15 November 2022, Writing - part xxx139 Writing a Novel, A New Romantic Protagonist, Background and Name
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: Let me tell
you a little about writing. Writing
isn’t so much a hobby, a career, or a pastime.
Writing is a habit and an obsession.
We who love to write love to write.
If you love
to write, the problem is gaining the skills to write well. We want to write well enough to have others
enjoy our writing. This is
important. No one writes just for
themselves the idea is absolutely irrational and silly. I can prove why.
In the first
place, the purpose of writing is communication—that’s the only purpose. Writing is the abstract communication of the
mind through symbols. As time goes by,
we as writers gain more and better tools and our readers gain more and better
appreciation for those tools and skills—even if they have no idea what they
are.
We are in
the modern era. In this time, the action
and dialog style along with the push of technology forced novels into the form
of third person, past tense, action and dialog style, implying the future. This is the modern style of the novel. I also showed how the end of literature
created the reflected worldview. We have
three possible worldviews for a novel: the real, the reflected, and the
created. I choose to work in the
reflected worldview.
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.
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.
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.
With that said, where should we go? Should I delve into ideas and creativity
again, or should we just move into the novel again? Should I develop a new protagonist, which, we
know, will result in a new novel. I’ve
got an idea, but it went stale. Let’s
look at the outline for a novel again:
1.
The initial scene
2.
The rising action scenes
3.
The climax scene
4.
The falling action scene(s)
5.
The dénouement
scene(s)
The initial scene is the most important scene and part of
any novel. To get to the initial scene,
you don’t need a plot, you need a protagonist.
Let’s be very clear.
You can start with a plot, a protagonist, an idea, or an idea for an
initial scene. The easiest and most
controlled method is to start with a protagonist. As I’ve written over and over, a protagonist
must come with a telic flaw. I think it
is impossible to have a protagonist without a telic flaw, but I suppose you
could develop a completely lackluster protagonist without any telic flaw
connected to them.
Here is my list for the characteristics of a Romantic
protagonist. I am not very happy with
most of the lists I have found. So, I
will start with a classic list from the literature and then translate them to
what they really mean. This is the
refined list. Take a look.
1. Some power or ability outside the norm of society that
the character develops to resolve the telic flaw.
2. Set of beliefs (morals and ideals) that are different
than normal culture or society’s.
3. Courageous
4. Power (skills and abilities) and leadership that are
outside of the normal society.
5. Introspective
6. Travel plot
7. Melancholy
8. Overwhelming desire to change and grow—to develop four
and one.
9. Pathos developed because the character does not fit the
cultural mold. From the common.
10. Regret when they can’t follow their own moral compass.
11. Self-criticism when they can’t follow their own moral
compass.
12. Pathos bearing because he or she is estranged from
family or normal society by death, exclusion for some reason, or self-isolation
due to three above.
13. From the common and potentially the rural.
14. Love interest
Here is the protagonist development list. We are going to use this list to develop a
Romantic protagonist. With the following
outline in mind, we will build a Romantic protagonist. However, I’m going to ignore the first
step. Instead of starting with an
initial scene, I’m just going to design a Romantic protagonist. Then we may apply the outline to them.
1.
Define the initial scene
2. At the same time as the above—fit a protagonist into the
initial scene. That means the minimum
of:
a.
Telic flaw
b.
Approximate age
c.
Approximate social degree
d.
Sex
3. Refine the protagonist
a.
Physical description
b.
Background – history of the
protagonist
i. Birth
ii. Setting
iii. Life
iv. Education
v. Work
vi. Profession
vii. Family
c.
Setting – current
i. Life
ii. Setting
iii. Work
d.
Name
4. Refine the details of the protagonist
a.
Emotional description (never to be
shared directly)
b.
Mental description (never to be
shared directly)
c.
Likes and dislikes (never to be
shared directly)
5. Telic flaw resolution
a.
Changes required for the protagonist
to resolve the telic flaw
i. Physical changes
ii. Emotional changes
iii. Mental changes
b.
Alliances required for the
protagonist to resolve the telic flaw
c.
Enemies required for the protagonist
to resolve the telic flaw
d.
Plots required for the protagonist
to resolve the telic flaw
e.
Obstacles that must be overcome for
the protagonist to resolve the telic flaw
Here’s what I want to do or how I want to place these on a
protagonist. Let’s clean them up a
little and begin to evaluate a protagonist.
I gave you the basics of a Romanic protagonist. Now, I want to begin to make this protagonist. As you can see from the protagonist development
outline, we need to define the initial scene.
To get to a great initial scene, I need to think about it
and imagine it a little. I also need to research
the setting and the characters. That’s
next.
I’ll show you my steps in researching and developing the
details so I can write an initial scene. These are the steps we looked at before:
a.
Setting – current
i. Life
ii. Setting
iii. Work
We have a place that I like and want to use. Next we need more on the Romantic protagonist
and the protagonist’s helper.
a.
Physical description
b.
Background – history of the
protagonist
i.
Birth
ii.
Setting
iii.
Life
iv.
Education
v.
Work
vi.
Profession
vii.
Family
c.
Setting – current
i.
Life
ii.
Setting
iii.
Work
d.
Name
I have in mind a physical description, but it isn’t very
special. Our Romantic protagonist will
not be a beauty or an unusual looking person.
I’ll put in something that defines her physically to stand out, but I
plan this book girl to be as common as common can be. That has been her problem from the beginning. She is too common for a person as special as
she is.
This, by the way, is the reader’s dream. Readers believe with all their hearts that
they are special inside and all they need is some small change or just recognition
to make them very special in the world. This
is the conceit of the modern world. People long for their moment of special. What readers like more than anything is someone
who really is special and somehow, while on the down low, making great waves in
the world. This is what we will do with
book girl.
We can’t keep calling her book girl. Although I’m not really ready to name her
yet, I think I will and the protagonist’s helper. How do we go about naming a protagonist?
Here’s how I do it.
In the first place, I want the name to reflect the person. We have a setting, Scotland and Bridge of
Earn. Let’s start with searching for common
and uncommon Scottish names on the internet.
Here’s what I found and here’s what I like. For the protagonist:
100. Shaw originates from the Gaelic word Sithech, meaning
"wolf".
Why do I like this?
First, it is a Scottish name. Not
super common, but relatively common.
Number 100 on the list. What I
really like is the Gaelic connections and the meaning. I have not worked out the connections to the
supernatural in this novel, but I’d like to include something. I’d really like to bring my shapeshifter
characters into this somehow. Having
some connection with the protagonist through their name and history would be
very nice. I think I’ll go with this
name for the protagonist’s family name.
For the protagonist’s helper:
51. McLean is an Anglicized last name derived from the Gaelic word Mac
Giolla Eoin, meaning "son of the servant of Eoin".
The reason I like this name is that it is more common than
that of the protagonist—thus we have some irony. The protagonist’s helper is supposed to be
wealthy and special, but she is now impoverished and needy. Thus the second part is even more
ironic. The name means the son of the
servant of Eoin. Eoin means John and is
a Biblical reference. Thus our
protagonist’s helper by her name is supposed to be the offspring of a servant of
a great apostle. I like this irony and
this is exactly what I intend to make the protagonist’s helper in this novel.
Now to the first names.
The best way to determine first names in a novel is with the
setting and the time (part of the setting).
I look up the most common names for the place and the time. Let’s do that.
Siobhán is a female given name of Irish origin.
The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the
Irish spelling but omitting the Síneadh fada acute
accent over the 'a'), Shevaun and Shivaun.[1] A
now uncommon spelling variant is Siubhán.[2][3]
It is derived from the Anglo-Norman Jehane and Jehanne[4][5] (Modern
French Jeanne), which were introduced into
Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in the Middle Ages.[5] The
name first appears in the surviving Irish annals in
the early fourteenth century.[6]
The name is thus a cognate of
the Welsh Siân and the English Joan,[4][7] derived
from the Latin Ioanna and Iohanna (modern
English Joanna, Joanne), which are in turn from
the Greek Iōanna (Ἰωάννα). This Greek name
is a feminine form of the Greek Iōannēs (Ἰωάννης),[7] which
is in turn a shortened form of the Hebrew Johanan[8] (יוֹחָנָן Yôḥānān, a shortened form of יְהוֹחָנָן Yəhôḥānān), meaning 'God is gracious', and origin of the masculine
name John and its cognates.[citation
needed]
The popularity of the actress Siobhán McKenna (1923–1986) helped the
resurgence of the name in the 20th century.[9]
The Scottish Gaelic form of the name is Siobhàn,[10][2][11] (which
is sometimes anglicised Judith).[12]
The male Irish forms
of the name are Seán and Eóin.
I like this name for many reasons. The first is that it is exotically Scottish
and Gaelic. It comes from Ireland, but
the basis is also Scottish Gaelic and the meaning matches exactly what I want. It’s basic meaning and God is gracious, but
that matches to the name John. I like
this name for the meaning, sound, and unusualness, but the way it fits with the
protagonist’s helper is perfect.
The protagonist’s helper’s surname is to be McLean—the son
of the servant of John. If the protagonist’s
name essentially means John, then our protagonist’s helper is the offspring of
the servant of John. I don’t pitch fate
in any of my novels, but this is just too good to leave on the cutting
floor. This makes my protagonist’s name
to be:
Siobhàn Shaw – the name has a nice mouth feel. The pronunciation
of Siobhàn is “Shivaun” and the anglicization is Judith. I like this for many reasons.
Now for the protagonist’s helper:
I found the name Morven—it is an unusual but classically
Scottish name. It has some other
interesting connections, but let’s just look at the basics:
The different meanings of the name
Morven are:
·
Celtic - Gaelic meaning: Lives by the sea
·
Scottish meaning: big peak, big gap, a Scottish region
·
English meaning: Child of the sea
Additional information: From the Scottish Gaelic Mhor "big" + bheinn "peak" or bhairne "gap". Also the name of the area
of Morvern in north Argyll, Scotland, which is known in Gaelic as Mhorbhairne
and the name of a mountain in northern Scotlan.
In literature, it was used as the name of Fingal's
kingdom in James Macpherson's poems.
If we take this name for the protagonist’s helper, we have:
Morven McLean – I didn’t mean for the alliteration in the names
of both the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper, but there it is. The meaning for this name is roughly, a
Scottish place and kingdom plus the son of the servant of John. Thus we have a fixture and a strong connection
to the protagonist even if it is simply a family name.
In addition, doesn’t Morven sound like a girl who is a
little bad, but could be good. I need to
look for nicknames for these two. I’ll
think about it—we need ones for the normies to use to heckle them and their
friends and others to properly address them.
There is much more we can define for the protagonist and the
protagonist’s helper about their lives, setting, and work, but we shall move on
from here.
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
fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline,
character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing,
information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic
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