20 April 2018, Writing - part x469,
Developing Skills, Skilled Favorite Protagonists
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 28th 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.
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 29th novel, working title Red Sonja. I finished my 28th 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.
In
moving to mechanics, you have to start with something. The something I recommend is the protagonist. As I noted for you, the protagonist owns the
telic flaw and the telic flaw is the catalyst for the plot. The resolution of the telic flaw is the plot
of the novel, so obviously, the best place to start any novel is with the
protagonist. I hate to do this because I
usually end up writing a new novel—let’s develop a character.
Novels
whose protagonist are intellectual and then develop necessary skills to succeed
are very popular. Another non-everyman
character whom I really like is Kirth Girsen from Jack Vance’s Star King
novels. Kirth is obviously an
intellectual, but he is a fully trained war machine. He is an athlete only because athleticism is
necessary to fight.
How
can a character like this be popular with readers? First, he is a romantic character: intellectual,
introspective, skilled, and all. Second,
he is an intellectual who uses his knowledge to develop the skills he
needs. Third, he is a pathetic character
(emotion building) because he was trained from childhood to take revenge on the
Star Kings who murdered and enslaved his family.
Kirth
may be the first character in literature to achieve this type of pathos. Not many characters, even now, are developed
for the purpose of revenge, although this is an up and coming plot theme. Think Harry Potty. In Harry Potty, we have a messiah character
who is developed unintentionally for revenge.
Kirth,
on the other hand, was developed to be a tool for revenge, but there is
more. As I noted, the most powerful
feature of Kirth is his intellectualism. This always appeals to readers. Further, Kirth is driven by his intellectualism
to resolve the telic flaw of each of the five Star King novels. The telic flaw is the defeat of each of the
Star Kings, and each Star King has his own novels. What appeals the most to readers is not
necessarily Kirth’s warrior persona—the appeal is that Kirth is not ambivalent
about using his abilities as necessary to resolve the issues in the novel. This is a type of plot concept where the bad
guys receive what they deserve. This
type of plot resolution is very popular among readers. Kirth is able because of his training an use
of intellect to bring vengeance against the criminals he is fighting. He, of course, has set backs, but most
readers really enjoy an appropriate resolution where the antagonist and other
criminals get appropriate punishment—even outside the law.
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
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
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