Writing - part xx285 Writing a Novel, What is a Good Plot?

14 July 2020, Writing - part xx285 Writing a Novel, What is a Good Plot?

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 21^st 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. 

I’ve worked through creativity and the protagonist.  The ultimate point is that if you properly develop your protagonist, you have created your novel.  This moves us on to plots and initial scenes.  As I noted, if you have a protagonist, you have a novel.  The reason is that a protagonist comes with a telic flaw, and a telic flaw provides a plot and theme.  If you have a protagonist, that gives you a telic flaw, a plot, and a theme.  I will also argue this gives you an initial scene as well. 

So, we worked extensively on the protagonist.  I gave you many examples great, bad, and average.  Most of these were from classics, but I also used my own novels and protagonists as examples.  Here’s my plan.

1.     The protagonist comes with a telic flaw – the telic flaw isn’t necessarily a flaw in the protagonist, but rather a flaw in the world of the protagonist that only the Romantic protagonist can resolve.

2.     The telic flaw determines the plot.

3.     The telic flaw determines the theme.

4.     The telic flaw and the protagonist determines the initial scene.

5.     The protagonist and the telic flaw determines the initial setting.

6.     Plot examples from great classic plots.

7.     Plot examples from mediocre classic plots.

8.     Plot examples from my novels.

9.     Creativity and the telic flaw and plots.

10.  Writer’s block as a problem of continuing the plot.

Every great or good protagonist comes with their own telic flaw.  I showed how this worked with my own writing and novels.  Let’s go over it in terms of the plot.

This is all about the telic flaw.  Every protagonist and every novel must come with a telic flaw.  They are the same telic flaw.  That telic flaw can be external, internal or both.

We found that a self-discovery telic flaw or a personal success telic flaw can potentially take a generic plot.  We should be able to get an idea for the plot purely from the protagonist, telic flaw and setting.  All of these are interlaced and bring us our plot.

Then what is a good plot?  I can explain what a great or good plot is supposed to look like.  First of all, the telic flaw must be resolved by the climax of the plot.  These are ultimately and intimately connected.  Whatever your plot, the telic flaw resolution is the plot resolution.  These can’t be disconnected.  This doesn’t restrict your plot at all.  For example, we noted that the telic flaw of Starship Troopers is that Johnny Rico must find himself.  The plot is a revelation plot.  The climax of the plot is where Johnny Rico puts into play all that he has learned as a leader.  He has achieved because he succeeds in the final battle.  This is a classic plot, but not a great plot.  The reason it isn’t great is because the buildup to the climax is certain in terms of the telic flaw.  Even if Johnny gets wacked or can’t succeed in the climax, he has achieved his telic flaw.  The climax of the plot just certifies or assures us that he has achieved.  A better example of a great plot is from Dragonsong.

In Dragonsong, Menolly’s telic flaw (and the novel’s telic flaw) is that she wants to become a harper and a songstress.  The plot is wrapped around this telic flaw.  In the plot, Menolly gets further and further from achieving her goal.  The telic flaw looks more and more out of the grasp of Menolly.  This is the way a great plot is developed. 

Since we know in a comedy, the telic flaw must be achieved by the protagonist, the means of the climax and tension development in the novel is that the author makes the potential resolution look like it is impossible.  In Dragonsong, the author builds the plot so Menolly gets further and further from her achievement.  Here’s how it works.  At the beginning, everything looks bright for Menolly.  The old harper sent a letter to the Masterharper and every harper on the planet of Pern is looking for Menolly.  The moment the new harper arrives at the seahold, Menolly will be found and sent to the Harperhall.  Then Menolly is caught making up music by her father and he beats her and takes her instruments and her teaching position.  There is still hope for her.  When the new harper comes, she will be recognized and be sent to the Harperhall.  Then Menolly cuts her hand cleaning the catch and her mother lets it heal poorly.  She can’t play anymore, and no one asks her to sing—her father and mother have told them not to ask.  When the new harper comes, Menolly’s father has told everyone that if he knows Menolly taught the children, sang, or played, it would embarrass the hall.  Menolly’s dream is getting further and further away.  Then she runs away.

No one is looking for Menolly, the runaway.  They are all looking for the boy who wrote wonderful dragon and firelizard songs.  Menolly will never be found now.  She is holdless and a runaway.  She is living in the wilderness by herself.  Then she finds firelizards, and her hope of going to the Harperhall, gets further away. 

Finally, Menolly is rescued by dragon riders.  This is written by the author to force Menolly’s dream further away.  If she is in a dragon hold, there is even less chance she will be found.  Further, she is somewhat shy and retiring.  She doesn’t want to be sent back to her seahold.  What will happen to Menolly?  The end is that at the last moment when there is no hope, Menolly is discovered by the Masterharper and that’s it.  That’s the beautiful climax of the novel.  This is how one plans and writes a great plot. 

Over and over, the author makes the resolution of the climax appear impossible—until the last moment when everything falls into place, and in the climax, the resolution of the telic flaw becomes inevitable.  It is only inevitable at this point in the novel, and all the foreshadowing and development comes together at that point.  Then everyone realizes the telic flaw is resolved and the plot is complete. 

This is how to develop a great plot.  Perhaps we can expand on this.  

In any case, lest start with the idea of an internal and external telic flaw.  Then let’s provide it a wrapper.  The wrapper is the plot.       

      

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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