Writing - part xx139 Writing a Novel, Question

19 February 2020, Writing - part xx139 Writing a Novel, Question

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 must add beauty (entertainment) to the world and humanity.  It must be entertaining or it isn’t fiction.  There are characteristics that make writing entertaining.  Here’s a list from Jeff Lyons at https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/write-better-the-7-qualities-of-high-concept-stories

1. High level of entertainment value

2. High degree of originality

3. Born from a “what if” question

4. Highly visual

5. Clear emotional focus

6. Inclusion of some truly unique element

7. Mass audience appeal (to a broad general audience, or a large niche market).

I have no idea what a high concept story is.  I’m not into high concept stories, I’m into fiction that is entertaining—and sellable.  So let’s redefine “high concept” as sellable, to readers and to publishers.  I’ll go for that.  With apologies to Jeff, let me look at this list because I agree with his list.  Let’s see how this looks.

Number three, born from a “what if” question.  Here’s what Jeff writes:

“What if dinosaurs were cloned (Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton)? What if women stopped giving birth (The Children of Men, P.D. James)? What if Martians invaded the earth (The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells)? High-concept stories often begin with a “what if” scenario, and then the hook becomes clear. What’s the hook, you ask? That part of the concept that grabs the reader by the scruff of the collar and doesn’t let go.”

This is such a great idea.  I used to write this way all the time.  I’ve found even better ways to develop ideas since then, but this is a fantastic idea.  Ask a question.  Jeff says to ask a “what if” question.  My original questions were a little different, but not much different form.  Here are some examples:

The question I asked myself in Centurion is what would the Roman Legionnaire be like who crucified Christ?  What would he think and what would his life be like.  Who was he?

The question that launched The Second Mission was what would happen if a modern person was accidentally pulled back into a time mission.  You can see the cascading effects that result from this question.  First, what was the most important thing in history that future societies would want to confirm or observe.  I chose the second most important mission because I wanted a teaser and foreshadowing tension in the novel to be the question of what was the first mission. 

In the novel Aegypt, I ask the question what would happen if modern people came face to face with a real goddess.

The End of Honor asks a unique question:  what can be the ramifications of personal relationships when they are ultimately based on political ends? 

The Fox's Honor asks a unique question:  if a man of honor is required to die for what he believes; what happens if he is given back his life? 

A Season of Honor asks a unique question:  what would motivate a man of honor to compromise everything?

These are my published novels, and the question was how I approached each of them.  When I wrote my next novel, I began with a different approach to discovering the theme and main idea of the novel.  The next novel was Sister of Light.  This novel was under contract, then my publisher went out of business.  I’ll look at other means to approach the theme and idea of a novel later, but for now, let’s stick with the “what if” question.

I really like this method.  I wrote that I have refined my idea development, but I started with the question, and I think it is a great means to discover new ideas.  I think the questions that launched my first novels are a bit too esoteric—that may be my problem, and why I refined my means of idea development.

So my questions are too complex.  I think a simpler “what if” question like those Jeff recommends might be better, but this is why I moved to theme statements.  Try putting Harry Potty into a “what if” question.  I’ll wait.  Still waiting.  Really, you might be able to do it, but I’m not so sure. The concept that permeates Harry Potty is very involved and complex.  I guess you could state: what if wizards existed in the modern world?  That’s kind of a great beginning, but it doesn’t move us to Harry Potty.  This is again why I moved to theme statements—plus there are other idea development methods.

Perhaps the best way to use the “what if” question is in a cascading series.  For example, start with Harry Potty.  What if wizards existed in the modern world?  Add to that.  What if an evil wizard tried to control the wizard world?  Then.  What if the evil wizard failed to murder a child whom he cursed?  It’s already getting a little deep, but this is one means of putting “what if” questions together to get to a theme statement.

Start with a “what if” question.  It’s a great beginning.  There are many worst ways.  I like the method, and it does produce entertaining novel length ideas to write.

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  

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