Writing - part xxx773 Forms of Novels, Standard, Initial Scene, Protagonist

 11 August 2024, Writing - part xxx773 Forms of Novels, Standard, Initial Scene, Protagonist

Announcement: I still need a new publisher.  However, I’ve taken the step to republish my previously published novels.  I’m starting with Centurion, and we’ll see from there.  Since previously published novels have little chance of publication in the market (unless they are huge best sellers), I might as well get those older novels back out.  I’m going through Amazon Publishing, and I’ll pass the information on to you.

Introduction: I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon. This was my 21^st 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 two 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.

6. The initial scene is the most important scene.

 

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 31^st novel, working title, Cassandra, potential title Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warriors.  The theme statement is: Deirdre and Sorcha are redirected to French finishing school where they discover difficult mysteries, people, and events.

I finished writing my 34^th novel (actually my 32^nd completed novel), Seoirse, potential title Seoirse: Enchantment and the Assignment.  The theme statement is: Seoirse is assigned to be Rose’s protector and helper at Monmouth while Rose deals with five goddesses and schoolwork; unfortunately, Seoirse has fallen in love with Rose.     

Here is the cover proposal for the third edition of Centurion:

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 30^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 29^th novel, working title Detective.  I finished writing number 31, working title Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warrior.  I just finished my 32^nd novel and 33^rd novel: Rose: Enchantment and the Flower, and Seoirse: Enchantment and the Assignment.

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 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.

For novel 33, Book girl:  Siobhàn Shaw is Morven McLean’s savior—they are both attending Kilgraston School in Scotland when Morven loses everything, her wealth, position, and friends, and Siobhàn Shaw is the only one left to befriend and help her discover the one thing that might save Morven’s family and existence.

For novel 34:  Seoirse is assigned to be Rose’s protector and helper at Monmouth while Rose deals with five goddesses and schoolwork; unfortunately, Seoirse has fallen in love with Rose.

For novel 35: Eoghan, a Scottish National Park Authority Ranger, while handing a supernatural problem in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park discovers the crypt of Aine and accidentally releases her into the world; Eoghan wants more from the world and Aine desires a new life and perhaps love.

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.     

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.      

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.

My main focus, at the moment, is marketing my novels.  That specifically means submissions.  I’m aiming for agents because if I can get an agent, I think that might give me more contacts with publishers plus a let up in the business.  I would like to write another novel, but I’m holding off and editing one of my older novels Shadow of Darkness.  I thought that novel would have fit perfectly with one potential agent who said they were looking for Jewish based and non-Western mythology in fantasy.  That’s exactly what Shadow of Darkness is, but they passed on it.  In any case, I’m looking for an agent who will fall in love with my writing and then promote it to publishers.  That’s the goal.

So, perhaps I should look at the form of the novel and the reflected worldview.  I’ll start simply with some advice.  Here is the form of the standard novel:

1.      The initial scene

2.     The rising action scenes

3.     The climax scene

4.     The falling action scene(s)

5.     The dénouement scene(s)

I went through the steps in writing the initial scene, and along with that some of the development of the scene.  What I didn’t go through is how we imagine the initial scene. 

This is really the key to the novel and the initial scene itself.  This basically creates the novel.  There are a few ways we can approach the full on development of the initial scene.  Let’s look at these and see if we can generate some ideas and perhaps an initial scene.

I led you through the concept of the initial scene as the initial meeting of the protagonist and the antagonist or the protagonist’s helper.  I already wrote this, but to be clear, this implies you have developed an protagonist, an antagonist, and/or a protagonist’s helper. 

I have literally written novels from a protagonist.  The development of a protagonist lends itself to the development of an initial scene.  Perhaps I should run through this exercise again, but before we go there, let’s look at the other means to create ideas for the initial scene.

I’ve never tried to develop an initial scene or a novel based on an antagonist, but I suspect that might be possible too.  The problem is that a good antagonist has a great potential to become a redeemable or redeemed protagonist.  The same is true of the protagonist’s helper although the focus of a novel is a great means of developing an initial scene and a novel. 

I suspect the development of an antagonist is similar to the development of a protagonist.  I’d go through the same steps, but as I noted, the chance that the antagonist would become a great protagonist is high.  I might try to develop an antagonist as an exercise.  The development of the focus who turns into a protagonist or a protagonist’s helper is also a very good way to develop a novel.  This is basically what I did with Aine.

With Aine, I did start with the protagonist Eoghan, but I could have started with Aine.  In general, this is how I wrote Hestia.  The focus of the novel is Hestia, a Greek goddess.  With her as the focus, the initial scene became the incarnation or invocation of Hestia.  I should have brought in the protagonist as the main part of the initial scene, but having one of the less trained and less knowledgeable member of the crew as the invoker was just too delicious.  That’s the way the scene came about.

I had one of the four members of my archeological dig just translate and recite an invocation to Hestia at an important hearth-site.  This was fun and funny because the character had no idea his invocation would work and the results.  He didn’t believe in God or the gods or the supernatural.  The fact he brought a goddess back into the world from her place in eternity is kind of funny.  The result was even funnier.  I’ll continue about the initial scene and ideas for the initial scene, next.

So, here is a short list of ways to develop the idea for an initial scene:

1.     Protagonist

2.     Focus

3.     Event

4.     Setting

5.     Other character (antagonist or protagonist’s helper)

All of these are legitimate ideas for designing and writing an initial scene.  As I wrote and showed in more than one of these entries, I’ve developed a protagonist to fit them into an initial scene.  This is perhaps the most common way I currently write a novel.  I start with the protagonist and move to the initial scene. 

A good protagonist always comes with a telic flaw and a revelation.  What does that mean?  When I design a protagonist, I go through certain steps in the design.  I usually start with developing a Romantic protagonist.  The Romantic protagonist gives me a character that is worth writing about, who has a great revelation, and who has a great telic flaw.  I’ll use Rose as an example.

Rose, the protagonist of Rose: Enchantment and the Flower, is a real flower of a person.  She was thought to be birthed by a semi-Seelie Fae, Desert Rose, with a moral, a citizen of the Orkney Island, Rousay.  In actuality, her mother was Titania, and her father is unknown.  Titania gave Rose to Desert Rose for safe keeping and, as usual, Desert Rose didn’t follow through.  So is the way of the Fae.

Rose ended up on Rousay Island.  Her abusive father died, as did her grandmother and grandfather, so she was left alone in Viera Lodge on Rousay.  Rousay Island isn’t a very enticing environment.  It is one of the Orkney Islands at the top of Scotland.  A cold, wet, and uninviting place, but a great place to hide.  Rose has everything she needs in Viera Lodge.  The attic is filled with books, and she can grub enough food to survive.  The big deal about Rose is her skill with glamour which allows her to call and kill animals.  She has very great powers with glamour and survival skills because of where she is living and hiding.  All of this information makes Rose a wonderful potential character and protagonist in a novel.  I actually designed Rose for this blog, and I designed the initial scene in this blog.  Can you see Rose’s telic flaw?

Rose is a wonderful and powerful being who has no idea her powers or capabilities.  She is alone and has no idea how lonely and isolated she is.  This is basically her telic flaw.  I’ll give more, next.

That’s the main point about starting with a protagonist—your protagonist must have a great telic flaw.  Now, I can say this with authority.  I’ve never ever developed a protagonist who didn’t have a great telic flaw.  I do use my own checklist for the development of the protagonist, and telic flaw is not really one of the questions.  I do ask myself questions like what problems the protagonist must encounter and such. 

Look at Rose.  Rose starts with such a great telic flaw.  She is an isolated and unconnected child.  She has nothing at all.  She does have powers outside of the normal human sphere, but that’s just because she is a Romantic protagonist.  She could just as easily have the power of knowledge, which is one of the basic skills I grant her—it’s based on her reading and the books available to her. 

An isolated child who love to read could do nothing else other than learn to read all.  Rose has special skills, like all Romantic protagonists.  The skill of reading and learning is a typical Romantic protagonist skill.  This empowers her as a person, plus endears all readers to her.  Readers love characters who love to read. 

My point in looking at Rose is to show you how she starts with a telic flaw.  That telic flaw is innate to her.  It is a problem that must be resolved.  Actually, here’s the fun part about writing and about novels.  I can imagine a world where Rose just doesn’t change or do anything at all.  In that world, Shiggy never comes to Viera Lodge or Rousay and never interacts with Rose.  The initial scene causes the start of the great change in Rose’s life. 

Rose really has nothing to do with the initial part of the change.  That’s one of the reasons I love this character so much.  Rose has been raised and abused to be a perfect and consummate lady—even though she doesn’t know it.  She has her faults, but those are small exterior faults that make the inhuman girl human.  The real beginning of the change in Rose’s life is when Shiggy comes and uproots the lonely life Rose has been living.

What’s funny is that Rose still longs for this life of isolation and solitude.  She doesn’t seek to change.  She wants her house and her life back, but the events of Shiggy and those of the Organization and Stela prevent that—the Organization needs Rose more than Rose needs her desires.  The change and the resolution of the telic flaw is what drives this novel and drives Rose’s life.  Rose happens to be the focus of the novel as well, well the initial focus.  I’ll look at that, next.     

I want to write another book based on Rose and Seoirse, and the topic will be the raising of Ceridwen—at least that’s my plan.  Before I get to that, I want to write another novel about dependency as a theme.  We shall see.

More tomorrow.

For more information, you can visit my author site http://www.ldalford.com/, and my individual novel websites:

http://www.ancientlight.com/
http://www.aegyptnovel.com/
http://www.centurionnovel.com
http://www.thesecondmission.com/
http://www.theendofhonor.com/
http://www.thefoxshonor.com
http://www.aseasonofhonor.com  

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