19 March 2021, Writing - part xx533 Writing a Novel, Turning the Telic Flaw into Plots, Romance
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 |
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, 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.
For a great plot, the resolution of
the telic flaw has to be a surprise to the protagonist and to the reader. This is both the measure and the goal. As I noted before, for a great plot, the
author needs to make the telic flaw resolution appear to be impossible, but
then it happens. There is much more to
this. Here’s the list of plots I’ve
looked at already:
Redemption: the protagonist must make an internal or
external change to resolve the telic flaw. This is the major style of most
great modern plots.
Revelation: the novel reveals portions of the life,
experiences, and ideas of the protagonist in a cohesive and serial fashion from
the initial scene to the climax and telic flaw resolution.
Achievement: the novel is characterized by a goal that the
protagonist must achieve to resolve the telic flaw.
I evaluated the list of plots and
categorized them according to the following scale:
Overall (o) – These
are the three overall plots we defined above: redemption, achievement, and
revelation.
Achievement (a)
– There are plots that fall under the idea of the achievement plot.
Quality (q) – These are plots based on a personal or character
quality.
Setting (s) – These are plots based on a setting.
Item (i) – These are plots based on an item.
All of the plots we looked at fall
into one of these five. Let’s do that:
Overall (o)
1.
Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 –
49%
2.
Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60%
3.
Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43
– 73%
Achievement (a)
1.
Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e –
51%
2.
Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e,
45 – 46%
3.
Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26%
4.
Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37%
5.
Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23%
6.
Progress of technology (a) – 6 – 5%
7.
Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54%
8.
Money (a) – 2e, 26 – 25%
9.
Spoiled child (a) – 7 – 6%
10. Legal (a) – 5 – 4%
11. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%
12. Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13%
13. Guilt or Crime (a) – 32 – 29%
14. Proselytizing (a) – 4 – 4%
15. Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10%
16. Escape (a) – 1ie, 23
– 21%
17. Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23%
18. Secrets (a) – 21 – 19%
Quality (q)
1.
Messiah (q) – 10 – 9%
2.
Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%
3.
Rejected love (rejection) (q) – 1ei,
21 – 20%
4.
Miscommunication (q) – 8 – 7%
5.
Love triangle (q) – 14 – 12%
6.
Betrayal (q) – 1i, 1ie, 46 – 43%
7.
Blood will out or fate (q) –1i, 1e,
26 – 25%
8.
Psychological (q) –1i, 45 – 41%
9.
Magic (q) – 8 – 7%
10. Mistaken identity (q) – 18 – 16%
11. Illness (q) – 1e, 19 – 18%
12. Anti-hero (q) – 6 – 5%
13. Immorality (q) – 3i, 8 – 10%
14. Satire (q) – 10 – 9%
15. Camaraderie (q) – 19 – 17%
16. Curse (q) – 4 – 4%
17. Insanity (q) – 8 – 7%
18. Mentor (q) – 12 – 11%
Setting (s)
1.
End of the World (s) – 3 – 3%
2.
War (s) – 20 – 18%
3.
Anti-war (s) –2 – 2%
4.
Travel (s) –1e, 62 – 56%
5.
Totalitarian (s) – 1e, 8 – 8%
6.
Horror (s) – 15 – 13%
7.
Children (s) – 24 – 21%
8.
Historical (s) – 19 – 17%
9.
School (s) – 11 – 10%
10. Parallel (s) – 4 – 4%
11. Allegory (s) – 10 – 9%
12. Fantasy world (s) – 5 – 4%
13. Prison (s) – 2 – 2%
Item (i)
1.
Article (i) – 1e, 46 – 42%
Let’s start with the idea of an internal and external telic
flaw. Then let’s provide it a
wrapper. The wrapper is the plot.
If we have a protagonist, we have a telic
flaw. In fact, we should have an
internal and an external telic flaw. We
want to take the telic flaw and turn it into an overall plot and plots.
In looking at the classics and most
specifically, the plots in the classics, it became obvious that every novel
contains more than one plot. In fact,
all novels contain many plots that support the telic flaw resolution. This was unexpected for me. I just presumed that each novel just had a
plot, but evaluation of plots in a novel showed us this just wasn’t true. What is true is there should be only one
telic flaw in a novel and the various plots all work together to resolve the
telic flaw. We also saw that there can
be an internal and external telic flaw.
These are usually resolved in the same climax.
I showed and charted the various
plots we find in the first Harry Potty novel.
These are listed below. All of
these plot types and plots result in the resolution of the telic flaw of the
first Harry Potty novel.
In Harry Potty you have these plots:
Overall (o)
1.
Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 –
49% - yeap, Harry must change and learn about wizarding or something.
2.
Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60% -
yeap, the whole wizarding world
3.
Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43
– 73% - yeap, Harry must defeat Voldermort.
Achievement (a)
1.
Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e –
51% - yeap, Harry has to solve some mysteries
2.
Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e,
45 – 46% - yeap, presumed since Voldermort murdered Harry’s parents
3.
Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26% - yeap,
Harry is a hero from supposed zero (not a very good one)
4.
Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37% - yeap,
very slight.
5.
Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23% -
yeap, presumed.
6.
Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54% -
yeap, all about magic.
7.
Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13% -
yeap, coming of age is self-discovery
8.
Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10% - yeap,
the end climax is based in the use of magic, chess thinking, riding a broom, and
figuring out what the philosopher’s stone can do.
9.
Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23% -
yeap, that’s magic.
10. Secrets (a) – 21 – 19% - yeap, everybody has a secret in the
wizard world
Quality (q)
1.
Messiah (q) – 10 – 9% - yeap, Harry
is a messiah.
2.
Betrayal (q) – 1i, 1ie, 46 – 43% -
yeap, Longshanks gets betrayed and that turns the success of Griffindor.
3.
Blood will out or fate (q) –1i, 1e,
26 – 25% - yeap, Harry was born to be the messiah.
4.
Magic (q) – 8 – 7% - yeap, it’s all
about magic.
5.
Camaraderie (q) – 19 – 17% - yeap,
with his friends.
6.
Curse (q) – 4 – 4% - yeap, the mark
and his power over Voldermort.
7.
Mentor (q) – 12 – 11% - kinda, you
get this more in the other novels, but Harry has his mentors throughout.
Setting (s)
1.
War (s) – 20 – 18% - yeap,
Voldermort is at war with the rest of the wizard world.
2.
Travel (s) –1e, 62 – 56% - yeap,
some travel to Hogswart and around.
3.
Horror (s) – 15 – 13% - kinda, it’s
low grade, but supposed to excite.
4.
Children (s) – 24 – 21% - obviously
5.
School (s) – 11 – 10% - duh
6.
Parallel (s) – 4 – 4% - yeap, with
the real world. This is a reflected worldview.
7.
Fantasy world (s) – 5 – 4% - yeap,
there ain’t no real magic out there.
Item (i)
Article (i) – 1e, 46 – 42% - yeap,
the broom, the philosopher’s stone, the mirror
Here’s the question for us as
authors. If we have a protagonist with
his or her telic flaw (the telic flaw of the novel) can we plot shop to help
write and improve our novel? You’d think
the answer should be a resounding yes. The
actual answer is a resounding meh. Most
of the time, the protagonist and the setting determines large portions of the
plots. This is really important to
understand. Let’s continue from romance.
1.
Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e –
51% - yeap, Harry has to solve some mysteries
2.
Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e,
45 – 46% - yeap, presumed since Voldermort murdered Harry’s parents
3.
Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26% - yeap,
Harry is a hero from supposed zero (not a very good one)
4.
Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37% - yeap,
very slight.
5.
Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23% -
yeap, presumed.
6.
Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54% -
yeap, all about magic.
7.
Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13% -
yeap, coming of age is self-discovery
8.
Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10% - yeap,
the end climax is based in the use of magic, chess thinking, riding a broom, and
figuring out what the philosopher’s stone can do.
9.
Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23% -
yeap, that’s magic.
10. Secrets (a) – 21 – 19% - yeap, everybody has a secret in the
wizard world
So, if you want to use the romance
plot, and I recommend you do, just get your couple together in some fashion to
share more than the weather. I suggest a
protagonist’s helper with long and intimate conversations about how to resolve
the telic flaw. This is what I provide
in my writing. Here is an example from Azure Rose: Enchantment and the Detective:
Azure
headed down the hallway doors opened onto parlors, offices, and other
rooms. She led him back to the
right. There lay similar places for
entertainment and entertaining. They
returned to the central staircase. She
stopped, “Upstairs are bedrooms and parlors.
There are many others in the wings.
Originally, more than one branch of the family could live in respectable
seclusion. Now, there is only me and my
father. As you know already, he has his
own accommodations.”
Lachlann
sat at the head of the stairs that led down to the ballroom. He grasped Azure’s hand and pulled her down
beside him. She sat listlessly, but not
too close.
Lachlann
asked, “How can we get it back into your hands?”
She
leaned back, “I told you my plans.”
“How
well are they working?”
She
turned her head away, “I’ve saved perhaps a half million pounds. With proper investing, I suspect I have about
twenty years to go.”
“Do
you have proper investing or advice?”
“No. Not a wit.
I have not yet achieved majority in the eyes of the Crown.”
“You
said you are nineteen. Majority is legally
eighteen.”
Azure
still didn’t look at him, “I hold vast wealth according to the Crown. That wealth was won in ways not common in
knowledge or acceptance. Plus, not a
pence in taxes was paid on it. If I
brought it to a bank, I would be immediately be accused of theft or worse. The state would confiscate it as property in
relation to the Wishart estate--property that should have been turned over by
my father after his trial. In addition,
your mother described my accumulation of wealth from the Fae as despicable. In reality, I was simply taking my due as
allowed by the Book of the Fae.” She put
her chin on her hands still without looking at him, “I have started some
savings from my work with Scotland Yard, but that is nothing compared to my
activities as the Keeper of the Book.”
“What
form is most of this wealth?”
“You
saw some of it already with the selkies.
I typically receive jewels and ancient gold and silver. There is also Fae glamour… I used some
today,” she laughed. “If I were to try
to sell the gold, silver, or jewels, the officials would ask: where did this
come from? And what am I to say? The Fae gave it to me. If I told them I found it--they would ask,
where? Either question would be
impossible for me to answer. If I said
on some property--they would claim that it belonged to the owner of that
property. Worse, if I claimed I found it
on my estate, they would demand it for the Crown.”
“You
are in a pickle.”
“I
thought about melting it down, but that would destroy history, and how could I
explain that amount of gold and silver bullion.
The jewels are worse.”
“They
are worth much more as they are and not simply as gold and silver.”
“You
see my problem?”
“Yes. I do understand the problem. What about selling it outside of the
country?”
Azure
sighed, “You obviously don’t know British laws governing antiquities. I don’t wish to go to jail. Plus, moving that amount of money into the
country is problematic.”
Lachlann
sat up, “So let me get this straight.
You have tremendous riches for a lady of nineteen, but those riches are
not usable by you. How do you feed
yourself and keep up appearances?”
Azure
let out a bitter laugh, “Because of my work for the Crown, I am allowed to
expend funds from the exchequer. They
are relatively liberal, but still well controlled—those funds can only be used
to directly support my work for the Crown.
I hold a scholarship to Wycombe Abbey.
The Headmistress helps me make ends meet. She gave me a golfing scholarship and allowed
me some funds as the student body president.
Otherwise, I’m slightly destitute.
Sorry to break it to you—you thought I was a woman of means. I’m just a poor girl who makes spending money
by betting on golf.”
Lachlann
assumed a position similar to hers, “The only people who might understand your
dilemma are my mother and father and the Queen.”
“Your
mother finds me despicable.”
“What
about the Queen?”
“I
have not been presented, and who would present the daughter of a disgraced
noble.”
“You
surely have connections. How else do you
have contact with the Crown?”
“I
follow a precedence that the Keepers of the Book have followed for
generations. My contacts in government
are directly through the House of Lords and the Exchequer. I provide my reports to the Queen’s executive
secretary. They are signed by the Leader
of the House of Lords, and my funds are approved by the Head of the
Exchequer. I provide a monthly summary
of my actions on behalf of the Fae and my accounts to the Queen through her
secretary. Otherwise, my contacts are
through the royal stewards.”
“What
if you provided an accounting of your remuneration from the Fae in your
accounts and requested exchange or reimbursement from the Crown?”
Azure
still didn’t look at him. Her neck
flushed, “To be frank, I’m afraid the Queen would be of the same opinion as
your mother—she would think I am despicable.
She might take away my rank and title, then where would I be?”
“In
my estimation, the Queen is your only hope, and you should simply be honest
with her. She surely can’t have any complaints
about your handling of the office of Lord Chancellor of the Book.”
Azure
hung her head, “I have heard none. If
she was displeased, she would certainly say something.”
“I’m
sure she would. Can’t you request an
audience? That is a right of the nobility. I would escort you.”
Azure
stood, “Perhaps I shall ask for an audience, but it will have to be after the
beginning of the year. This is the
season for the Queen to make her official visits and foreign tours.”
Lachlann
grasped her hand, “You are just equivocating.
The Queen doesn’t travel much outside of England now and her visits
certainly don’t take that much of her time.”
Azure’s
lip and cheek trembled, “I’m not ready for that type of confrontation with her
at the moment. I haven’t even been
presented.”
Lachlann
didn’t let go of her hand. He stood,
“For a woman of so many identities, you are strangely ambivalent about this
simple matter. The first is that ladies
have not been presented to the queen since 1958. I know because my sisters and mother speak
about it on occasion—they still feel slighted in some way.”
Azure
tried to pull her hand out of his, but he didn’t let go, “I am not ambivalent.
I’m not.” She stopped, “Are you calling
me a liar?”
“Then
make an appointment for presentation and for an audience. The audience is a right even if this
presentation thing is beyond my understanding.”
Her
lip continued to tremble, “I have no standing with her.”
“You
are the Lord Chancellor of the Book.
Surely she will listen to you.”
Azure
looked down and squeezed her eyes shut, “I am so afraid of what she might say
to me or do to me.”
“The
Lady Azure Rose Wishart that I love is no coward. She is strong and intelligent.”
Azure
ripped her hand from his, “Then perhaps you have fallen in love with the wrong
lady, because I am afraid to lose my position and title. I feel like I have so little hope in
achieving my goals. Sometimes I feel
like everyone and everything stands against me in this world.”
Lachlann
put his arms around her and pulled her close, “I want to stand with you Azure.”
She
pushed against him, “Unhand me.”
“I
shall not. I shall be with you and hold
on to you no matter the circumstances.”
She
suddenly relaxed in his arms, “You will abandon me the moment I relent to your
charms.” She buried her face in his
coat.
Lachlann
held her closer.
Azure’s
choked voice came from his breast, “Don’t move.
Don’t look at me.”
Lachlann
started to say something. She reached up
her hand and pressed her fingers against his lips, “Don’t say a word.”
He
held her for a long time. Her shoulders
shook and then she slowly stopped trembling.
She pushed him away and kept her head down. She moved her hands to scrub her face under
her eyes.
Lachlann
handed her his handkerchief, “I shall not abandon you.”
She
took his handkerchief and daubed her eye, “That is to be seen. Take me home.”
“I
shall not. We shall dine together, and
then I shall take you home.”
Azure
still held her face down. She pushed
him, but not very hard, “I can’t go out in public looking or dressed like
this. You must take me home so I can
change.”
This is romance. Lachlann and Azure are in a growing romance
relationship. I write romance as opposed
to romantic to ensure we don’t mix up the two.
Azure Rose: Enchantment and the
Detective is indeed a romantic novel with a romantic protagonist and
romantic plot. Lachlann and Azure are in
a romance relationship.
This isn’t about sex, but about
intimacy. If you notice, Azure isn’t fully
in love with Lachlann, but she is being persuaded by him. The means of displaying their growing
intimacy is thorough their dialog. The
dialog is all about how to resolve Azure’s telic flaw. Her telic flaw happens to be that her estate
was taken by the Crown, and she wants it back.
This is her goal in the novel and what motivates her every action.
Notice, that Lachlann makes this his
goal as well. This is how romance and
intimacy works. It’s all about the
people and their relationship. With this
example, we can move on in Harry Potty.
In the end, we can figure out what
makes a work have a great plot, and apply this to our 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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