riting - part x238, Novel Form, Information Tension and Release

1 September 2017, Writing - part x238, Novel Form, Information Tension and Release

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but the publisher has delayed all their fiction output due to the economy.  I'll keep you informed.  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 website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select "production schedule," you will be sent to 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 28^th novel, working title, School, potential title Deirdre: Enchantment and the School.  The theme statement is: Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.  

Here is the cover proposal for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School. 

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I continued writing my 29^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 28^th novel, working title School.  If you noticed, I started on number 28, but finished number 29 (in the starting sequence—it’s actually higher than that).  I adjusted the numbering.  I do keep everything clear in my records. 

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 29:  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.

 

This is the classical form for writing a successful 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 (protagonist, antagonist, and optionally the protagonist’s helper)

d.      Identify the telic flaw of the protagonist (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

              

The protagonist and the telic flaw are tied permanently together.  The novel plot is completely dependent on the protagonist and the protagonist’s telic flaw.  They are inseparable.  This is likely the most critical concept about any normal (classical) form novel. 

 

Here are the parts of a normal (classical) novel:

 

1.      The Initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)

2.      The Rising action scenes

3.      The Climax scene

4.      The Falling action scene(s)

5.      The Dénouement scene

             

So, how do you write a rich and powerful initial scene?  Let’s start from a theme statement.  Here is an example from my latest novel:

 

The theme statement for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School is: Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.

 

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

          

If you have the characters (protagonist, protagonist’s helper, and antagonist), the initial setting, the telic flaw (from the protagonist), a plot idea, the theme action, then you are ready to write the initial scene.  I would state that since you have a protagonist, the telic flaw, a plot idea, and the theme action, you have about everything—what you might be lacking is the tension and release cycle in your scenes.

 

Here is an example of developing or building tension and release in a scene.  This example is from Shadow of Darkness an Ancient Light novel.  Mother Anna promised to explain things to Sveta.  This is the explanation. 

 

I wanted to call this storytelling in tension and release, but I settled on information—both are correct.  What I wanted you to see is the use of a scene to pass information.  I told you before, our goal is showing without telling.  Some authors would simply tell you this information in some kind of narrative sequence.  Showing means no narrative sequences and no omniscient voice.  This means I want to use dialog (conversation) to provide information to you.  It also means the information may or may not be as accurate as it should be.  For your information, the story Mother Anna tells is absolutely correct.  It is from the point of view of the Orthodox Church.  The story or information from the point of Beria or Stalin might be similar, but their purpose in subverting and punishing the church and its members might come out.  To vile men like Stalin and Beria, this might be mitigating.  There I let out my own opinion. 

 

In writing by showing, the author’s purpose is not to endue his or her own opinions on the writing.  All I think I have to do is show you the unadulterated Beria or Stalin.  They are like any other man, but they did very evil things.  On the other hand, all I have to do is show you their actions, and I think you will naturally side with the Orthodox Church and with Mother Anna, as well as with Sveta. 

 

If you notice, Sveta is like the reader—she is just learning about these things.  She is seeing them and understanding them first hand.            

 

Here is the scene:        

 

        In the morning, Mother Anna called Sveta to her office.  When Sveta entered the open door, Mother Anna called to her, “Svetlana close the door and come sit here.”  She pointed at the chair beside her desk.

        Sveta sat down.

        “Svetlana, His Beatitude sent his thanks, and…you must have impressed him even more than before.  He expressed extreme pleasure.”  Mother Anna smiled, “I am proud of you too, very proud, Svetlana.”

        Sveta tossed her braids, “Now will you explain to me, Mother Abbess?”

        “Explain?”

        “You told me, you would explain why I must dress as a Party member…and I find, I must act like a Party member.”

        “Yes, I did promise to tell you.”  Mother Anna took a deep breath and gazed around the room, “I don’t think this will be difficult for you to understand.  We in the church are in a precarious situation.  You may or may not remember that Stalin purged the church in 1925 and for years attempted to destroy us.  Many thousands of us went to prison.  I myself was imprisoned and tortured.  Mother Marya faced more suffering than many of us.  Many more millions of church members were tortured and murdered.  The only reason was because of their faith.  Stalin created more martyrs than the church had ever known, but for every martyr, he unintentionally made five Christians.  In 1943, Stalin officially let us out of prison and out of the shadows.  Those of us who were leaders in the church planned to try to head off the next round of purges and persecution.  We have been working to that effect since 1941 when Stalin allowed us some initial freedom.  This is what we have been working for.  That is why His Beatitude attends these parties.  That is why we are building trust among our enemies.  This is why we court foreigners as well as those who oppose us in the Soviet state.”

        Sveta pursed her lips, “But what does that have to do with me?”

        “You, child, came at a perfect time.  We need an ear in Stalin’s trust.  We need a friend who can speak effortlessly to foreigners, especially the Americans and British.  We seek friends and we expect you to make them for us.”

        “But I am no one and just a girl.”

        “I wish you were older, that is true, but you are not no one.  You are our hope.  You are a great hope to us.”  Mother Anna’s gaze stared very far away, “We don’t know what will happen, but we are putting out the fleece.  We hope we can know and counter those attacks that might come against us, and we hope you will be one of those we can depend on… I know we can, Svetlana.  As I said, you came at exactly the right time and in exactly the right place.”

        “Then, I am an agent for the Church?”

        Mother Anna’s gaze abruptly snapped back to Sveta.  She noted the look on Sveta’s face, “Yes, an agent.  You are our agent.  You do understand.”  Mother Anna looked down at the notes on her desk, “Father Nikolay told me you should be ready to escort His Beatitude again early next week.  We will plan for that, and I will help you prepare again.”

        Sveta nodded.

This short political history is correct in every way—it is given out with factual simplicity.  Sveta does not know any of this.  She is being drawn into something very large.  This is not the climax of the novel, but this is a turning point and an explanation for everything before and everything afterward.  The Church or rather Mother Anna has only known Sveta for a short while, but already she is playing an important role in the work of protecting the Church from the Communist Party and Stalin. 

 

This is what I wanted the readers to see directly.  I believe than most of my readers would read this scene and say: I knew that already.  That is to say, they didn’t know the history of the Orthodox Church under Stalin per se, but they understood to some degree how the Church was using Sveta.  …And when I write using Sveta, I don’t mean that in a negative fashion.  They are using her capabilities just as they are using Mother Anna or Father Nicolay. 

 

This scene is both declarative and informative, and I don’t mean that as a type of scene or a specific type of scene.  I simply mean, this scene is an informational turning point where the protagonist can make a choice, but the choice should be obvious and already accepted.  Some authors in some novels who reach this point have their protagonists opt out and go another direction.  I never understood this—neither the dereliction of the character to accept the correct path or the ambivalence of a character in the face of evil.  My characters in almost every case accept their lot and their responsibilities and accomplish what they can.  They don’t give up or allow self-reflection to hinder their efforts.  That is a different concept in writing however.  

 

I’ll give you more examples.

 

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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