Writing - part x271, Novel Form, Non-Sequential Scenes and Tension

4 October 2017, Writing - part x271, Novel Form, Non-Sequential Scenes and Tension

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.  Further expansion of the historical information in this novel requires more than telling of the history, and remember, show and don’t tell.  To achieve this, I provide some non-sequential scenes.  These scenes very specifically don’t follow the direct input to output model of scenes I recommend.  They also don’t include the protagonist. 

 

I don’t recommend using these types of scene often.  In fact, I don’t recommend using many scenes without the protagonist.  If you notice, these types of scenes may still be somewhat sequential in time, but not necessarily in regard to the rest of the narrative.  They are not flashbacks or flashforwards. 

 

In this scene Beria, the expected successor of Stalin, speaks with Khrushchev, the actual future successor of Stalin.  The reason I insert this scene is because along with history, it reveals information about the protagonist.              

 

Here is the scene:        

 

        Beria and Khrushchev sat together in the back of a large black automobile.  They had been to the Kremlin at the request of Stalin and now discussed issues of Soviet security.

        Khrushchev’s gravelly voice came out of the darkness, “Abakumov is as good as dead.  This doctor’s plot sunk him, and allowed us to move on the Zionist Jews.  Are you sure that wasn’t your plan, Beria?”

        Beria stared out the window, “It wasn’t my plan.  I didn’t care for Abakumov, but the Jews can cause us international problems.”

        “Bah, they are nothing but pawns.  All of them.  You coddle the church too.”

        “I follow Stalin’s orders.  He instructs, and I enact his commands.”  

        “Stalin’s Little Ptitsa is informing the church of our plans almost as quickly as we can make them.” 

        “Svetlana Evgenyevna?”

        “The People’s Prodigy.”

        “What do you want me to do about her?”

        “Comrade Beria, it shows our lack of control over our own forces.  What are you going to do about her?”

        “Nothing.  I knew she was a spy for Father Alexius when I brought her into the MVD.  She works for him and for us.  She is too valuable to trade for the deaths of a few Christians.”

        “She also is helping the Zionists.”

        “She has Jewish friends and informs them, yes.  We know this too.”  A trickle of sweat rolled down Beria’s face.

        “You will tell me, she is too valuable to trade for the lives of a few Jews.”

        “That is also true Comrade Khrushchev.”

        “What if I told you she was passing information to our enemies in the embassies?”

        Beria turned toward him, “I would say you are wrong.  She takes more information out of the embassies than we get from our own intelligence outside of our country.  Have you read her reports?”

        “Yes, I have read her reports.  They are the only reason she still sits in her office on the top floor of the MVD instead of in the basements with all the other traitors.”

        “You forget, Comrade Khrushchev, I control the intelligence apparatus for the Soviet state, not you.  As long as Stalin wants his Little Ptitsa, he shall have her.  When she is no longer of any use to the state…”

        “Very good, Beria.  That is the answer I would have expected from you.”   

 

This is a foreshadowing and an important foreshadowing.  We see what will eventually be happening to Sveta if Khrushchev ever takes power.  Okay, since this is a historical novel, we know what will happen.  Because of this scene, we also know what will happen eventually to Sveta—or we know what could happen to Sveta.  This scene directly drives the tension in future scenes.  There is a terrible expectation.  If Beria succeeds Stalin, Sveta is safe.  If Khrushchev succeeds Stalin, Sveta is likely in the basement of the MVD. 

 

This information colors the scenes from now on.  We knew Sveta’s life and freedom was always at risk, but we never had such a clear picture as this.  We will see more results of this reflected in the remainder of the novel.   

   

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  

fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic