13 March 2023, Writing - part xxx256 Writing a Novel, A New Male Romantic Protagonist, Details, Telic Flaw Resolution, Plots, Messiah
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.
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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. 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. I removed the breadcrumbs from the blog just
to make it easier to read. Here’s what
we have left.
a.
Plots required for the protagonist
to resolve the telic flaw - What I should really do is go through the list of classic
plots and pick those I would like to include in the novel. Maybe I’ll do just that.
b.
Obstacles that must be overcome for
the protagonist to resolve the telic flaw
Here is the list of classic plots from the list of over 100
greatest novels and books in English.
What we discovered is that novels are never a single plot—they are
multiple plots that fit together to eventually resolve the telic flaw. If you can grasp this, you can pick plots to
enhance and develop the entertainment in your novels. That’s what I want to do here. I’ll look at the plots and see what I can put
into this novel as well as try to develop more ideas for the development of the
novel and the protagonist.
Overall (o)
1.
Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 –
49% - I
love a redemption plot. What’s Seoirse
to be redeemed from? This is very
difficult. I think I’d like to redeem
him from loneliness and isolation. He is
a sensitive person who is very outgoing, but he is also a secretive person,
very similar to his mother. I want him
to be like Rose too. Seoirse’s outward
appearance is chipper and friendly, but inside he wants to have close and great
friends. Rose will help him achieve, but
Rose is similar to Seoirse. They both need
a close friend and confidant. I will
give them both this confidant. Will that
solve the telic flaw… it might.
2. Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60% - The revelation part
of the plot is more simple, but we need a revelation plot as well. Well, we don’t requires a revelation plot,
but as I write, every novel is the revelation of the protagonist. That is what we shall do. I have set up Seoirse as a boy, man, person
with some secrets. The readers won’t
know them all at the beginning, although I’ve told them to you in this little
development outline. I think the overall
information about Seoirse should make plenty of revelation, but I might be able
to build up some more with the writing of the novel.
3.
Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43
– 73% - I
didn’t mean to hit all three of the overall plots, but achievement is an
important plot in this novel. The main
early achievement for Seoirse will be the end of his assignment. Seoirse is supposed to look after Rose for
the second year of Form Six. His plan
will be to be rid of her, then he can go to Cranwell to become a pilot—that’s
his goal. But I want Seoirse to fall so
deeply in love with Rose and become so close to her and with her that he is
willing to do anything to stay with her.
We shall see if they will both go to Cranwell or where. Perhaps they will go together, but I have a more
important plan for Rose. We shall see
where that goes.
Achievement (a)
1.
Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e –
51% - I
haven’t thought much about this yet.
I’ve barely got much beyond the initial scene, in my thinking. I was pondering a little beyond, but I didn’t
make any notes and forgot some great ideas—oh well.
The detective or mystery plot is a
great plot. If you notice, it is in at
least 51% of the classics. It plays a
part in most successful novels. In fact,
all novels are a revelation of the protagonist, first, and the plot
second. An official mystery is even
better and more important to work with.
What kind of mystery can we interject as a plot.
Ultimately, I want Rose to become the
official caregiver for Ceridwen. Ceridwen
is the great goddess of the Celtic and Gaelic peoples. She is an unbound goddess and reborn in every
generation. She lives as the maiden, the
mother, and the crone, dies, and is reborn from a couple of bound a Celtic god
and a goddess. Perhaps the discovery of
this and the appointment can be the mystery.
There can also be other events and plotlines in the novel. I’ve not pondered all the possibilities, but
many times these come, not through brainstorming, but through the writing
itself. Although, this is a very
overreaching plot idea—that is a mystery.
I don’t intend a detective plot, by itself.
2.
Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e,
45 – 46% - The
revenge or vengeance plot is one to aim for.
I’m not certain how I can work this into the novel, but this plot is an
important one to use. I’m not a real fan
of revenge or vengeance. Not because of
any moral reason but because I like my novels to be fully entertaining—having a
vengeance character or especially a vengeance plot based on the protagonist
tends to be a downer for your readers.
The trick is a balance.
Usually, the most effective means to run a vengeance plot is
to have someone, antagonist, or minor character who is not happy with some
attribute or characteristic of the protagonist.
The vengeance is against the protagonist. If you work this right it can be very
effective. In Rose, I happily
had the two bad girls play this
role. They were adverse to Rose from a
class standpoint and from their fashion viewpoint. Rose rescued them and resolved this
problem.
I’d like to have a similar vengeance
plot in Seoirse. I think the problem
children should be the instigators. They
or someone connected to them or their fangirls.
There might also be some advantage in using a vengeance plot against
Seoirse, but I think Rose would generate the most pathos, and fiction is all
about pathos.
The vengeance or revenge plot is very
useful and makes a great minor plot or a scene tension and release. I like the vengeance or revenge plot as a
multi-scene plot. We shall see how we
can bring this into the mix.
I was also just exposed to a great and
innovative plot construction based a little on vengeance or revenge. That’s a plot where the good boy fell in love
with the bad girl, and they were compelled to keep their love secret from their
peers and friends because of their social positions. This wasn’t the normal good boy and bad girl
characters I’m writing about. These were
basically comic criminal versus comic defender of justice. It’s a farce plot, but I was thinking about
just how powerful such a plot could be in the right hands.
The show I was watching played this
plot as a farce, but with very great emotional appeal. I’d really like to figure some way to bring
this into Rose and Seoirse. There are
other ways to apply this.
Another fun idea would be to have the
protagonist protected by the protagonist’s helper. That is have Seoirse and Rose in a strained
relationship where Seoirse is supposed to be the protector, but in reality Rose
is aggressively protecting him. I think
this would be an even more interesting approach to vengeance or revenge. Perhaps that isn’t as much vengeance or revenge,
but it is still a fun idea for a plot.
3.
Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26% - All comedy novels and
telic flaw resolutions are zero to hero.
That’s a basic in literature.
There is no other way this can be.
If the protagonist resolves the telic
flaw, that is a comedy. This also means
the protagonist moves from zero to hero.
Note, the terms are pretty loose.
The main point is that in resolving the telic flaw in a positive manner,
the protagonist goes from not successful to successful. No matter the plot, point, or theme of the
novel, a positive resolution means the protagonist is a hero. You can take this as loosely or as strongly
as you wish. In successful (bestselling)
modern novels, as well as older novels, this is usually a very strong point.
What we would really like to do is to
drive our protagonist to the lowest state possible, from an achievement point
in regards to the telic flaw, and then in the revelation of the novel move them
to become the hero in the climax. This
is the formula, so to speak, for about every comedy novel in the Western
world. Certainly, every successful
comedy novel in the Western world.
Eastern literature is about the same.
I’m a real fan of the Sara Crew method
or The Little Princess method from the novel of the same name. Sara Crew starts at a high point and is
driven to the lowest of the low. She is
a wealthy girl who is loved by everyone.
She becomes an impoverished child who is abused and overworked as a
servant.
In my novel, Rose, Rose starts with nothing and in
the end is an aristocrat with great money and potential, at least as her
cover. In Seoirse, I want to start him
with much, reduce him to zero, and then build him back up again. Rose will definitely go through this
process. She will be beaten down, then
regain her authority and power. The
telic flaw resolution will encapsulate this.
The how is the real question. As I noted, you can move the zero mark in
many ways. Money is just one. We can bring the protagonist down in all the
ways noted in the list: money, emotions, mental, and all. The point is to pick one and move the
protagonist down the path.
4.
Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37% - Here is when we can
look at romance versus Romantic.
Romantic can apply to both love interest and to a type of literature and
era of literature. Romance applies to
love interest and a genre of literature.
In this era, calling novels,
literature, is dangerous. Literature as
a genre is unsellable and losing out as an idea. Of course, no one reads literature anymore,
so goes the adage in writing and publishing.
The reality is that all novels are literature, but not necessarily the
genre of literature. What’s the
difference? No one knows.
In general, literature as a genre means
erudite and scholarly fictional writing.
Many think of Dickens or the Victorian ladies when they think of this
type of literature, but those authors wouldn’t have characterized their writing
like that at all. They would have called
it literature, but not necessarily the genre of literature. I’d say, as an author, all writing should be
literature in every sense, but that’s not what most publishers think or people
read today. Don’t call your writing
literature—if you want to get published.
My novel, Aksinya is no kidding
literature, but in the wrapper of a really fun Magic Realism Suspense
novel. If you read it with the notes in
this blog, you can see exactly what I mean by both literature and by really
entertaining writing.
Back to romance.
Romance means love interest. The point of this type of plot is to bring
two humans together who love one another.
In the classical plot, the result is marriage or promise to marry—that
is engagement. I need to point out that
romance is not sex and sex is not romance.
Sexual activity can be a part of romance, but it is not necessary and in
many cases it simply gums up the options and the novel.
If you notice, most classics and even
many modern novels either don’t have sex or cover it over in one way or
another. I have used sex both in and out
of marriage as a tension builder. Most
specifically, I’ve used sex without culmination of the act as a tension
builder. If you didn’t know, incomplete
sexual activity is a very powerful entity in most romance writing. The moment you have the characters culminate
their sexual activity is the moment you destroy the power of the sexual
plot. And, I’m not writing about a
sexual plot—they are not in classical and successful literature, funny that.
Now, I do know how to use sex in a very
powerful way in writing. I did that in
my novel Escape from Freedom. In Escape
from Freedom, the protagonist’s helper uses her sexuality to win and put a
hold on the protagonist. She will do
anything to escape the communist island nation called Freedom including using
her body. The tension continues through
the novel because of the illicit nature of their activity and the protagonist
is being hunted (protagonist’s helper too) by the security forces of the
island. This makes the sexual plot very
powerful, but this is a very specific novel with a very unique setting. Such a setup and setting would be almost
impossible in today’s world. It is
possible in the Soviet era (Ayn Rand’s novel We the Living), or in
Fascist (National Socialist Germany) (I can’t remember a novel), or in Fascist
Spain (For Whom the Bells Toll).
There are others, but you might get the picture already.
For the romance plot, we want to keep
it at the tempting and desire stage of the relationship. This is the best place for most literature
and most novels. The romance is about two
people getting to know and falling in love with each other. A little kissing, hugging, and hanky panky is
appropriate depending on the degree and the circumstances of the novel.
Let me warn you about publishers. Publishers realize that unless you have a gem
of a novel with a very well developed sexual plot, they won’t touch it. Sexual plots tend to be erotic plots and no
one will touch those (unless they publish erotic literature). Young Adult publishers will definitely not
touch anything with any sexual stink on it.
So, a warning and a point. My
novel, Escape from Freedom, will likely never be published. It was gratuitous writing on my part—that is
I wrote a novel I think is really important and entertaining that contains
sexual plot elements and a very important sexual component, but most publishers
wouldn’t touch it. We shall see if
anyone will want it in the future.
Romance is about love and finding love. This will be a great part of the plots in the
novel I’m proposing. What about Rose and
Seoirse? I want to propose, as an
important plot in the novel a romance plot.
I’d like to have the proud Seoirse fall hard for the aristocratic Rose,
but he won’t fall in love with the aristocratic Rose, but the real Rose. The real Rose won’t want to be revealed to
the world—that’s not her assignment or her cover. Seoirse will want the real Rose to come out
all the time—he will be in love with the real Rose.
Now, we will have a circumstance where
Seoirse is chasing after the real Rose, and at the same time, he must
accomplish his mission of protecting her (and her assignment). The question will be what will be his
assignment—perhaps it will not be to protect her assignment as much as to
protect her, and Seoirse will see nothing else as his job. This could be a great plot, and I’m developing
this more and more.
5.
Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23% - I may be leaving too
many breadcrumbs, but this isn’t just for you, it’s also for me. I’m designing a new novel, and thinking about
how I’m going to write it. I just happen
to be accomplishing my brainstorming where you can see it. Now about coming of age.
Yes, every novel that includes young
adults or children is to some degree, or must be in some degree coming of
age. If there are adults, the novel
usually includes self-discovery and not coming of age as a plot.
The coming of age plot is very
powerful. It’s so powerful, I’m
surprised it isn’t included in more novels.
In fact, I’d say the main reason is simply that coming of age and
self-discovery are modern plot types and not older plot types. I’m not certain if the older societies didn’t
think much about coming of age or if it just wasn’t something they contended
with in their society.
Whatever the reason, society,
literature, and culture has seen that the coming of age plot and ideas are
important for human development.
Authors, when they can, should present this as a plot and theme. Therefore, my novel about Seoirse will
include some degree of coming of age plot.
The question is what degree and what?
The answer may be simple or not. In general, the questions of youth are who am
I, what is my origin in the world, what is my purpose, how do I fit into
society? Rose still has many of these
questions about herself, or not. Seoirse
has many of these questions about himself or not. To some level, just asking these questions in
any manner is a good plot development.
These are very important questions, the idea is to place them in plots
that answer or at least bring them up, and either resolve or leave them
hanging.
You aren’t required to answer the
question of the meaning of life in any novel.
If you bring it up, you are supposed to use it for entertainment, not
necessarily resolution or answers.
So, coming of age means taking the awkward actions of the
youth and bringing them into some level of maturity. That’s the ticket for a great comedy Romantic
novel. We don’t necessarily have to
answer the questions of youth, we need to provide some reasonable answer for
our protagonist or protagonist’s helper to mature in their lives. This is a great plot. I need to think much about how to do this
with Seoirse.
I suspect the best way to establish this
coming of age is through the romance plot and the discovery plot.
6. Progress of technology (a) – 6 – 5% - This is not really a
plot I intend to use directly. It is
really a better plot for science fiction and not magic realism with a reflected
worldview. Let’s move on to the big plot
below.
7.
Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54% - Discovery is the plot
to use. This is a fantastic plot that
fits directly into any mystery plot.
Discovery is the revelation of some mystery, but it is different than
the mystery plot. The mystery plot sets
up a problem or a situation to be investigated and discovered. The discovery plot is one where the
protagonist is searching for something but they might not know the goal.
Discovery is one of the most used plots
in all of writing. It’s a great plot,
and boy do I intend to use it in Seoirse.
What kind of discovery plot? On
the surface, the most basic is about Rose.
We know all about Rose, or at least those who would have read my first
novel. She will be a mystery to Seoirse,
and to the others. Only Robyn really
knows Rose’s background and her secrets, or some of them.
The best thing ever is to build a plot
and plots that slowly reveal these mysteries.
The protagonist, Seoirse, will be actively seeking them. The bad girls will be obviously looking to
get to Rose, and the best way is through information. Information and the revelation of secrets is
the best way to ruin a problem and especially a human problem—that is the bad
girls see Rose as their human problem.
Rose is supposed to help and control them and they don’t want help or
control.
This is the ultimate sticky problem of
the novel. Seoirse will be trying to
help Rose and still discovering about Rose.
This is a very powerful and important plots and all discovery
plots. The race is on—between Seoirse
and the bad girls.
8.
Money (a) – 2e, 26 – 25% - I’m not certain this
will be a plot, but then although Rose has plenty of money and support—she’s an
aristocrat. Seoirse is supposed to be
supported by the intelligence structure, but it might be fun to have him
pinching pennies because the vouchers aren’t getting through. Rose is supported by Stela, perhaps Seoirse
should be supported by the Organization in general. This can also be an area of contention between
the characters.
Usually, I use money with the
scholarship and non-scholarship programs as a conflict between characters. This is just a great way to use the money
plot in a realistic manner and for tension development. There are other ways to bring in a money
plot.
Some of the best are with ancillary
characters, but we have already used that with Rose herself. In the previous novel, Rose, I had
Rose originally as impoverished and destitute.
Only later was she well financed, and that is just for her cover. Plus,
Airgead, the silky is self-sufficient.
Perhaps another character could help bring in a good money plot.
The money plot is a very powerful plot, and can be used well
to develop the tension and release in a novel’s scenes. It can also tie well into the telic flaw
resolution.
9.
Spoiled child (a) – 7 – 6% - This is a great
modern plot. It really originated with Gone
with the Wind. The spoiled child was
almost an impossibility until the poor parenting and the non-starvation
cultures of the modern era. In an
earlier era, the spoiled child would just never exist. The idea was preposterous to the
intellectuals and common people of the time.
That said, the spoiled child plot is a great one to use. The best result is the end of the child, as
in Gone with the Wind or their redemption. We certainly don’t want a silly end like The
Catcher in the Rye. That’s an almost
unreadable piece of crap novel all about a spoiled brat. Try that novel for entertainment, and all
you’ll get is inanity. Let’s use the
spoiled child plot with some degree of redemption or at least pay back to the
child.
Seoirse and Rose can’t be spoiled
children. Perhaps Seoirse could be a
little, but not enough to matter. The
obvious spiled child candidates are the bad little goddesses that Rose must
train. Robyn is an obvious spoiled
child, but she has come under Rose’s sway.
The others not so much. I’m still
not certain how I’ll play all the elements of these little goddesses.
We have a pair who are supposed to take
over the legacy of the Goddess of Light and the Goddess of Darkness. These are the ones who have the greatest
scope for rebellion, but they were raised well although a little free. The other two don’t have the same degree if
any degree of power. They could be
spoiled child just through a little rebellion.
There is also the third choice and that is a new character
or characters who are really spoiled.
That might provide a perfect foil to them all. I’ve projected Rose as the perfect
aristocratic character. She has
everything, but shares everything. The
opposite might be the perfect foil and the spoiled child, that is a girl who is
wealthy and haughty and mean. That’s the
typical stereotype. This could also
provide a great learning tool for the others.
I’ll keep all this in mind, and again, sorry for all the bread
crumbs—I’m keeping it up for you and me.
10. Legal (a) – 5 – 4% - The legal plot is a wonderful
plot. Although you find only about 4% of
the classics with a legal plot, this is one of the best types of plots of all
time. I’m not certain if Dickens
invented this plot, but it seems to have been first introduced in the Victorian
Era, and Dickens used it in one of his novels.
Although many viewed this type of plot as a society changing plot or a
cultural changing plot, it really isn’t that type of plot at all. Although Dickens might have wanted to bring
attention to the problems of inheritance and wills in his novel on the subject,
I think he was more interested in writing an entertaining novel. It just happened to cover a subject of
interest in the legal system of the time.
As I noted, you don’t have to go that far to interject a legal plot.
I’ve put legal plots in many of my
novels. All you have to do is get your
characters into some legal mess. The
easiest is someone commits a crime against them. That brings them to court as a witness. You can also have them witness a crime—that
brings them to court. You can have them
sued, or sue someone. You can have them
involved in a crime. I’ve used all of
these. You can bring in all kinds of
esoteric stuff. I like to show the
trials when it fits the novel. I’ve used
that in Aksinya and in Lilly.
You can work in court procedures. It just takes some writing effort and
research.
You can also bring in some quasi legal
stuff very easily and with great entertainment value. I’ve had my characters arrested—its usually a
problem of miscommunication, but it’s still fun. That way you don’t have to get involved with
trials or such—you can make the charges go away in all kinds of ways. In Rose, I had Rose and her school
chums get involved in a little crime.
The outcome was police interaction and then a lot of action from all
kinds of areas. The legal plot in this
case brought great attention and entertainment into the novel. It also set up the telic flaw resolution.
Just keep in mind the legal plot is a
powerful and entertaining plot. I’m sure
I’ll have Seoirse get involved with getting Rose out of jail or something. That’s the problem with Rose. The problem then is to figure out how Rose
might get involved in crime or the legal system. I think this will just flow naturally out of
some of the scene’s tension and release.
Here is a trick for you to
contemplate. Every scene has its own
resolution. The tension development
usually doesn’t have a singular or specific resolution that is required of
it. You can pick and chose different
means to give the release of the scene.
One of those might just be involving the authorities or a legal
resolution or involvement. That can
propel a novel is very entertaining ways. Since the legal plot is relatively rare in the
classics, it will certainly be new and entertaining to your readers.
11.
Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16% - At first blush, I
rejected the idea of an adultery plot, but an adultery plot doesn’t have to
have a full on sexual connotation. You
can just have a really fun love triangle and setup without a full-on betrayal
plot like adultery. What would be fun is
to set up a tension based on love or not love but the pursuit of another of
Rose or Seoirse.
This might be really entertaining to
play out this kind of plot in the lives of Seoirse and Rose. This would also set up a situation where
either Rose or Seoirse has to defend the other or protect the other from a
romantic situation.
This requires a strong type of
setup. Perhaps we could have a situation
where Rose or Seoirse is forced to have a date or go to an event with another
person, and then require the help of the other.
This is a strong way to play this kind of plot without the negativity of
the adultery plot.
Perhaps the important point is that the full-on adultery
plot is that this is a very difficult entertainment plot. It’s a powerful plot that is used in
classical literature, but the problem is that of human betrayal. You can go full on Tolstoy with an Anna
Karenina who commits adultery and abandons her family and
responsibilities. On the other hand you
can approach it in the sense I’m describing.
As I noted, I’m not a fan of the full-on adultery plot because it isn’t
that entertaining to me. However, the
love triangle or the love pursuit by another character can make a very
entertaining plot.
12.
Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13% - Self-discovery is to
adults what coming of age is to youth.
Self-discovery is a modern type of plot, but it is a great and up and
coming plot. I’m not sure if people
today are less responsible or bigger seekers.
In the past, people were seeking answers to more direct and less esoteric
questions. They asked: what will I do to
make a living, what is my purpose in life, who will I marry, and so on? In the modern world, people in novels ask:
what is my purpose in the world (in a bigger sense), how will I solve the
problems in my heart and mind, what is the world all about, how can I be
successful, how can I save the world?
Save the world plots are my least favorite. These were good for Noah, but they are
overused today. In any case,
self-discovery is all about a protagonist determining about themselves and
their life. This is what we want to
develop for Seoirse.
Let me point out again, that you don’t
need to answer the questions of the meaning of life. You can and should bring them up, but the
answer should be very specific to the protagonist and not to the greater
world. In other words, self-discovery is
about the protagonist and not about the greater world.
Perhaps the easiest to point out and look at is the romance
plot in the perspective of the self-discovery plot. If Seoirse is finding love and pursuing Rose,
that is a sufficient plot. The
self-discovery comes from realization of that love and Rose are his goal and
desire. This is always a good and
positive type of plot.
The other very obvious type of
self-discovery plot is where the protagonist determine their own goals in life—or
changes their goals in life. Usually,
this is in some way connected to the protagonist’s helper or the
antagonist. For example, Seoirse’s goal
before meeting Rose might be to attend Cranwell or Oxford. His goals afterwards might be pursuing her
and assuring her safety or her goals.
This is a pretty big change that requires a big novel (in the sense of
writing not necessarily length).
I’m not sure where I want to go with
this plot I the novel, but I will use it—this is perhaps the more powerful and
entertaining plot you can interject into a modern novel. With a Romantic protagonist, this is also a
great game-changer.
13.
Guilt or Crime (a) – 32 – 29% - Guilt or crime is a
very popular plot in classical writing.
It can be a very effective plot in modern writing. If you remember, guilt or crime can be from a
heinous crime, like murder in Crime and Punishment, or a simpler crime
like hacking accounts and using the credits, like my novel, Lilly:
Enchantment and the Computer. I’m
not certain I want to use a guilt or crime plot in this novel, but there might
be an opportunity. I used one in Rose,
but not caused by Rose—well, then she did.
In Rose, the initial plot was
about her illegally living in Viera Lodge—that’s a crime or guilt plot. Rose doesn’t feel any guilt about living in
her own home. That’s a great plot
related to crime or guilt. Also, in
Rose, I have a real crime or guilt plot—that is the plot where the two bad
girls go to buy cigarettes and beer and get embroiled in a fiasco that Rose
must rescue them from.
What about this novel—well, I’m already proposing that
Seoirse be searching for the absent Rose who is illegally riding the rails in
the nude. No one can see her except the
Fae, and they don’t care, or the sensitive, and there aren’t enough of those to
know. That’s a little guilt or
crime. The very aristocratic Rose should
commit a few interesting crimes to accomplish her mission. This is just a little contrast between her
and her cover. We shall see.
14.
Proselytizing (a) – 4 – 4% - Every new writer or
inexperienced writer wants to change the world with their writing. This is what they have been taught and think
about literature. The reality is that
every novel written to change the world is lying in a drawer or a trash
bin. Novels that are not entertaining
will never be published and if they are, for some reason, they will never be
purchased. Why would any reader read any
novel that is not entertaining?
The purpose for fiction is
entertainment. I can’t write this any
more strongly. If it isn’t entertaining,
it will never be published, and if it isn’t entertaining, it will never be
bought. A non-entertaining novel will never be
read. A novel that is about anything
else than entertaining, is a novel no one will want to read, plus who wants to
be preached to.
If you want to preach, become a
pastor. If you want to change the world,
become a community organizer or a CEO.
If you have entertaining stories to write, then write.
I’m completely against the idea of the
proselytizing novel or plot. This
doesn’t mean you can’t explain or teach something in your novels, but I’d stick
to stuff you know or at least understand.
I’ve read self-published novels with entire sections of self-gratuitous
diatribes on subjects no one really cares about. How can this even relate to a reader or help
sell a novel. It will just irritate the
reader.
I’d say never proselytize, but if you
need to provide some difficult information to your readers to move the plot
along do it through some means of reasoning or from some known authority. It’s better to stay away from the more
extreme ideas of the times, and only stick to generalities. If you must present information, you need to
be careful how you do it, and as I noted, you should address what you know, and
present it in ways that your readers can’t disagree.
In any case, I will not use a proselytizing plot of any
kind. I don’t want any of this stink on
this novel or my novels.
15.
Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10% - The reason plot
reflects what should be in every novel—reason and logic. However, reason is actually a plot unto
itself. This is the plot where the
protagonist and the characters use reason to determine how to negotiate a
problem or resolve the telic flaw.
Reason should be a part of every plot resolution, but it doesn’t have to
be. For example, you can resolve a
problem using bruit force or innate skill.
I’d still like to have the protagonist and characters use reason to
evaluate the use of the skill or force.
Reason is what drives readers and should drive writers.
Here's the trick. All readers think they are logical and reason
based, and most are. Most readers are
very reasoned and logic based in their thinking. They are also emotion or pathos based. The writer must remember this. Every scene resolution needs and should be
based in reason. The reasoning can be
logical or mind based or the reasoning can be pathos and emotion based. Either argument can and usually will be
accepted by a reader, but the writer must be careful. The protagonist or characters must always act
in their character and must act in a way that represents common sense to the
reader.
For example, if the writer projects a
character who always makes emotionally based decisions as suddenly filled with
logic and reason, the reader will likely not buy it. On the other hand, a reason based character
who makes an emotionally based decision will also possibly cause an issue with
the reader. I use reason as much as
possible. To me emotional thinking is
illogical and I don’t like my characters to act that way. Perhaps the best negative example is Harry
Potty who goes from generally reason based to suddenly emotion based thinking
in about the third or fourth novel. He
goes from usually logical in the context of magical realism and the rules of
magic in the novel to adolescent funk.
Most readers wondered what happened to him and the author. Perhaps some idiot in the editorial office or
perhaps the writer herself lost sight of the character of Harry Potty. In any case, it ruined the novel for me. Now to reason as a plot.
The reason plots are really based on the issues the
protagonist faces. I think all plots
should fit in this type of plot resolution.
Reason is a pretty open-ended type of plot. What is interesting is that you find only 10%
of the classics have full out reason plots.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t logic and reasoning going on—it means the
means of the tension and release and the plot resolution isn’t mainly reason
and logic. If you want a great example
of reason plots just look at Sherlock Holms.
The real question is how to envelope the reason plot into Seoirse. I’d answer, that I’d like all the plot
resolutions to be reason based, but there will also be space for pathos and
emotion based resolutions. We shall see.
16.
Escape (a) – 1ie, 23 – 21% - The escape plot is a
great plot, and I’ve already proposed it.
The initial scene or close to initial scene has Rose escaping because
she failed to keep a lid on Robyn and the other goddesses. I really like the ideas behind this initial
(or somewhat initial scene). The setup
for the rest of the novel just seems really fun to me.
Having Rose run away is an escape
plot. The escape plot is a well used
plot in the classics. It is somewhat a
modern plot, although the escape plot was used well before the modern
novel. The Twentieth Century gave
literature something to escape from—socialism and socialists (like the National
Socialists (NAZIs) and the International Socialists (Soviets and CCP). Not to mention all the NGO and free range
socialists in the rest of the world. My
own novel, Escape from Freedom is about this exact subject.
Escape doesn’t have to be from a huge
or overall evil place or system. Escape
can be more localized—for example, escape from the country to the city. Or escape from a bad relationship or
place. If you notice, Rose doesn’t
really have any reason for escape, after her return and reassurance. Rose has every reason to stay and see things
out. On the other hand, Rose is becoming
more volatile. That’s one of the changes
in her personality. She has certain
desires, and the main one is the return of her place—she’s got too much of the
Fae in her to not desire a place of her own.
I’m not sure, other than the initial plot, that Rose will
have another escape plot. I’ll keep my
options open on this. The proper escape
plot can be a great tension and release add.
17.
Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23% - This is a key plot
and idea in the Romantic novel. I love
to use this plot, and this is a plot I always include in my novels in some
degree. The main part of this plot is
the discovery of a skill or the discovery of knowledge. The skill part is the best kind.
The best kind of Romantic setup you
want for a skill is the self-discovery of a skill of some type. This is the point of Harry Potty that is
really wasted by the author. Harry
doesn’t discover his skills so much as he is introduced to them. This is a type of skill or knowledge plot,
but not the very powerful type. The way
we properly work this in an effective plot is to have the character slowly
discover their skill and then use and develop them. Many of Andre Norton’s novels use this as a
primary plot. The protagonist accidentally
discovers they have a magic or telepathic skill and then they develop that
skill to eventually provide the telic flaw resolution.
You can also have the use of skills or
knowledge. In this way, the character
already has a high-level skill, and it may already be developed. The author uses this skill in a plot to
advance the character or the resolution of the telic flaw. In Dragonsong and Dragonsinger,
Menoly has the skill of a song writer and a bard. She already has this skill. The author has her use this skill in multiple
plots, and the result is beautiful. On
the other hand, the self-discovery of a skill is even better and can be more
powerful.
What might we do with Seoirse? What skill might we have Seoirse
discover? Perhaps the skill of glamour
or perhaps knowledge, that is about Rose.
As noted, this plot is about skills and knowledge. The protagonist can develop a skill, use a
skill, make a knowledge-based discovery, or use knowledge. The most interesting of these plots is the
development of a skill or knowledge. The
self-development of a skill is the best.
Within this is the idea of the self-discovery followed by the development
of the skill usually with help.
In Seoirse, the point is to determine
some skill that Seoirse can discover and then develop with Rose’s help (or
someone else’s help). This is pretty
much the power of Rose—that is training others is one of her skills.
So the big point is that a very powerful and useful plot is
the self-discovery and then development of a skill. We need a skill for Seoirse to discover in
himself and then to develop with Rose.
That’s the ticket.
18.
Secrets (a) – 21 – 19% - This is the greatest
plot ever. Many times it gets subsumed
under other types of plots like mystery or detective plots. There are others, but the secret plot is the
mainstay of the novel, and especially great novels. The fact that secrets is part of only 19% of
all classics just means that many of the secrets are under other plot types.
Now, what about the secret plot
type. In the first place, I must remind
you that all novels are the revelation of the protagonist. This includes a lot because the revelation of
the protagonist also includes the revelation of the settings, the revelation of
the plots, and the plots all should include the protagonist. In fact, if you have a plot that doesn’t
include the protagonist, you have a significant problem. Take out that plot. Such a plot is usually in a scene that
doesn’t include the protagonist.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a scene that doesn’t include
the protagonist. It does mean you may
not have a plot that doesn't include the protagonist. How can this be?
Let me be clear. You might have a scene where the antagonist
(or others) are plotting against the protagonist. In such a scene, the protagonist will not
appear, or may be a side character. On
the other hand, such a scene must include a plot about the protagonist. The antagonist (or others) are plotting (not
in the same sense) against the protagonist.
The protagonist is therefore part of the plot. There is absolutely no reason to show such a
scene unless that scene is about the protagonist. Such a scene that is not about the revelation
of the protagonist is an irrelevant scene.
You should strike it. Back to
secrets.
As you can see, the novel is the
revelation of the protagonist, and to the reader, everything is a secret until
revealed. In the case of the secrets
plot, we discover or develop secrets that the protagonist or other characters
must discover or reveal in the novel.
Some of the best are secrets about the protagonist. These are the greatest, and we know Rose has
all kinds of secrets that others do not know.
Robyn knows some and Seoirse might know others. His job is to keep them under wraps and
protect Rose, but at the same time, having the protagonist (Seoirse) discover
more secrets about Rose is really fun for the novel.
As I noted, from the previous Rose novel, many of Rose’s
secrets are already known (by the readers and those involved in the previous
novel). They have not been revealed in
this new novel. In other words, we have
a host of secrets about Rose for Seoirse to discover as the protagonist. This discovery and then revelation in the
context of the novel makes a secrets plot.
It also ties the secrets plots potentially to other plots. All this is entertaining. In addition, Seoirse doesn’t have to reveal
any of the secrets to others to make this plot, just his self-discovery with
its subsequent revelation to Rose (and or Robyn) makes this plot powerful in
the context of the novel. Seoirse
doesn’t have to compromise Rose to make the secrets plots work out. The knowledge of the readers and of the
protagonist are all we need for a powerful revelation. Then we feed these into the telic flaw
resolution.
I like secrets and the secrets plot. Readers generally like secrets especially
those only known to a few including the reader.
These are some of the most powerful and entertaining secrets. There is always an under-tension that a
secret might be revealed. This drive
pathos and excitement in the readers. I
suggest gathering up as many secrets as possible and using them through
development, plots, and revelation to keep real excitement in any novel.
Quality (q)
1.
Messiah (q) – 10 – 9% - I’m not a fan of the
messiah plot at all. This plot is way
overused in modern literature—it should be rejected unless you hit on a real Dune-like
novel idea. Let’s write a little about
the messiah plot so you can spot it easily.
Yes, Dune has a very strong classical messiah plot. This isn’t saying much because the messiah
plot is a relatively modern plot type.
It just didn’t appeal at all to the early writers. This is one of the reasons I’m not a fan, the
other reason is what it has turned into in the modern era.
The most well-known messiah plot is
Harry Potty. Harry is a full-on
messiah. And here is the problem of the
messiah plot. In Dune, Paul
Atradies had to become like a god to be the messiah. A messiah always has god-like powers. The ascent of Paul from an aristocrat to a
god is the entire point of the novel.
This is very entertaining and new (at the time) in Dune. In Harry Potty it’s just overdone.
Harry Potty is a god, if you didn’t
notice. He has god-like powers, in fact
all the wizards and witches have god-like powers. They are all like gods. This is a very sad situation, especially for
the readers. The expectation of a
messiah is that they have god-like powers and they change the world for the
better. That’s exactly what Harry does,
but in addition, the Romantic protagonist is supposed to come from the common
and have skills that they discover and develop to make them uncommon. The idea of the Romantic protagonist is that
anyone can be like them if they have similar skills they develop. For the reader, the question is, how can I
ever be like Harry—he is a messiah.
Now, readers will live with the idea of
a special skill like magic or sorcery as long as it is presented
correctly. This is the magic plot. Unfortunately, Harry isn’t just about
magic—Harry is all about saving the world through the defeat of the being who
cannot be defeated except by Harry. This
is a full-on messiah plot mixed with the fate or the blood will out plot. Harry is an aristocrat born into his messiah
persona—he did not become, he was born.
The other obvious messiah plot in the
modern era is the Marvel or DC universe.
These movies disgust me. They are
all about gods not humans. The moment we
bring in a god, the entire plot is usually about saving the world. That’s cute, but it is a messiah plot not a
human plot. I don’t like messiah
plots. Now, I do have a confession.
My Aegypt novels (Ancient
Light) have goddesses as characters and protagonists. Isn’t that a messiah plot? I’d say no.
My characters are thrust into roles and skills they must develop and
learn. They self-discover their skills,
and they then develop them. This allows
the reader to feel like the magic character—the powers of the goddesses is a
discovered skill that isn’t like a messiah or like a normal god. In addition, their powers are limited in
scope, so they can’t wield them to save the world or sometimes themselves. In other words, their god-like powers are
very limited and are similar to human level skills. They just have some senses and abilities that
are extra-human. In addition, in my
novels, the characters are not messiahs.
They are not saving the world as much as they are living in the world
and trying to make it better with what they have available.
I don’t like messiah plots and I don’t like messiah
characters. I don’t intend to have this
plot in Seoirse.
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)
Article (i) – 1e, 46 – 42%
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
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