Writing - part x462, Developing Skills, Telic Flaw, Internal and External

13 April 2018, Writing - part x462, Developing Skills, Telic Flaw, Internal and External

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.  I’m just finishing number 30, working title Detective. 

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.

For novel 30:  Lady Azure Rose Wishart, the Chancellor of the Fae, supernatural detective, and all around dangerous girl, finds love, solves cases, breaks heads, and plays golf.

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:  Many people would like to write, but writing is hard work.  I’ll express again, if you want to be a skilled and potentially a published author, you need to write about one million words.  That equates to about ten 100,000 word novels.  When you look at it this way, it is a daunting goal especially if you haven’t written a single novel. 

To become a good writer, you need two specific skill sets first reading and then writing.  Without these skill sets, I really can’t help you much.  I provide advanced help and information on how to write great fiction. 

Characters are the key to great writing.  Entertainment is the purpose of fiction writing.  The key to entertainment is character revelation, and specifically revelation of the plot and protagonist telic flaw (the same thing) .  If we want to be a successful writer, we must aim for great protagonists, and a great protagonist means a great or compelling telic flaw.

So what is a compelling telic flaw?  We need a direct and specific telic flaw. 

You can and you should have an internal and an external telic flaw in your plot and protagonist (they are the same thing).  The external telic flaw is a physical something which must be accomplished for the novel to the resolved.  For example, in a detective novel, the crime must be solved—that is the external telic flaw.  The internal telic (if there is one) must be related to the external telic flaw—for example, the protagonist can’t solve the crime until she resolves her drinking problem.  That’s pretty simple, but the problem is internal to the protagonist and must be solved for the external telic flaw to be realized.

Most circumstances and telic flaws are more complex than this, but this is an example.  Aksinya provides a perfect example of the internal and external telic flaw.  My novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Deamon is available for reading (with commentary) from this blog and my repeat blog.  Aksinya, the protagonist, calls a deamon from the pits of hell.  Her external problem is the deamon.  Her internal problem is that she is tempted by luxuria (the desires of luxury). 

Thus in Aksinya, Aksinya must defeat her internal telic flaw or lururia and also her external telic flaw, the demon.  This occurs in two distinct climaxes in the novel—an internal climax, and an external climax.

In the internal climax, Aksinya flies into a rage because her fiancé has been seduced by her handmaiden.  She beats her handmaiden to death (so she believes) and runs away.  This first recognition of the descent of her life causes Aksinya to change.  Unfortunately, the external telic flaw, the demon, still exists and still is causing great destruction in Aksinya’s life and the life of her friends. 

The external telic flaw is resolved when Aksinya is rid of the demon.  These events occure separately from each other.  In many novels, the internal and the external telic flaws are resolved at the same or similar times.  This is an important concept which we should explore.

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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