27 December 2021, Writing - part xx816 Writing a Novel, Using Parallel Setting Plots in Scenes, Example One
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.
|
|
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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 parallel setting
plot. The parallel setting plot is found
in only 4 percent of the classics. This
isn’t a problem with the classics or the parallel plot. You might ask the question, what is a
parallel plot?
The parallel plot is where the
author writes a parallel to another work.
It is usually a figure of speech and not necessarily a plot. It becomes a plot when the author develops
either a character, a scene, or a setting from another piece of art or
literature. I’m trying to figure out an
example from a common piece of literature or a classic.
Here’s a simple one. Not a classic, but The Life of Brian
was a parallel to the historical accounts of Jesus Christ. My novel, Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon,
is a semi-allegory of The Book of Tobit.
It is a parallel of The Book of Tobit. In general, a parallel is very similar to
an allegory. The difference is that an
allegory usually has no untidy ends—each character, setting, and scene fits the
allegory. In a parallel, the original can
be easily seen, but the ends are untidy.
There isn’t a one to one fit.
In addition, The Life of Brian
is definitely a parallel. Even if each
of the elements fit perfectly in The Life of Brian, the purpose of the
parallel, in this case is comedy as a reflection of the involuntary prophet
Brian.
This covers the parallel as an
overall idea, but what about in a scene?
Can we use the parallel setting plot in a scene? The answer is yes.
Let’s start with 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
If you notice, the parallel
requires setting, a character, or a situation that is parallel to another piece
of literature or art (take your pick).
Now pick a character, a setting, or a situation to parallel.
Let’s say we want to parallel a
character, then pick an obvious one. Let’s
say we choose someone from history—that’s a parallel. It is also a historical plot. How about more to literature. Let’s choose, Ebenezer Scrooge, or how about
Elizabeth Bennet, or Jane Eyre. Just
take one of these characters. You can
dress them in the clothing of your novel and time, but make their words and
their actions match the character.
Scrooge might declare, “Humbug,” concerning Christmas. Elizabeth might want to take a walk after
dinner. Jane might hide behind the
curtains. The point is to take a character
and use that character for some specific purpose in a scene. What purpose?
I don’t know. It depends on the
novel. I’ll try to get you some examples
from my writing.
You can do the same thing with
situations and places or settings. For example,
what about using Privat Lane and noting a fat boy and a skinny one chasing one
another. The skinny one has a wand in
his hand. Or you could pick a house of a
mansion from another piece of writing for a scene setting. We only do this when we need to.
As I noted, I’ll try to find some
examples from my writing and explain them to you.
The first example comes from my
novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. Take a look and I’ll explain at the end.
Suddenly, a great roar filled the small
room. A hot sulfurous wind rushed
through the place. There was a dark
flash then a scream like the sound of metal cutting metal, and across the room,
beside the fireplace stood a large black shape.
Dobrushin clasped Aksinya closer, and she
could feel him tremble.
The demon looked them both up and down and
laughed, “Be very afraid.” He sniffed,
“What do we have here? I should have
guessed as much. The contract called me
because of this. I knew your lust would
eventually be your undoing.”
Aksinya pushed back a little from Dobrushin,
“There is no question of lust here. This
is my husband, Dobrushin Sergeevich Lopuhin.”
“Your
husband?” The demon cackled. “He is not your husband yet. Not until he beds you. Haven’t you heard what Solomon wrote about
me? That I am always hatching
plots against newlyweds; I mar the beauty of virgins and cause their hearts to
grow cold. Plus, you are contracted to
me. You can’t be the crown of any man
while I hold your surety.”
Dobrushin’s
voice was strangely calm though Aksinya could feel his hands shake as he held
her, “Demon, the surety of the Princess Aksinya is being consumed. You must return hers and release her to
me. I claim her in the name of the Lord
God Almighty.”
Asmodeus
spat, “That isn’t that guy’s name. I
know that guy’s name. You must properly
invoke it or your claims are void.”
“You
lie, Asmodeus. I know God. The hearts of men cry out His name because he
is just and merciful.”
Asmodeus
took a step toward them, “You forget, puny man.
I have been here before—many times.
I killed Sarah’s seven betrothed one after the other so none were left.”
Aksinya
yelled, “But you couldn’t murder Tobias.”
The
demon snarled, “Do you think this man is like Tobias? Tobias had an angel to help him. This man is nothing. I will kill him as easily as you crush an
insect under your foot. As easily as you
beat the Lady Natalya. As easily as you
tried to seduce, Ernst von Taaffe.”
Aksinya
put out her hand, “I am forgiven those sins, and you may not murder my beloved,
because he is innocent.”
Asmodeus
howled, “No man is innocent. Especially
one who is about to rob you of your virtue.”
“He
is my husband. I gladly give him
everything.”
“Your
betrothed until he takes your virginity.
But he can’t have you because you are betrothed to me.”
“My
surety…”
The
demon took a sniff. He glanced around,
“Your surety.” He stared at the
heart-shaped necklace in the incense and his eye twitched. Already the flames licked around it. Already it blackened and glowed. Aksinya could detect a smell unlike the
frankincense. It was a smell like fresh
caviar, but sweeter. It was the sweetest
scent Aksinya had ever known.
Asmodeus
cried out, “I haven’t much time.” He
snarled again and took a step toward Dobrushin, “You, man, shall die.” He raised his arm and rushed at
Dobrushin. Dobrushin stuck out his arms
to protect himself.
At
the last moment, Aksinya grabbed for the demon.
She jumped forward and interposed her body between the demon and the
man. Asmodeus claws bit deeply into
her. They cut across her thin body and
through her dress, through her skin, through her bones.
A
veil of blood rose in the air between the demon and the girl. Aksinya gave a single gurgling scream and
collapsed to the floor. The demon
cringed back. He leapt again to the side
of the fireplace.
Dobrushin
cried out. He knelt beside Aksinya and
lifted her head and shoulders in his arms.
Her
lips trembled. Her face contorted in
pain, “There, demon, you are in default.
You cannot harm me, yet you have murdered me.”
Asmodeus
brought his hands to his face. His
features displayed an appearance that had never been there before. He glanced all around.
Aksinya’s
breath came in whispers, “You must return my surety. You must release me. I am truly God’s now and not yours.”
The
demon shrieked and was suddenly gone.
The incense sputtered then flared up.
The charm within it fell to ashes.
Aksinya’s hair suddenly became a single long braid down her back.
Dobrushin
clasped her in his arms.
Aksinya
weakly lifted her hand to the side of his face, “You need not shed tears for
me, my beloved, because you released me from the demon.”
Dobrushin
held her more tightly, “I can’t let you go so easily.”
“Don’t
let go of me, just hold me until I breathe my last. I’m cold already.”
Dobrushin
put his face next to hers and sobbed into her hair, “Please God, don’t take
this wonderful woman from me yet. She is
the only one of her kind on your earth.
She was innocent and betrayed by a creature of darkness.”
“Not
innocent,” Aksinya coughed, “Only forgiven.”
Blood trickled from her lips down the side of her face.
“Please,
dear God, she was forgiven. She is your
child.”
A
bright light flashed in the room followed by a low tone like a bell, and
another being stood near the fireplace.
Aksinya
shuddered, “Did the demon return?”
The
creature was tall and bright. Its
features were so bright they were difficult to discern in the darkened
room. Still the being seemed to smile,
“Do not be afraid.”
Aksinya’s
voice came lower, “It is an angel. I can
tell.”
The
angel bowed to them, “Princess Aksinya, Dobrushin Lopuhin, I am the angel Raphael. I’m sorry I’m late, but Upper Egypt is much
further from here than it was from
Dobrushin cried
out, “Can’t you see she is dying. Heal
her. Please, in God’s name, heal her.”
Aksinya touched
Dobrushin’s face again, “My love, angels can’t heal, only God can do that.”
Raphael opened his
hands and smiled again, “Only God can heal.
Or that other thing.”
Aksinya’s eyes
fluttered. She whispered, “I have
renounced sorcery. I would rather die
than ever use it again.”
Raphael glowed
brighter, “In that case, I am allowed to reverse some of the actions of that
demon in the world. He should never have
been able to harm you, Princess Aksinya.”
The angel stepped closer to her.
Dobrushin raised
his hopeless face to Raphael, “Please help her.”
“I’ll do better than that. Just as her surety returned with the end of
her contract, so the spiritual and physical injury caused by that creature can
be removed.” Raphael held his hands over
Aksinya, “In the name of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Remove the marks of Satan from this woman,
your servant, Princess Aksinya.”
“Please, God,” cried Dobrushin.
Immediately the horrible wounds across
Aksinya’s body sealed. As thought time
turned back, from left to right, her flesh stitched together and the blood
returned to her veins. Her face became
less pale and her breathing returned to normal.
In moments, she lay peacefully in Dobrushin’s arms. Her lips turned up in a gentle smile. Her dress still bore the claw marks of the
demon. Her pale flesh showed through it.
Raphael shrugged, “I could not do anything
about the dress. It is fully
corporeal.” He stood and backed toward
the fireplace, “That creature will not bother you again. I bound him for a time, and he shall not be
released again until that time shall pass.
Ensure you do marry her tonight, otherwise I can’t be responsible for
what might occur.”
“I have married her.”
Raphael
smiled, “Until you are one, there is no marriage in the eyes of God.” With a flash and a low gonglike sound, the
angel was gone.
In this example from Aksinya:
Enchantment and the Daemon, we see the climax of the novel. I mentioned that this is a semi-allegory of The
Book of Tobit from the Apocrypha.
The demon Asmodeus prevented Sarah from consummating her marriage to seven
men and tried to stop Tobias in the same way.
Only, Tobias was being helped by the angel Raphael. Raphael had Tobias take a certain organ from
a fish and burn it in incense. That
prevented Asmodeus from murdering him.
Then Raphael bound the demon Asmodeus.
You can see the above scene is a parallel
to the similar scene in The Book of Tobit. This scene is setup entirely through the almost
123,000 word novel. As I noted, this is
the climax of the novel. The scene is
modified for many reasons from the original, and gains its own originality and
creativity from this difference. At the
same time, those who are familiar with The Book of Tobit or not, can get
an appreciation for the historical and literary power in using a tale from the ear
before Christ.
Parallels are powerful and
fun. I’ll show you another one from my
novel Escape from Freedom tomorrow.
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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