24 December 2021, Writing - part xx813 Writing a Novel, Using School Setting Plots in Scenes, Example
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%
So, what is it about writer’s block? Many if not most authors and writers will
complain about writer’s block. When I
was a younger author, I would get writer’s block very often, but I’ve
discovered something very important about writer’s block. Writer’s block is a function of the plot and
not the protagonist. The correction or
resolution of writer’s block comes from centering our writing on the
protagonist instead of the plot. This is
what I’d really like to get into as a topic.
Here is an outline of how we will approach this.
1.
Problems
with a plot focus
2. Correcting with a protagonist focus
3. How to figure out a plot with a protagonist focus
4. Writing development
5. Fixing or blowing through problems with writing
6. How to write to prevent writer’s block
7. The Scene Outline
8. Exercises
9. Examples
10.
Conclusions
The novel is the revelation of the protagonist and the scenes,
not the plots, are the process of that revelation. In fact, the plots are really part of the
scenes. Now, some plots interact beyond
and between one scene, but this is the real point we should address. What really is the plot and how is the plot
connected to the scene and the telic flaw.
I didn’t want to address the scenes yet, so let’s start with
the plot(s). In the first place, we have
a telic flaw. This is the problem the protagonist must resolve. In a comedy, the protagonist overcomes the
telic flaw, while in the tragedy, the telic flaw overcomes the protagonist. Where is the plot? That’s a great question.
Almost every novel is a revelation of the protagonist. The author uses various plots and nudges the
novel toward the telic flaw resolution. What
about these plots, and how can we create, invent, and/or use them?
Except for the protagonist, the telic flaw is the most
important point of any novel. It’s so
important that most people don’t even know what it is, yet it is the key point
of every novel, and as I’ve noted over and over, the telic flaw is a
characteristic of the protagonist. The
protagonist owns the telic flaw. Just
like Harry Potty and Voldermort. Voldermort happens to be the overall
antagonist as well as the telic flaw of all the Harry Potty novels. Then there are the plots.
Now, the plot or plots are the means of the telic flaw
resolution and they are the means of tension and release development in the
scenes. They are also the means of the
development of the rising action to the climax of the novel. They are parts, but look at the other parts.
Mainly, we have the scenes.
The scenes are cohesive parts of a novel. They are the building blocks of a novel. Yes, scenes are made of paragraphs,
sentences, and words, but you can’t have a novel without scenes. As I noted in the outline of writing 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
So, I have a telic flaw, and I know there are scenes. Each scene is filled with tension and
release. The tension and release are the
plot(s). In fact, the tension and
release are the plots. This is the
trick, and this is where we want to go.
We need to develop tension and release in the scenes and this happens to
be the plots.
In the development of a scene, we start with the output of
the previous scene. The author then
needs to design the output of that scene.
For example, in the Harry Potty travel scenes, the output of the
previous scene is that Harry Potty must go from London to Hogwarts. That becomes the input for the travel
scene. The output for the travel scene
is that Harry arrives at Hogwarts.
Anything else is purely for tension and release. The author then provides other plots in the
scene to create tension and release.
The focus of writing any novel is the scene. The scene is all about tension and
release. The tension and release comes
from the plots. This is how we bring the
plots into the scenes and into a novel. This
means that as an author, we have the scene input and output of the scene, we
need to choose plots to then write and install in the scene.
We have five types of plots: overall, achievement, setting,
quality, and item. From these plots, we
note that, in the scene, achievement, quality, and item can be set into many
scenes. Setting can be used as the
setting of the scene, however, there is generally less control over these
plots. In other words, when we move into
the scene, the setting is usually already set.
The other types of plots give us the opportunity to build
tension and release in a scene. In
general, it is difficult to demonstrate this without delving deeply into
examples. Instead, let’s review the
potential plots and see how we might use them.
We choose plots based on three things.
First, is the input and output of the scene. Second, is the telic flaw resolution. Third, is the tension and release of the
scene.
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%
Achievement plots are easy to apply
to scenes and to overall novels. Some
quality plots lend themselves very well to scenes and some do not. Still, just like the achievement plots, we
can pick and choose them based on our overall plot(s) to power the novel and
our scenes. Then, there are setting
plots.
As I mentioned before, we want to
pick our plots first based on the input and output of the scene, second, the
telic flaw resolution, and third, the tension and release of the scene.
Setting plots are based on the
setting of the novel or the scene. Now,
here we have a slight conundrum. There
are obviously some setting plots we might not be able to use in a scene. I will try to place each of them in a scene,
but I can’t guarantee we can be successful.
Let’s look at the school setting
plot. I love the school setting plot
both for novels and for scenes. It is
admittedly more useful for an overall plot, but it can be used effectively in
scenes.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I
should mention it again. Although the
school plot is only found in about 10 percent of the classics, it is a very
popular and effective setting plot. If
you remember there was a time when a very small percent of the population even
went to school. If you are a reader of
Victorian literature, you know that in that period most children were educated at
home and very few went to any kind of school.
It was only after 1850 that education began to become more and more
institutionalized. Before that, the only
institutionalized education was advanced university type education. As people became more and more wealthy and
books became more and more available, all levels of society wanted to improve
the education of their children and to allow them to advance them to a
university education. A university
education increased social degree and wealth.
This is what propelled education in society and obviously in literature.
In literature because it became the
common setting for children, youth, and adults.
Since 1850, the average person attended elementary school, middle, high
school, and in many cases a university or college education. This is a common setting. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that
the most popular setting is the school setting.
Now, we see the school overall
setting as so wonderful that it is used in some of the most popular novels
including Harry Potty. The very idea of
the boarding school setting, a common school setting, is so exciting to the
average person that it’s sold millions of copy.
The school setting is also very popular
in modern classics in all its variants.
When I write all its variants, I mean elementary, middle, high school,
and the university, as well as adult education.
We see the idea of adult education
in Starship Troopers. In this
novel, the education is for boot camp and in officer training. Education permeates Starship Troopers. This novel also gives us an idea about the
use of the school setting plot in scenes.
Now about scenes. Let’s start with the scene outline.
Here is the scene 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
In Starship Troopers, the
overall setting is not school although many of the scenes are about
education.
In the beginning of Starship
Troopers, we see Johnny Rico graduating from high school with a couple of
flashbacks to his high school education.
The overall plot isn’t school, the scene plot setting is school.
After Johnny graduates, he decides
to join civil service and is placed in the Mobile Infantry (MI). That’s when he goes to boot camp and we see
another school setting. Most people love
this part of the novel because it either reminds those who were in the military
of their time, or it reminds those who were not in the military of their
dreams. Every boy dreams of military service. Most people are interested in military ideals
and customs. This is the draw of the
entire idea of the school plot in the classics.
For example, most Americans hove
not been to elementary boarding school, but they are intrigued and interested
in it. Harry Potty gives them a glimpse. Likewise, most people have not been in the
military, but Starship Troopers gives them a glimpse of military life.
Further, using Starship Troopers
as an example for the school setting plot in a scene, we see Johnny Rico
accepted into officer training. He is in
what we would call an Officer’s Candidate School for the MI. This is a scene setting and then we see
Johnny off to his Third Lieutenant training assignment. That is a type of education setting, but not
entirely a school setting.
The difference is really a question
of class size and setting. The school
setting is specifically an institutional idea.
It is also a communal idea. In
other words, the individual might be in an educational scene setting or an overall
educational setting, but without a group at a similar educational level for
training or education or an institution for that education, it really isn’t a
school setting.
I like the school setting both
overall and in scenes. I’ll give you
some examples from my writing.
This scene is from my novel, Ghost
Ship: Regia Anglorum. This is not a
school setting novel, but there are some school setting scenes. This is the first of those scenes. This is the scene where Nikita first goes to
school.
Natana
took Nikita to school during her next second shift transition. Natana left Nikita at the classroom door,
gave her a gentle squeeze, and then went to the bridge to take her position as
Master Astrogator on duty.
When
Nikita entered the classroom, none of the other children had arrived yet. She tried to make herself inconspicuous, but
that was impossible around Master Polar.
The teacher stood at her desk, “Hi, Nikita. I have a desk just for you.”
Nikita’s
eyes brightened.
Master
Polar noted the look on the girl’s face, “Come up here, please.”
Nikita
moved quickly to the front.
Master
Polar pointed to a desk right at the front on the left side. It was turned a little and sat just at the corner
of the shelf and Master Polar’s desk—there were lots of options.
Nikita
stared up at Master Polar.
“I
usually like to mix up the years, but I put you here where you can see the
students and me. The closest person to
you will be Alaina. She’s a sweet
girl. I know this placement is a little
more prominent than you might like, but it puts you close to me, and where I
can see everything. I have a little
warning for you Nikita.”
Nikita
stared at Master Polar.
“You
may be twelve, but the other children are much taller and bigger than you
are. There is always a tendency for them
to pick on smaller children. I try to
nurture and correct that tendency out of them, but it’s still there, none the
less. If you understand this you might
be cautious. Until you make friends, and
you will, you need to realize this. I
will be your advocate—always. Do you
understand?”
Nikita
nodded. She wanted to sit at her desk
and see what was in and on it.
Master
Polar seemed to read her thoughts, “Go ahead.
The other children won’t be here for a few minutes.”
Nikita
ran to her desk and sat in it. She
pulled out her tablet computer and put it on the surface. The tablet immediately connected
electronically to the desk and began to load drivers and programs. Nikita ran through them as they came into her
system. She could interact with the
classroom’s three dimensional printer—a model maker that had made all the
beautiful pieces she so admired in the classroom. She could use the ship’s simulators and some
educational simulators. She could use
the programming resources. She could do
almost anything. She was so caught up in
her exploration, she didn’t notice the children entering the classroom for a
while. The first couple of kids had
entered before she looked up and stared at them. They stared back at her and quietly took
their seats. They were all bigger than
she. She never thought of herself as a
size. She just was, but if these
children who were slowly entering the classroom were nearly the same age as
she, then she was small. The tallest
reached a full head or more higher. All
the girls were taller. The smallest was
a boy who still was about a couple of centimeters higher. Every one of them outweighed her by at least
five or ten kilos.
Nikita
nervously pushed her hair behind her ears.
Master Polar smiled.
All
the children entered without speaking, put away their bags and sat in their
assigned seats. When everyone was seated
a tone announced the beginning of the shift.
Master
Polar walked to the front of the classroom.
Everyone stood and Nikita rushed to get to her feet. The teacher bowed her head and prayed for
their ship, their families, their classroom, and their shift time. She turned to face the Regia Anglorum ship
sigil on the wall. They all recited
together while Nikita listened closely to the words:
“I
pledge my life to my ship Family the Regia Anglorum and my allegiance to the
Confederation of Family Traders, one alliance, under God, indivisible with
liberty and justice for all.”
Then
Master Polar led the class in all the verses of the anthem of the Regia
Anglorum. It was a stirring song about
pirates and the ship and love for the Family.
It started out, “Our great Family, Regia Anglorum, cut from courage,
God’s powerful hand…”
When
they sat down, Nikita noticed the first set of items, Master Polar sent to her
tablet was the pledge, the anthem, with video audio and history of the
ship. She barely had time to glance at
the file names, Master Polar was talking about her, “Now class, today is a very
special day for us and for our new classmate.”
Everyone stared at Nikita, and she blushed. They had been glancing and gazing all along,
but this was their first real chance to get a look at her.
They
saw a slight, very thin girl with huge eyes.
Her face was gaunt and her body under the ship’s suit seemed scrawny. Her eyes seemed even bigger because of the
thinness of her face. Her features
appeared a little like the people in the Family. Her hair was dark and her skin was darkly
tanned. She appeared almost darker than
their space tans. They had never seen
anyone like her, and they continued to stare.
Master
Polar continued, “Our new student is Nikita Protania…”
Nikita
heard all over the classroom whispers, “The Captain…” along with “First
Officer…”
Master
Polar glared a little and the whispers stopped almost immediately, “Nikita
doesn’t know you, and you don’t know her.
Please welcome her and be a friend to her. I assure you, she can help many of you with
your work. Now take out your first
lesson and I will be around in the usual order to help.”
Nikita
was very relieved Master Polar hadn’t said anything else about her. Master Polar came first to Nikita. Nikita’s heart swelled. Master Polar spoke quietly, “Nikita, did you
see your first lesson of the day on your screen?”
Nikita
nodded.
“The
instructions are there too. They are in
the first file. When you open it, it
will explain everything to you. The
protocol in the classroom is not to allow anything audible at your desk. You need to use your earbuds or activate the
privacy circuits on your desk. When a
lesson requires you to speak aloud and it is not for the entire classroom, you
must active your privacy circuit. Do you
understand?”
Nikita
nodded.
“If
you have problems, select my call button on your tablet—it should have
downloaded with the rest of the classroom interactives.” Master Polar left to help another child.
Nikita
smiled brightly. This is exactly what
she wanted and was looking forward to.
She already knew she would love it.
The first assignment was to memorize the anthem and the pledge. Nikita activated the privacy system at her
desk. She could yell as loudly as she
wished and no one else could hear her, or so the desk instructions told
her. She kind of guessed that Master
Polar might be able to check on their individual circuits. The privacy system was a powerful noise
canceling field. She didn’t understand
exactly how it worked, but she would—someday.
Maybe soon.
Nikita
only had to read the pledge and the anthem once. She listened to the song and memorized that
too. She recited and sang them, stored
them, and sent the results to Master Polar’s desk address. The moment she did, a new assignment came
across her tablet. This was one about
higher order mathematics. Nikita had
already learned a lot of algebra and geometry.
They were very available in some of the newspapers and magazines she had
been able to get. This was differentials
and calculus, and she knew right away, she was going to love it. Nikita launched into the math before Master
Polar could get back to her desk. The
teacher took a single look at Nikita and went to help another student.
That’s
how the entire day went and every day.
The lessons came in usually one about the ship or ship board systems,
the next about a general subject like math, science, language, grammar,
history, or reading, then another about the ship and so on. On the first day, Nikita ran out of lessons. That never happened again. She always tried to beat them all, just like
the first day, but she never succeeded.
She was very fast. They had a ten
minute break at the end of the first and ninth hour and the middle of the
fourth hour. The first break was always
to stretch and sing, then they could get a drink and go to the fresher. The songs were great and they appeared on
their tablets. They learned new ones all
the time. The second break was poems,
and the last break again singing.
After
the second hour came the first recess.
Master Polar sent them through the airlock into the recreational area
for thirty minutes. The teacher kept an
electronic eye on them. Lunch and
another recess began in the middle of the fifth hour. It lasted a whole hour until the middle of
the sixth. From the middle of the seventh
hour until the end of the eighth, for a whole hour and a half, was structured
sports and play. They teamed with other
second shift classes with a recreational instructor from services, and Master
Polar had a break.
Nikita’s
problems began at the first recess.
Well, she thought they were problems.
When the tone sounded at the end of the second hour, Master Polar
called, “Time for recess. Everyone line
up at the lock. Use the fresher in
recreation. Everyone out.”
When
Nikita began to pick up her computer, Master Polar tapped Nikita’s desk, “No,
dear, you may not take your computer or other electronics with you to
recess. You must leave it on your
desk. This is time for play and to
socialize with others.”
Nikita
reluctantly nodded and left her precious computer on her desk. She stared wistfully back at it as she cycled
through the lock with about five others.
The
moment Nikita set foot in the recreation wilderness, she almost forgot all
about her computer. There was real grass
beneath her feet. There were artificial
suns in the sky. The weather programming
for the day at this recess was fair and clear.
The sunlight was warm on her skin and she felt marvelous. She never remembered feeling better. She walked a little away from the external
lock and took a long look. In front of
her were playing fields. There were kids
already playing soccer and some other games.
She knew all about soccer from the papers. She thought someone was playing cricket, but
she wasn’t as clear about that game as she was about soccer. The fields were laid out two deep with plenty
of room around them. Some children were
on either end playing with jump ropes and balls. There were swings and playsets. At the far edges of the area were forest and
trees, but there were only a few large trees within the fence around the
fields.
Behind
her, the ceriplast windows gave the appearance of a rock cliff. Everything blended to give the simulation of
an open world and not an artificial one inside a spaceship. But it wasn’t that artificial. The grass and plants were real. She stretched out a probe and didn’t feel any
large or small mammals. She did note
insects flying at the edge of the forest.
She hoped there weren’t any shinobi flies. While she stood there, a couple of the girls
from her class came up to her. One was
the girl Master Polar mentioned who sat close to Nikita, Alaina, and the other
was a younger girl who looked very much like her. Alaina had brown hair that was long and put
up in a single braid. She was much
taller than Nikita and bigger, but she wasn’t fat, she was slender like most of
the Family Traders. The other girl
looked like a smaller version of Alaina; they were even dressed in similar
shipsuits. Alaina stepped right up to
her, “Hi, you’re Nikita, right?”
Nikita
nodded.
“I’m
Alaina Dacre and this is my sister, Gigi.”
Gigi
smiled, “My real name is Georgette, but I like Gigi better.”
Alaina
asked, “Is your dad really the Captain and your mom the First Officer?”
“Well,”
Nikita looked at her feet, “My father is supposed to be Den Protania and my
mother is supposed to be Natana Protania.”
Gigi
stared at her sister, “That’s it then.
She’s the Captain and First Officer’s kid.”
Alaina
twisted her mouth, “What do you mean supposed to be?”
“They
told me I was.”
Gigi
and Alaina turned a puzzled look on Nikita.
Alaina
stared for a moment, “Just how old are you?”
“Dieter
said I was twelve—Natana told me.”
“Wow,
twelve,” Gigi stood straight, “I’m taller than you and I’m eleven.”
Alaina
frowned a little, “You better not let Master Polar hear you call the ship’s
doctor or the First Officer by their first names.”
“Why
not,” Nikita glanced up.
“Master
Polar is a stickler for such things.
It’s Doctor Larsen and First Officer Protania—I guess you could say mom
or mother and that would be all right.
Wait, you’re twelve and our First Officer is nineteen. Wow, you can’t be…”
Gigi
made a face just like Alaina had a moment before, “Our Captain’s only
twenty-two.”
Nikita
stared at them, “How do you know their ages?
And why?”
“It’s
in all the ship’s history holos. Haven’t
you seen them?”
“No,
not yet.”
“Aren’t
you from the Regia…or the Lamb?”
“What’s
the Lamb?”
Gigi
had just studied this subject less than a seven-day ago, “The Lamb is the
Twilight Lamb. That’s the ship that
sponsored this one. Our Captain and
First Officer were great heroes on that ship, and they were put in charge of
our ship. I think they are so
wonderful. Our First Officer was the
youngest Master in the history of the fleet.”
Alaina
wasn’t to be outdone, “And our Captain is a Master in three fields. No one has ever accomplished that before.”
Gigi
continued, “I read they were both studying in Security on the Lamb too before
they came to the Regia.”
“So…,
Nikita,” Alaina resumed expectantly, “We didn’t come from the Lamb either. Our mother and father were born on the Family
Trader, Shadowed Vale, but it was overcrowded.
We were born on Lojirne while our parents waited for a new berth. Our mother is Doctor Dacre…”
“She’s
a journeyman,” Gigi interjected.
“Our
father is a journeyman in Engineering.
So, what ship did you come from?”
“I
didn’t come from a ship.”
“Really?”
both Alaina and Gigi were all ears.
“I
came from El Rashad.”
“No
way.”
“But
I did.”
“I
believe you, but that is so exciting.
That means you are adopted. I’ve
never met someone who was adopted before.
That means you are very special.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,”
Gigi took a step forward, “The only way to get accepted onto a ship from
outside of the Family is by test and trial or by adoption. Test and trial is very difficult, but
adoption means you are so special, no one could question your skill.”
“What’s
your year level, anyway?” Alaina asked.
“Master
Polar said I was thirteenth year.”
Gigi
and Alaina glanced at one another, “Adopted, thirteenth year, Master Polar said
you could help others in the class.
You’re kind of small—put it all together.”
“Yeah,”
Gigi giggled, “That means you are one of the specials and you can be part of
our club.”
“What’s
a special and what’s your club?”
Alaina
put her finger on her nose, “We aren’t supposed to know, but Gigi hacked into
the school’s computer system last year.”
“Yeah,”
the smaller girl whispered, “that’s why I’m a special.”
“The
records for most of the kids in our triple say they are specials and even lists
why. We asked a few of the girls to
join—no boys in our club. You have to be
a special, and you have to be well, special.”
“Do
you think I’m a special?”
“You’re
the Captain’s and First Officer’s daughter and you are adopted—that’s plenty
special.” Alaina put her fists on her
hips and glanced knowingly at her sister again.
“I
can be in your club?”
“Yeah,”
Gigi cried.
Nikita
drew the back of her hand over her eyes, “Thanks.”
Alaina
frowned, “Wow, we didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“I’m
not sad. I just never had any friends
before—except one.”
“Never?”
Nikita
shook her head. “Why are you a special,
Alaina?”
“I
have this thing for medical science.
Sometimes, Doctor Larsen lets me work in the sickbay. I’m really good at diagnostics and
stuff. I want to be a Ship’s Doctor like
my mom.”
A
tone rang out over the recreation area.
Gigi
and Alaina gestured toward Nikita, “Come on, recess is over.”
The
three girls cycled through the lock together.
This is a really fun scene. I would like to give you more, but tomorrow,
I’ll pass on a school setting scene from my novel, Essie: Enchantment and
the Aos Si.
We’ll look at the next setting plot
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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