sword wielder may win the
princess, but in every Disney story, the slight princess wins the day and
resolves the telic flaw through some means other than brawn, swords, guns, or
strength.
You do realize this is the exact
opposite of the real world—don’t you?
Every reader wishes that circumstances in the real world can be resolved
with intellect and logic. The fact that
the Colt 45 is the great equalizer shows this isn’t true at all. In the real world, tools developed through intellect
and logic are usually the resolvers and the bullies and leaders are usually the
ones willing to use them. This directly
applies to protagonists and what readers expect.
Pathos is the name of the game. The bully with a gun isn’t a good
protagonist. The intellectual girl with
a gun is.
So just what kinds of characters
should we be developing?
As we look for creative ideas, and I
believe creative ideas begin with creative characters, we should look at just
what excites and interests us. How can
we project what we like and enjoy into a great character.
Let’s look at the other suggestions
and see how we can use them to develop entertaining writing.
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
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
