2 October 2021, Writing - part xx730 Writing a Novel, Using Plots and Plotline
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.
For Novel 32: Shiggy
Tash finds a lost girl in the isolated Scottish safe house her organization
gives her for her latest assignment: Rose Craigie has nothing, is alone, and
needs someone or something to rescue and acknowledge her as a human being.
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 becomes inevitable in the climax.
There is much more to this.
I evaluated the plots from the list of 112 classics 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.
I looked at each novel and pulled out the plot types, the telic flaw, plotline,
and the theme of the novel. I didn’t make a list of the themes, but we
identified the telic flaw as internal and external and by plot type. This
generally gives the plotline.
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%
Previously, I defined creativity and how to build and apply
it. The trick now is how to use
creativity to develop the telic flaw and the plot(s). I write plot(s) because we determined that
there is no novel with a singular plot.
Plots come in all shapes and sizes that we an apply in all kinds of ways
to our writing.
So, we would like to aim for a youthful, beautiful, and
intelligent protagonist in a young adult setting and telic flaw. The best way to approach this is to start with
a Romanic protagonist profile and them build a protagonist from it. This would be my usual approach, but I’m
going to do this a little differently this time.
Let’s start with our young adult. Make him or her a reasonable age—say
fifteen. That’s young enough to appeal to
the youth crowd and old enough to project an adultlike presence and
actions.
We really need a special skill. Let’s make that special skill solving
mysteries. He or she is fond of reading
and studying mysteries and wants to solve mysteries. This pretty much requires that he or she
loves to read and study. You can do
whatever you want with this protagonist from an academic standpoint. For example, your protagonist might love to
read and study mysteries but nothing else.
Their study and grades are falling because they aren’t applying
themselves. This could be a great
redemption plot—the character needs to learn to apply themselves to other
important subjects because it makes them a better mystery solver. I can even see how I would set that up.
Let’s make them poor and living in a poor bookstore. The sales barely pay the bills, but they
do. Our protagonist loves to read the
odd and esoteric books in the store.
They have a wealth of books, but not much else. Perhaps their mother is dead and the father
lives above the store with the protagonist.
The protagonist has their own room an old closet with just enough room
for a camp cot. The rest of the upstairs
rooms are filled with books.
Let’s make our protagonist a girl. It could just as easily be a boy, but a girl
gives us more pathos. In addition, I’m
already seeing a wonderful telic flaw.
Let’s set the store in England.
Now, if I were actually writing this novel, I’d have to research the
exact place for this store. The store,
family, father, and protagonist need a name.
We need to create these.
Working in a bookstore, our protagonist discovers a book
with an inscription that is readable, but not understandable. The book came from the library of a once
wealthy family from the countryside.
That family was aristocratic and still has a title, but they are in debt
and are doing everything they can to retain their property. Unfortunately, they’ve sold much of what was
in the house—thus the book with the cryptic inscription.
The mystery is this inscription. Let’s have our protagonist go visit the girl
in the once wealthy family to discuss the book.
The really fun part of this is that once wealthy girl is as poor as the
bookseller’s daughter. The only thing
she has remaining is her pride and title.
However, this girl is lonely and is longing for a friend.
I left up the basics about the protagonist. I haven’t fully developed this
protagonist. She needs a name and a
background. Both seem delectable to
design, but we don’t need much more to continue. We have a setting, a protagonist, a telic
flaw, and at this point we need an initial scene.
If you look back at my notes above, here is what I recommend
for the initial scene of any novel.
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
I really should develop more of the protagonist and the
protagonist’s helper so I don’t have to just refer to them as the protagonist
and the protagonist’s helper. Here is a
potential theme statement for this novel:
Impoverished protagonist, the daughter of a bookseller,
discovers a family heirloom from illusively wealthy protagonist’s helper; they make
waves and turn society on its head while seeking the answer to a mystery that
might release them both from drudgery.
Okay, this is a little overwrought for a theme statement,
but it’s a great one to work with. We
can do a lot with this. I didn’t even
mention a theme or a theme statement.
Let me remind you, I’m not an advocate of the idea of the theme in writing. I’m not certain anyone can really define, use,
or even describe a theme such that it is worthwhile in fiction writing. For example, what would you say the “theme”
is for the novel I’m proposing?
Right, there is none.
Even the idea of setting some theme on the top of this fun and
entertaining sounding novel makes me unhappy.
Love, hate, cultural war, social injustice, and all sound like proselytizing
to me. Let’s not ever have any
proselytizing in any novel. Novels are
all about entertainment and not preaching.
If you want to preach, write a sermon.
But, a theme statement is useful because it allows us to focus and
define our writing. Here’s what I’m
thinking.
Look at the theme statement and review what I’ve written
already about these characters and the telic flaw. Already, I’m building some detail in the
potential story or plotline. Perhaps I
should explain what a story or plotline are.
We know that every novel is filled with many different plots. Just look at the list above from the
classics. I pulled out every plot and
plot type. Every novel is filled with different
plots—there is a continuous and central plot or idea, the telic flaw resolution
in every novel, but this is usually more complex than most plots. If you look at the theme statement I wrote
for this novel, you can see where I’m going.
The mystery involves some valuable thing likely hidden in
the estate or house of the protagonist’s helper. The point is to expand this into a full on
and full out 100,000 word or so novel.
The implication is that the resolution of the telic flaw will solve some
of the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper’s life problems. We know the protagonist is impoverished due
to the state of her father’s business.
She is also an introverted girl, but she wants to have friends.
The protagonist’s helper is isolated due to class and her
personality, but she is equally in some degree of poverty due to her family’s position
and lack of wealth. This is what I want
to do with the plotline and the storyline.
I also want to develop some plots for these characters. Let’s see what we can do.
I’m leaving up my notes.
I hope I’m not confusing you. I really should have left up the whole set
of notes. I need to transfer them to a
file because this is really good stuff.
This happens to me all the time. You really shouldn’t tempt me to develop
protagonists—when I do, I get a great idea for a novel. It happens all the time. This sounds exactly like the kind of novel I’d
like to write. Let’s look at plots and
storylines.
The main storyline or what I call the plotline is the telic
flaw and its resolution. The telic flaw deals
with the book, its inscription, and the mystery behind it. I really haven’t fully defined any of this,
because I don’t need to yet. I suspect
this will develop a very complex mystery and problem all on its own. The trick is to encircle the plotline with a
series of plots and their scenes to make up a really great novel. I think you can see where the plots start.
Just from the beginning, we have:
Overall (o)
1. Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 – 49% -
Yes sir’re. We have a physical
redemption of our protagonist and our protagonist’s helper. This is all about changing them to become
better and greater people.
2. Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60% - The
revelation will be the lives of the protagonist and the protagonist’s
helper. I think this by itself will be
enough, but there is also the revelation of the mystery.
3. Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43 – 73% - the achievement plot is the mystery
solution. This is also the telic flaw resolution,
but we shall do much more this it.
Achievement (a)
1. Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e – 51% -
Yes, this is a mystery plot.
2. Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e, 45 – 46%
- I’m not sure if I want to set this plot on the characters, but it is available.
3. Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26% - you betcha. Both the protagonist and the protagonist’s
helper need to become heroes. If we can
lift them both from isolation to friends and girls of some status, that is the
goal.
4. Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37% - I’m not sure I
want to cloud the novel with romance. It’s
always an option, but I think our girls have enough on their backs. They consider themselves not in the “in”
crowd.
5. Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23% - Oh, yeah,
this is a coming of age novel big time.
6. Progress of technology (a) – 6 – 5% - Not so
much.
7. Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54% - Oh yeah, the
discoveries they will make will be amazing.
8. Money (a) – 2e, 26 – 25% - Money will be a
chief driver for them both—they’re both poor.
9. Spoiled child (a) – 7 – 6% - I would like to
play this to a degree with the protagonist’s helper.
10. Legal (a) – 5 – 4% - This is always an option based on the
mystery.
11. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16% - Nope, or perhaps the mystery might
include this as a problem.
12. Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13% - Oh yeah, with coming of
age comes self-discovery.
13. Guilt or Crime (a) – 32 – 29% - Perhaps with the mystery.
14. Proselytizing (a) – 4 – 4% - nope.
15. Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10% - Yes, that’s always a feature and
plot in my novels.
16. Escape (a) – 1ie, 23 – 21% - Maybe.
17. Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23% - Definitely. Our aristocrat must have some skills that
makes her useful to the pair.
Communication and knowledge are those skills.
18. Secrets (a) – 21 – 19% - Oh yeah, big time secrets.
Quality (q)
1. Messiah (q) – 10 – 9% - Nope.
2. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16% - Nope.
3. Rejected love (rejection) (q) – 1ei, 21 –
20% - Maybe in the mystery.
4. Miscommunication (q) – 8 – 7% - Yeah, this
is always a good plot.
5. Love triangle (q) – 14 – 12% - Nah.
6. Betrayal (q) – 1i, 1ie, 46 – 43% - Perhaps,
but not from our protagonist or protagonist’s helper
7. Blood will out or fate (q) –1i, 1e, 26 – 25%
- Nope except perhaps in the mystery.
8. Psychological (q) –1i, 45 – 41% - Oh yeah,
always a good add.
9. Magic (q) – 8 – 7% - Nah.
10. Mistaken identity (q) – 18 – 16% - Perhaps.
11. Illness (q) – 1e, 19 – 18% - Perhaps.
12. Anti-hero (q) – 6 – 5% - Nope.
13. Immorality (q) – 3i, 8 – 10% - perhaps in the mystery.
14. Satire (q) – 10 – 9% - Nope.
15. Camaraderie (q) – 19 – 17% - Oh yeah.
16. Curse (q) – 4 – 4% - Perhaps in the mystery.
17. Insanity (q) – 8 – 7% - Perhaps in the mystery.
18. Mentor (q) – 12 – 11% - Perhaps.
Setting (s)
1. End of the World (s) – 3 – 3% - Nope.
2. War (s) – 20 – 18% - Nope.
3. Anti-war (s) –2 – 2% - Nope.
4. Travel (s) –1e, 62 – 56% - Yeah, but only locally
and perhaps to London Town.
5. Totalitarian (s) – 1e, 8 – 8% - Nope.
6. Horror (s) – 15 – 13% - Yeah a bit.
7. Children (s) – 24 – 21% - Nope – unless we
bring in siblings.
8. Historical (s) – 19 – 17% - Yeap, we need a
historical mystery if at all possible.
9. School (s) – 11 – 10% - Oh yeah. We want the school situation and conflict.
10. Parallel (s) – 4 – 4% - Probably not.
11. Allegory (s) – 10 – 9% - Nope.
12. Fantasy world (s) – 5 – 4% - Nope, unless it’s in the
mystery.
13. Prison (s) – 2 – 2% - I suspect not.
Item (i)
1. Article
(i) – 1e, 46 – 42% - Oh yeah, we already have the
book.
So how shall we write this novel. Basically, with a protagonist, a protagonist’s
helper, a telic flaw, and an initial scene, where do we go. I’d say we have everything we need to write a
novel, and here’s how we do it.
First, we have the required items, a protagonist, setting,
and telic flaw. Second, we have the
writing requirements an initial scene. The initial scene is the protagonist
going to visit the protagonist’s helper.
The output from this scene will determine the next scene. Let’s just make some output. Say, the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper
agree to work together and agree to meet after school at the bookstore. This is the expected next scene.
At the beginning, we are just beginning the revelation and
starting the novel. We don’t need a huge
plot or scene tension. We could
introduce one. We have the book—that is
a direct article plot. This is what I’d
want to do. First, during the initial scene
or the scene right after it, I’d like to have them discover a copy of the inscription
somewhere on the estate. This requires
we reveal the inscription. I haven’t
decided on or developed an inscription.
That’s another step in the novel plot development. This is a discovery plot. The trick is that both the estate and the
book store give us opportunities for discovery and secrets.
I’d also like to bring in a school plot, especially a
negative school plot that gives either the protagonist or the protagonist’s
helper the opportunity to defend and help the other. It would be very good to introduce a betrayal
and revenge plot. For example, due to
the protagonist’s helper’s attention to the protagonist, the snooty girls do
something untoward to either of them and they retaliate with a bit of soft
revenge.
We also need to have the girls doing something chummy together
such as shopping and messing about. This
would allow them to discus and dialog about the mystery.
It would also be nice to connect them to my world of
espionage and intelligence in the British government by some personal
connection. I’m thinking perhaps through
the protagonist’s helper’s family.
In general, there are many ways to write this story. The trick is really how the author wants to
portray the characters and the circumstance.
I have a certain style and feel in my novels, and that’s the way I would
develop and write it. Perhaps, that is a
good next subject to look at.
Let’s see how style and feel can affect the approach,
tomorrow.
In the end, we can figure out what makes a work have a great
plot and theme, 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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