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Friday, February 10, 2023

Writing - part xxx225 Writing a Novel, A New Male Romantic Protagonist, Physical Description

10 February 2023, Writing - part xxx225 Writing a Novel, A New Male Romantic Protagonist, Physical Description

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 30th novel, working title, Rose, potential title Rose: Enchantment and the Flower.  The theme statement is: 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 cover proposal for Rose: Enchantment and the Flower




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.  Writing number 31, working title Shifter.  I just finished 32nd novel, Rose.

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. 

 

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

 

I’ll repeat.  I just finished up Rose, and I want to finish up Cassandra.  I’m moving in that direction. 

 

This is where I’m going.  I need to finish up Cassandra, and that’s what I’m going to do.  That might take a month or so.  At the same time, I want to write a follow-on to Rose.  Basically, I want to finish up Rose, and resolve the overall telic flaw introduced in the first novel.  To do this, I need a new protagonist.  I could use Rose, and I was thinking about this, but my readers suggested I should keep the number of male and female protagonists about equal.  Not sure why, but I did get a great idea for an initial scene and for a protagonist.  I’ve been developing this protagonist for my short form blog, but I can move some of that development here and make some comments on it.

 

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. 

 

1.     Define the initial scene

 

I already defined the initial scene.  Rose has a tea party with the problem children that result in a goddess brawl where others are injured and Rose herself is harmed to a degree.  The protagonist is an observer on the sidelines (I need to figure this out).  She runs away and is found by the protagonist.  I’ve got the basic initial scene figured out, but I haven’t written it yet. 

 

That’s an outline of the initial scene, but the real scene that interests and intrigues me is the scene a little after that.  I picture, in my mind, that Rose runs away and is running the trains.  She is just riding the British trains.  The problem is that she lost her clothing in the incident, so she is riding the trains in the nude. 

 

There is some defining goodness in this—she is covering herself in glamour.  Therefore, Rose isn’t technically naked—only the sensitive or the Fae should be able to see her, and the Fae don’t ride the trains.  The fun part about this scene is that the male protagonist has been given the job to find Rose.  He is sensitive to both her, and he can see her. 

 

This leads to the delicious scene where Rose meets with the protagonist.  This is the meeting of the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper.  Perfect for an initial scene.  The buildup to this scene will just be part of the overall novel. 

 

I can picture this scene and the result of this scene.  This will define the initial relationship of Rose and the male protagonist.  This will bring them into contact and a never unconnectable link of physical recognition and mental anguish.  Rose will be unable to lose her attachment to him, and he will not want to.

 

His reasons will be more than physical, but you might imagine his feelings and her recognition from the physical connection.  Rose is too much of a lady to acknowledge any of it, while the male protagonist is too much of a gentleman to allow his physical view of Rose to cloud his judgement or negatively affect his actions.  But, we shall see how this encounter affects all of them and both of them.

 

2.     At the same time as the above—fit a protagonist into the initial scene.

 

I already began to wrote how this protagonist will fit into the initial scene.  I need to actually bring it about in the scene, but I haven’t written the initial scene, yet. 

 

I plan to have this character observing and watching Rose from the sidelines.  He will have tabs on the girls, and know them all.  His job and skills will allow him to keep an eye on them.  I plan to let Rose catch a few glimpses in the runup to the incident.  Perhaps through the windows or something.  I need to work out all those details.  In the end, he sees the defining incident that causes Rose so many mental and physical issues.  Then there is the telic flaw of this protagonist.

 

That means the minimum of:

a.      Telic flaw - I’ll fit in a telic flaw.  The telic flaw belongs to the protagonist.  This protagonist’s telic flaw is that he has an assignment to look after Rose.  Just how he can do this is not clear.  He should not have any skills greater than Rose, but he should have some background that places him in both the sights of Stela and The Organization.  I haven’t worked this out yet.  Basically, the telic flaw will be his responsibility to protect Rose.  This will turn out to be a romance plot and telic flaw.  The young man will pursue Rose.  I might have to work on the telic flaw a little.  It will become clearer with the development of the protagonist.

b.     Approximate age - 16 to 17

c.      Approximate social degree - middle class to wealthy and aristocratic.  I need to pin this down.  I want to look through my characters to find one who might fit.  This is what I wrote at first, but I’ve refined this character better since then.  He is the child of aristocracy, but not exactly what you might think.  His parents have an unusual way of interacting as both aristocrats and in the overall society.  They don’t want to produce wealthy ner-do-wells.  They want to produce smart and capable children.  Their children might put on a few airs, but they are basically hard working and well developed as people.  They also aren’t as wealthy and aristocratic as you might think either.  I’ll get into more details in the description and setting elements as I round out this protagonist.

d.     Sex - Male

3.     Refine the protagonist – Here is the first cut of the physical description of the protagonist.  It might need a little refinement.

a.      Physical description - Seoirse was tall and slender.  His face was thin and serious with freckles over his finely shaped nose.  His lips fit nicely into his well-formed face, but they looked overly serious too, until he smiled.  Then his lips and face and cheeks exploded in mirth.  His smile could make you smile, and you didn’t notice the dimples in his cheeks and chin, until he smiled.  That’s when everything lit up and became apparent.  His hair was light blond with faint brown highlights, and his eyes were a dull grey, until he smiled and then you wondered what color they really were.  Because, when he had on his serious look, he looked like someone you should listen and obey--handsome, elegant, upright, and becoming.  When he smiled, you wondered exactly what kind of fun and mischief you could get into together.  He was just that kind of boy.

 

Here we are with the most important part of the protagonist—the physical description.  Why is that?  This is what the reader should see first.  We never should tell anything about the protagonist.  We need to show the protagonist.  This is what the protagonist looks like.  Everything else is what we show about the protagonist.  If you are telling, you are not writing properly.  You will likely never get a novel published.  Not to say you can get away with a little telling, but if you strive for none, and get in a little, that’s good.  If you are telling over and over, you will not have anything worth reading.

 

There is a lot packed in this short paragraph that describes the protagonist, Seoirse.  I haven’t given you his whole name, yet.  He is Seoirse, and that’s good enough for now.  We will get into his name in a little.  I have everything developed for him, and I’ll give it to you with this kind of commentary.  As I wrote, the physical description is what you really need to start with for any character.  It begins the development of the character.  Everything in the physical description plays into who, where, when, and what about the person.  That’s what we will move toward next.

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 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

 

Let’s use this list, again, to design a new protagonist.  That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

 

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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