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Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Writing - part xxx810 My Novels, Initial Scenes, Twilight Lamb

 17 September 2024, Writing - part xxx810 My Novels, Initial Scenes, Twilight Lamb

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 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 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 31st 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 34th novel (actually my 32nd 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 30th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 29th novel, working title Detective.  I finished writing number 31, working title Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warrior.  I just finished my 32nd novel and 33rd 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.     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.

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)

I’m going to look a the initial scenes from each of my novels to see how I wrote the novel and started the novel.  I’ll apply the criteria above and see how it fits in the context of the writing and the novel.

The Second Mission (399 to 400 BC) - The initial scene starts with the protagonist being pulled back into the setting, back in time to 400 BC.  The scene was developed about the event, but the event of the initial scene included the protagonist and the setting.  In addition, the scene continues with the protagonist meeting the protagonist’s helper. 

This is a pretty obvious initial scene that is, if you write a novel about time travel, the best and obvious initial scene is of the protagonist or the focus moving through time into the setting of the time. 

There are other ways to write this type of novel, but as I noted, the meeting of the protagonist and the protagonist helper (or the antagonist) is a great start for this type of novel.  I’m not intentionally repeating myself, I’m just pointing out that for a time travel novel, the most obvious exciting and entertaining point to start this type of novel is at the time travel.  This also provides the opportunity to engage the setting which is also on the list.  The event and the setting are perfect places to develop the initial scene.  It follows that the protagonist is the actor engaged in the scene.  This isn’t an afterthought, but a feature of the novel and the initial scene. 

I’ll will point this out, the addition to the initial scene of the protagonist’s helper is a new and different idea that really brings great excitement to the scene.  Right at the beginning of the novel, you have the revelation of a mystery—that is you have a time traveler meeting the protagonist and reveling the time and place as well as some of the details of the times.  In addition, in history, an unprepared time traveler would likely meet a quick end without proper training and knowledge. 

You can see that accidentally, I wrote this early novel with a great initial scene.  I think it’s a really fun and interesting novel that has some important points about both history and truth.

Centurion (6 BC to 33 AD) – this is my problem child for an initial scene, but my most popular published novel.  In retrospect, I’m not certain there is a better way to write this initial scene or to start this novel.  Let me explain and let me describe how it starts.

This novel begins with setting and an event.  It is the meeting of the mothers of Abenadar, the protagonist of the novel and of Yeshua, the focus of the novel.  They meet at the well in Nazareth.  Naomi is the mother of Abenadar and a disgraced woman because she spent the last ten years as the concubine for a Roman official.  Myrim, the mother of Yeshua, is a disgraced youth because she is pregnant and the father is unknown, but she has still been accepted into the household of her husband Yosef.  These two women converse together at the well and strike up a friendship based on their mutual circumstances.  The point is to provide Abenadar and Yeshua a connection in life and childhood.  That connection is a foreshadowing to the future.

According to my list for developing the initial scene, it covers the last three elements.  It doesn’t include the protagonist, the antagonist, or the protagonist’s helper.  In fact, Abenadar has a couple of protagonist’s helpers through the novel, but really doesn’t meet the main protagonist’s helper, Ruth, until halfway through the novel.

This isn’t an unusual novel for the novel about a person from pre-birth to later life.  This is similar to Oliver Twist, Pip, or David Copperfield.  Not so unusual for the past, but not so common for modern novels. 

Here is my recommendation.  This type of initial scene can be very useful and good to use.  I’d recommend reading the novel, you can buy it in all kinds of forms.  It’s being republished by me to get it back in the marketplace.  My publisher went out of business.  I do recommend this type of initial scene for this type of novel, but I do admit, it is an odd novel in today’s world and very different from many other novels you might read.   

Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon 1917 – 1918 (1920) – Now we are talking.  This is one of my newerish novels, so I figured out how to write a great novel by this time.  This novel begins with an initial scene that meets my criteria and is filled with energy, entertainment, and excitement.  This initial scene is the meeting of the protagonist and the antagonist.  The protagonist is Aksinya and the antagonist is the demon, Asmodeus. 

The initial setting for the novel is the estate of Aksinya’s adopted father, a Count.  Aksinya is in the guest house and the specific setting is Russia in 1917 during the Bolshevik revolution.  The event is when Aksinya calls the demon Asmodeus to save her family from the Bolsheviks, but she is too late.  They are already dead.

This is a great beginning for this type of novel and for this novel.  It follows all the recommendations I’ve passed to you.  As I wrote, as I became a better and more proficient author, I figured out exactly how a novel should be constructed.  Aksinya is constructed exactly how I think a great novel should be.  I’m still looking for a publisher.  I think this would be a potential bestseller, but it needs a publisher. 

Aegypt 1926 – This is one of my first published novel.  It is the first of a series of seven novels that cascade from Aegypt.  The initial scene is a description of Paul Bolang’s trek back to Fort Saint.  My mentor liked this initial scene and advised I put more and more information about Paul in the writing.  In general, this scene is basically a series of flashbacks to Paul’s life and the most recent battle he led against a local warlord in Tunisia. 

This initial scene is all about the protagonist.  It includes the setting, and is an event sequel, in the language of modern scenecraft.  Problems with this initial scene is that it isn’t the meeting of the protagonist with the protagonist’s helper or the antagonist.  It isn’t a strong action scene although it does include exciting flashbacks.  I had a great mentor, but my mentor was pretty old school and old school wasn’t as aware of the initial scene as I think we as modern writers should be. 

Part of the problem with this novel is that the protagonist’s helper and the antagonist are mysteries and secrets at the beginning of the novel.  They can’t be included in the initial scene because of this, so we are left with providing background and buildup. 

Now that I’m more aware of writing and novels, I should have begun Aegypt with either the battle Paul Bolang thinks about in the return to Fort Saint, or perhaps at some other point.  However, for this novel, this scene fits well and works well—it just isn’t as exciting and entertaining as I would like.  I could have chosen a better event to bring in the novel and protagonist.  The initial scene is adequate and does properly convey the novel into the world and place.  As I noted, it includes the protagonist, the setting, and introduces the situation, the telic flaw of the novel—the archeological dig, or more precisely, the Egyptian temple foundation in the middle of Tunisa.   

Sister of Light 1926 – 1934 – This novel starts with the protagonist, Leora Bolang.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t up to my knowledge and understanding of the initial scene when I wrote it.  The novel was still placed on contract for publishing and was about to be published in a trilogy and individually when my publisher went bankrupt, so I’d say the scene was okay. 

The scene begins with Paul leaving Leora to get his orders while she sits at a Paris café and thinks about the past.  That sets the scene, the novel, and provides the events that then move into the novel.  I should have set the initial scene with something else, but this initial scene, though adequate, isn’t what I would recommend today. 

Would I rewrite it?  Nah.  Although the scene could be better, it still fits the novel and is a good beginning.  It does give us excitement and entertainment.  It could be set at a more significant event, but still, it does it’s job, and as I noted, the novel was on contract—my publisher and the editor found it compelling enough to accept it and want to publish it.  I might independently publish this novel.  We shall see.

Sister of Darkness 1939 – 1945 – This novel starts with a dream scene that includes the initial meeting of the protagonist, Leroa Bolang, the protagonist’s helper, Lumiere, and the antagonist, Liela.  In the scene, Lumiere is experiencing a dream from her mother, Leora’s past where Liela tried to choak her to death while she was sleeping.  The scene is quite intricate and exciting.  The end result is the power Liela is expressing in the world. 

This scene precedes World War Two and the escape of the Bolang family to England.  The initial scene connects the entire novel and the main characters.

I’m not certain I had figured out the way to write a great novel at the time I wrote this novel.  The initial scene was an accident of perfection.  This is the type of initial scene I’d recommend for any novel.  It includes all the features, I’d recommend, and that I described before.

Shadow of Darkness 1945 – 1953 – This novel’s initial scene is perfect from a novel development standpoint.  It begins with Lumiere’s and Oba’s escape from the German Neues Museum in 1945 war worn Berlin.  The Germans and Russians are fighting for the city of Berlin and the protagonist and her servant are caught up in the middle of it. 

This initial scene is filled with excitement, action, and adventure—plus, you can add to it, mystery.  In this initial scene Lumiere is almost killed by a German panzerfaust and rescued by two journalists with the Russian Fifth Shock Army.

At the beginning of the novel, our protagonist almost loses her life and does lose her memories.  She becomes a disabled child haunted by the past and eventually, the memories become dreams in her life and threaten to overwhelm her. 

This initial scene is perfect for this novel and perfect from my standpoint for any novel.  It isn’t the initial meeting of the protagonist with the protagonist’s helper or the antagonist, but it’s a great way to start a novel.

Shadow of Light 1953 – 1956 – When I wrote this novel, I was beginning to understand the method and means to write a great novel.  I was putting together the major ideas on the initial scene at the time.  In any case, this initial scene isn’t as filled with excitement as I’d like.  The scene includes the protagonist, Lumiere and her sister, Marie.  Lumiere is depressed and contemplating what she will do in the future.  That’s the scene.  I wanted to set the novel with this scene, but it’s a pretty underpowered scene.  That’s bad. 

I would likely rewrite it if I rewrote the novel, but I won’t.  The initial scene doesn’t meet the quality and type of initial scene I recommend today, but the scene doesn’t detract from the novel, it just doesn’t set it off as well as it could.

There isn’t enough action and excitement in the scene; however, the entertainment in the scene isn’t bad.  It just isn’t action filled. 

Antebellum 1965 (1860 to 1865) – This was one of my first novels, but it also has a perfect initial scene.  The initial scene is a dreamlike transformation of the Plantation House Belle Fleur where Heather steps into the world of 1860 and meets the antagonist, Syble, her namesake. 

In this scene, Heather explores and sees the kitchen with Syble and her house slave Majorie preparing breakfast for the family.  You get pieces of the outside world and the inside of Belle Fleur.  The scene is filled with subtle action and real entertainment.  It provides the protagonist, Heather, the antagonist, Syble, the setting, Belle Fleur, and the telic flaw which is the house itself and the history around it.

This novel has a perfect initial scene, and I got to it accidentally and exactly while writing one of my earliest novels.  I guess I had something right although I didn’t fully realize it at the time—it just felt like the correct way to write the novel.

Children of Light and Darkness 1970 – 1971 – I really like this initial scene even though it doesn’t follow all my recommendations.  In this scene, Kathrin and James are going on one of their usual forays to look for Lumiere and Alexandre who have been missing for years.  The Organization wants them back and the political environment of Burma has made investigation possible near the Chinese border. 

Katrin and James are an operative and an agent for the Organization and MI6.  James is a share.  The initial scene describes the initial setting of the area of Burma they are in, introduces the protagonist, Kathrin, introduces the protagonist’s helper, James, and gives some strong hints to the telic flaw of the novel.  The actual telic flaw is very complex and not at all what the reader thinks until we get deep into the novel itself. 

In this initial scene James and Kathrin engage in a village festival for the worship of twin goddesses, light and dark.  These goddesses turn out to be Egyptian looking girls who Kathrin and James guess are Lumiere and Alexandre’s children.  That’s the beginning and I think it’s a great start for this novel.

Warrior of Light 1974 – 1976 – this novel begins with an introduction of the protagonist.  It’s not an action packed beginning, but it brings in Danny Long, the protagonist and introduces him to the protagonists’ helpers, Klava and Sveta. 

Klava and Sveta were the focuses of the previous novel in the series.  In this novel, Sveta becomes the protagonist’s helper to Danny.  This is a self-discovery bordering on coming of age novel. 

I really don’t write novels for the young adult crowd, but my novels are good reading for mature youth.  They are intended to be adult novels with adult subjects—I don’t mean from an explicit, but a maturity idea. 

This initial scene depicts Danny Long going to meet his neighbors, Sveta and Klava, their adopted mother, Kathrin, and the other children in the family.  Sveta and Klava see great potential in Danny, not just as a friend, but as a potential warrior.  The problem is one of training and experience.  Sveta claims Danny as her own—the Goddess of Light seeks a man of action for her warrior, while the Goddess of Darkness seeks a scholar.  Danny is both, but Sveta wants him and Klava bows out of the competition.  She has other things to do. 

I should mention, this is a very compelling and interesting novel that describes the growth and training of the protagonist and the focuses. 

Warrior of Darkness 1980 – 1981 – This novel definitely meets my qualifications and recommendations for the initial scene.  In this scene Klava, the protagonist, is protecting the people of a pub in Belfast from a bomb set by the PIRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) and their magic user.  This is a meeting between the protagonist and the antagonist.  Klava prevents the bomb from harming any of the people and sends the blast against the PIRA and their operatives.  The end result is positive, but Klava has her own issues. 

The novel is all about Klava and her issues.  These are writ large over the Irish problems and troubles of the times.  She is working for the Organization and the Crown. 

As I wrote, this initial scene fits my recommendations perfectly and sets the novel exactly as I like.  It is filled with action, adventure, and excitement.

Deirdre: Enchantment and the School 1992 – 1993 – this novel starts with a gentle bang, and that’s the way I planned it.  This initial scene is a little more sedate than I recommend, but it’s exactly what this novel needed. 

In the initial scene, we meet the protagonist, Deirdre, and the protagonist’s helper, Sorcha.  We get the initial setting, which is the setting for most of the novel.  We also get the telic flaw. 

In the initial scene, Deirdre meets Sorcha, a half Fae girl who is secretly attending Wycombe Abby in full sight.  Sorcha uses her Fae power to hide both making her clothing look correct and her presence seem proper.  Sorcha attacks Deirdre to protect her identity, but Deirdre is used to brawling and beats Sorcha.  All this puts negative attention on Deirdre and threatens to do the same for Sorcha. 

This initial scene starts easily and ends with a bang.  This is exactly the kind of scene for this type of novel and includes all the aspects I recommend.  I had gained a strong understanding of the initial scene by the time I wrote this novel.  

Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warriors 1993 – 1994 – This novel, is a follow-on to Deirdre: Enchantment and the School, and has a similar initial scene.  Actually, it has an initial scene with more psychological and mental excitement than action and adventure. 

The novel and the scene is based on my increased knowledge about writing novels and the initial scene.  In the initial scene, we meet the protagonist, Sorcha, and the protagonist’s helper, Deirdre when they learn the very bad news that instead of going to Cranwell to become aviation cadets, they are going to Saint Malo to be finished.  This was a directive from their mother and non-negotiable because their current mentor and sponsor General Bolang is being deployed to the Middle East and Africa. 

I’ll just mention that Sorcha and Deirdra are about to face a dangerous and important assignment for Britain and the Organization, and they are about to meet some very unusual beings and people.

Although this initial scene isn’t filled with adventure and action, the excitement and mystery of it drives the scene, plus it’s a follow-on and fits the previous novel.

Hestia: Enchantment of the Hearth 2000 – 2001 – This is a little unusual novel.  It begins with the focus and one of the main characters.  The focus is Hestia and the protagonist is Angela.  The novel begins with one of the minor characters reciting and translating an ancient Greek incantation.  The recitation of the Greek document calls Hestia, and in the initial scene Hestia puts some strong magic on this character.  This is a subtle but exciting and action packed scene.

The scene starts subtly, then moves to greater and greater excitement and action.  This is a great beginning for the novel.  We don’t get to see Angela, the protagonist until the next scene and the morning. 

This is a great scene and beginning for the novel, however it doesn’t meet my recommendations of the meeting of the antagonist or the protagonist’s helper and the protagonist.  It’s a meeting of a minor character and the invocation of the focus.  That’s an odd beginning, but this is an early novel.  

Essie: Enchantment and the Aos Si 2002 – 2005 – This novel starts with a bang.  This has a great initial scene.  In fact, this is one of the novels I wrote just from the initial scene. 

In this scene, Mrs. Lyons, the protagonist’s helper, finds Essie, the protagonist in her pantry and captures her.  It’s all accidental, but Mrs. Lyons decides to keep Essie and reform her. 

This scene is filled with action, adventure, and excitement.  It shows the initial meeting of the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper and introduces the initial setting as well as the telic flaw of the novel.  This is a great beginning for a great novel, and a very fun one too.

Khione: Enchantment and the Fox 2003 – 2004 - This is also one of my later novels with a great initial scene.  In this scene Peirce and his friend chase down the naked girl who catches cats and squirrels around the campus of Boston University.  While chasing Khione, she is hit by a bus and Pierce takes her to his apartment on campus. 

This scene is filled with excitement and action and is all about the meeting of the protagonist, Pierce, and the protagonist’s helper, Khione.  Khione is also the focus of the novel. 

We are introduced to the initial setting and to the telic flaw.  Pierce’s telic flaw is basically Khione and Khione’s problems.  Basically, Khione has been a slave for her entire life as a demigod.  She was lately released by Hestia and Angela in the novel, Hestia: Enchantment and the Hearth.  However, Khione was cursed by Hestia in the way past, and she is still affected by it now.  This is Khione’s problem that becomes Peirce’s problem as well.   

Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective 2008 – 2009 – This novel starts with a subtle meeting scene where the protagonist, Azure Rose meets her New Scotland Yard contacts.  They aren’t really the protagonist’s helper, but they are in need of Azure’s help.

Azure (Blue) Rose wants to be a supernatural detective.  She actually is a supernatural detective, but Rose wants to be paid for her work, and there are many reasons for this.  Mainly, Rose wants the return of her estate. 

The novel begins with New Scotland Yard seeking Rose’s help with an apparent supernatural crime.  They meet at a tea shop near the financial center of London.  The actual initial scene involves the police in the special detective office meeting Rose for the first time.  This provides the excitement, action, and entertainment in the scene. 

This immediately moves to the scene of the crime and Rose’s resolution of the crime—it’s not supernatural at all.

Dana-ana: Enchantment and the Maiden 2009 – 2010 – this initial scene and novel fits exactly what I recommend and advise for the first scene.  In this scene, the protagonist’s helper Byron meets the protagonist and focus, Dana-ana.  She is being bullied at school.  The students accuse her of stealing lunches.  Byron defuses the situation and takes the unconscious Dana-ana to the school nurse. 

This scene is filled with action and adventure.  It introduces the characters, protagonist and protagonist’s helper, and brings into focus the telic flaw and initial scene. 

As I wrote, this is the type of initial scene that is perfect for a novel and for this novel.  This is the best way to start a novel, and notice, it meets all my recommendations for starting a novel.

Valeska: Enchantment and the Vampire 2014 – 2015 – Oh yeah, I figured it out by this novel as well.  This initial scene is filled with action, adventure, and excitement.  George, the protagonist, is on an international mission for the Polish government.  He’s a British intelligence asset, but being shared for Polish ops.  His supposedly safe mission goes badly, and he is shot by the contact.  That’s when he meets Valeska.  Valeska is the protagonist’s helper and a vampire.  She’s hunting too, and she’s pissed that George scared away her prey.  She asks to dine on his blood.  George doesn’t believe in vampires, and he doesn’t care what happens to his blood since he thinks he’s dying.  And he is.  Valeska shares part of her vitality with George.  It doesn’t make him a vampire, but it makes him heal.

Action, adventure, sense of death, and meeting a vampire.  The connections and the actions will lead into this novel about George, Valeska, and Stela.  Stela is the British intelligence organization that protects Britain from the supernatural.

Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer 2014 – 2015 – This novel also starts with a bang.  I’ve been trying to identify the novels I wrote early and late to show how as I matured as a writer, and especially how I learned to write a great initial scene. 

In Lilly, the initial scene shows Lilly caught by a customer at a convenience store when she uses their password to get FastBucks credit to buy bread.  Dane, the protagonist of the novel saves her and begins his friendship with her.  Lilly is the focus and the protagonist’s helper of the novel. 

The novel starts with a big fight where Lilly and Dane run.  Lilly is an expert computer hacker, programmer, and inventor.  Dane sees immediately that she is an amazing person, but Lilly is intentionally living on the streets and eating from garbage cans.  Dane basically saves Lilly from the streets and other dangers.  She latches on to him and the initial scene propels this into the novel. 

This is the kind of initial scene I recommend and advise.   

September 2022 – death of Elizabeth

Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse 2025 – 2026 – again, this novel shows that I learned well in my experience of writing over 30 novels.  This one starts at a boil with Shiggy waking up bound to a medical examination table.  She can’t remember how she got there, but she does remember screwing up a hostage rescue training mission by accidentally shooting one of the hostages—it was all simulated.  She remembers even more about her very sad and poor career in British intelligence—then she decides to make her own wishes known, and we get a full blown confrontation with her mistress, Sorcha. 

This scene is filled with action and entertainment, and we get a recap of Shiggy’s life since graduating.  She’s really screwed the pooch wherever she’s been assigned to train, and I mean screwed the pooch.  Because of modern ideas on washing people out plus security, Shiggy’s been passed on and on in the system until she arrived at Sorcha’s door.  Shiggy is just the kind of person Sorcha has been looking for.  It’s not a good thing. 

In any case, Shiggy is my protagonist in this novel, and Sorcha is the protagonist’s helper.  Their initial scene is their meeting, and the fireworks plus slow burn begin.

2026 death of Mrs. Calloway

Rose: Enchantment and the Flower January to April 2028 – This is another great example of a proper initial scene.  By the way, I’m not really writing science fiction in these novels, I’m using my characters and the time of my novels just ran ahead of the real world by a little. 

In this initial scene, Shiggy, the protagonist’s helper of this novel, goes to her safe house in Rousay in the Orkney Islands and finds Rose.  The scene is filled with mystery action and excitement, because Shiggy, as an agent for Stela and the Organization must capture and investigate Rose.  The capture and investigation provides a entertaining as well as exciting beginning.  It throws the reader directly into the mystery of who is Rose and what will happen to her.  That’s the telic flaw in a nutshell as well—although there is a little more to this. 

Seoirse: Enchantment and the Assignment August to November 2028 – okay, although this is my latest novel, it doesn’t start exactly as I recommend.  The beginning is the meeting, and initial meeting, of the protagonist, Seoirse and the protagonist’s helper, Rose.  That’s one of my recommendations and my main advise for the initial scene.  Unfortunately, this scene is more of a briefing and introduction.  There is action, but that action is mostly dialog.  There is excitement, but that excitement is mostly dialog.  All in all, this initial scene fits this novel and properly starts it, but it really wasn’t the scene I wanted for the novel.

I really wanted to begin the novel with the scene where Rose confronts the five goddesses and has a really big fight.  That scene makes the novel move with great power to toward the climax and telic flaw resolution, but I just couldn’t make it work. 

The novel required more information, setting, and setup prior to that scene.  It couldn’t be the initial scene, but it becomes a pivotal scene in the novel.   All in all, this is a very fun and exciting novel, but it does start with a little less action than I like.  The real action comes just a little later.  I’m sill happy with it.

science fiction

Escape from Freedom – I really had this one down before I wrote it.  I designed the initial scene first and then developed the characters to match what I wanted.  By the time I wrote the initial scene, it was fully developed and filled with action, adventure, and entertainment.

In this scene, Reb, the protagonist’s helper is walking home from her job in her community on Freedom, when Scott’s suborbital shuttle makes an emergency landing right in front of her.  Scott is illegally crossing through Freedom’s airspace to save time on his shuttle route.  He has an engine failure and must land on the island nation of Freedom. 

Reb is a worker with very high abilities. She has been bred for visual, smell, and mental acuity and she invents new scents and chemicals for the nation of Freedom.  If you didn’t figure out already, Freedom is not a place of freedom at all.  All the people of freedom are either citizens, armed citizens, or party members.  The citizens have no freedom at all, while the party members live in great comfort.  I’ll go further, although it's not in the initial scene.  The citizens eat engineered food with drugs to keep them under control while the party members get real food and abuse the citizens as they desire.

This novel has an awesome initial scene.

The End of Honor – this novel is one of my early ones.  I didn’t know how to write a novel at the time.  I was staggering through, and by the way, no one in a school or university can teach you how to write a novel or even how to write good fiction.  That’s because to produce and teach good fiction, you have to write good fiction.  The only measure of good fiction is traditional publication.  Most professors, educators, and teachers are not published professionally.  This means they have no clue about how to write. 

As I wrote, The End of Honor was one of my early novels.  It starts with the protagonist’s helper being executed.  The protagonist is no where to be found, yet.  This is actually a great beginning for this kind of novel.  I accidentally chose the seminal moment for the novel to begin.  This event, the execution of Lyral Neuterra is the pivotal event in the novel that causes the great war and conflict within the Human Galactic Empire and with the Emperor.  This is actually a great beginning for the novel.  I accidentally hit on it, and it worked.  My traditional publisher liked it. 

There are other problems with my early novels that I know better about now.  One of these is the prologue.  I’ll discuss this about these novels.

The Fox’s Honor – this novel begins with a gentle initial scene that quickly accelerates into a full blown action and excitement filled catastrophe—at least for the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper.  The initial scene is a meeting of the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper.  The antagonist comes along a little later in the scene.  In any case, this novel has a good initial scene that sets the novel and launches us into the terrible war started in The End of Honor

Now, I want to mention something about these three Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox novels.  Each has a funny prologue at the beginning that sets the times and the history of the Human Galactic Empire.  I was copying one of my favorite authors, Jack Vance, when I included these prologues.  I realize today that prologues are worthless.  I would still leave them into these novels because my traditional publisher liked them and didn’t recommend pulling them out, but with experience and time, I’ve come to realize just how worthless prologues are.  Literally, if it isn’t worth putting into the text of the main novel, it isn’t worth writing (or reading).  Now, a prologue in a science fiction novel may have more worth and give more to the readers than in any other type of novel, but from the experience of others, I found (and they found) that prologues are generally a bump in the road of publication and for readers.  As I think I wrote already, the reader usually skips the prologue or just rips through it—all the work you put into it just went to dross.  Publishers skip the prologue entirely—they see it as a worthless part of the writing—they realize that most readers will skip it.  If that’s true, then why write it?  A famous (or not so famous) bestseller wrote once that when she excluded the prologue, she finally got published—go figure.

A Season of Honor – This was my first novel and perhaps the least effective initial scene.  I had very little idea when I started writing how to put a novel together.  I’d read thousands of novels, but that really doesn’t prepare you for writing one—it’s the beginning, but the skills for writing are different than the skills for reading. 

This novel starts with the protagonist, Shaun du Locke in a meeting with Ian Acier.  The meeting comes around to the focus of the novel, Elina Acier, and Ian enlists Shaun to take Elina to her betrothed on the Imperial Capital of Arienth.  This is an initial scene missing excitement and action.  It’s really not a great initial scene for any novel.  My publisher still liked it, and I’m not certain how I could fix it in the context of the novel.

I thought about making the next scene the initial scene—the next scene is the scene where Shaun, the protagonist, meeting Elina, the protagonist’s helper and focus.  This would have made a cleaner beginning, but it would have also reduced the tension and release in the second scene.  That’s why I didn’t do anything to fix the novel, and my readers haven’t complained.  I think it is an unusual and action packed novel already, and the initial scene doesn’t hurt the novel—it just makes it have less market appeal for someone who isn’t familiar with my writing—oh well.  I can use the example to help you, and it’s a traditionally published novel.

Athelstan Cying – even though this was one of my early novels, it has a very well crafted initial scene.  In this scene, we meet the protagonist, the protagonist’s helper, see the initial setting, and get the telic flaw with action, excitement, and entertainment. 

In this initial scene, the Family Trader spaceship, Twilight Lamb has encountered the interstellar yacht, Athelstan Cying.  On the Athelstan Cying is the soul of one of the crew, an escapee from a prison who was a psionic master.  On the Twilight Lamb, we meet the Captain’s son, Den Protania, a neerdowell who with the soul will become the protagonist.  Also on the Twilight Lamb, we meet the young astrogator Natana Kern who once loved Den, but hates him now.  We see Den and Natana as they are mustering to their positions in their work.  We see the soul on the Athelstan Cying protecting the Twilight Lamb, and then trying to protect Den when he breaks protocol and the rule of engagement. 

This is a great scene for this novel and the series of novels based on it.   

Twilight Lamb – I have to explain a little about this novel and the rest.  I originally intended for the Ghost Ship Chronicles to be a single novel, but it quickly became more than that.  I had to break it into five separate novels.  The first break was between Athelstan Cying and Twilight Lamb.  This made the initial scene of Twilight Lamb unfortunately less powerful than I would like.  Even so, the novel begins with a little action and excitement as Den and Natana plan how to return to the surface of Neuterra to investigate their previous captors, the Athenian Charter. 

I think you can see how the continuation of the series of the novels was split and why there is a problem with the initial scene.  I’ll not say this isn’t or wasn’t a reasonable way to start the novel.  We see the meeting of the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper, the description of the initial setting, and the telic flaw.  So, the initial scene meets my criteria, then where is it missing something? 

What I would have liked a little more of in the scene is action and excitement.  The scene is mostly about Den and Natana planning how to escape the ship and investigate their new antagonist—the Athenian Charter.  A planning scene or sequel (as my friend would call it) isn’t the best way to start a novel, but for a series novel it may be a good way to get it moving.  I had to do something similar for Sister of Light from Aegypt

In any case, I won’t apologize too much for the scene, the novel quickly brings in the big guns of action and adventure (as well as entertainment).   

Regia Anglorum

Shadowed Vale

Ddraig Goch – not completed

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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