Writing - part xx135 Writing a Novel, Art is not Previously Existing

15 February 2020, Writing - part xx135 Writing a Novel, Art is not Previously Existing

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 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.

Art is not previously existing.  Well, I guess you could copy stuff.  Don’t do it.  Copying art or writing is not considered ethical or legal.  If you copy art you are no longer an artist, you are either a thief or a craftsman.  A craftsman is one thing—a thief is another.  If you copy stuff in art, you might be a craftsman of some type.  On the other hand, if you copy writing, you are a plagiarist.  If you do copy writing, you must attribute the source.  The best thing is not to copy anything, then you will have no problem.

In art, copying the Mona Lisa is an exercise in painting, but don’t call it your own idea or painting.  In writing, any copying is out of line.  You may quote, but not just throw it in your writing—you must put it in quotes and provide attribution.  For technical writing, this is normal, for fiction, this is a way to break the suspension of disbelief.  For fiction, if you wish to quote someone, you should place the attribution within the context of the writing.  For example:

As Winston Churchill said in his speech to parliament, “xxxx.”  This allows you to hold the reader in the suspension of disbelief while presenting a quote or other information.  This is a useful trick if you need it.  Most writing doesn’t need it.  Usually, as a fiction writer, you might obfuscate and not quote at all.  Back to not previously existing.

This is a real bugaboo for many authors.  You do indeed need to write your own material.  You can try other author’s styles.  You might at limited times quote others, but the material should always be your own.  I’m not sure what some authors who get caught plagiarizing are actually doing.  Does it mean they stole it all?  Does it mean they just stole a little?  Why steal any other person’s writing at all?  I get making notes for study and then writing your own material from your notes, but actually copying other’s writing.  Perhaps this is a problem of plots and themes.

Actually, I’m not sure you could ever get in trouble for reusing anyone’s plot or theme.  They are too broad.  If you characters, events, incidents, and scenes are the same, you are definitely copying—on the other hand, if your plot happens to be the same as Shakespeare, oh well, you went to a great source. 

I’ll tell you straight.  I’ve never desired to copy any author’s work.  I’ve wanted to improve other author’s works, but that is editing. Who wants to get credit for editing when you are writing your own novel?  Then what about ideas?

Borrowing ideas are very nebulous.  If you write about a child wizard who is the messiah of the wizard community, and who goes to wizard school, depending how you write it, you might be considered to be stealing the ideas of the Harry Potty novels.  I think very few people would claim you are copying Dracula to write about a vampire.  The degree really defines the concept of plagiarism.  If your child wizard is significantly different from Harry, you might have a best seller.  Vampires, on the other hand, are archetype characters.  Harry isn’t.  Wizards are.  Writing about wizards isn’t a problem.  Writing about Harry is fan fiction.  You need something new about wizards.  You need something that isn’t preexisting. 

Ultimately, you want to know how to get new ideas, plots, and themes.  You want stuff that isn’t preexisting.  You want to get new ideas, plots, and themes, but you also can use or reuse certain elements of old ideas, plots, and themes.  As I noted, creativity is the extrapolation of older ideas to form new ones or to present old ideas in a new form.  This is the development of stuff that is not previously existing.

We have seen that writing as art means not natural, common, or previously existing in the world.  We need to further see that it adds beauty to the world and humanity

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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