Writing - part x526, Developing Skills, Build a Scene, Character Voice and Action Tags

16 June 2018, Writing - part x526, Developing Skills, Build a Scene, Character Voice and Action Tags

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.

With a character, we now can move into the mechanics of the writing.

Here is my expected scene setup.

1.      Initial scene: General Bolang informs Sorcha and Deirdre that they are going off to a Catholic girl’s boarding school instead of to aviation training.  He gives them reasons, and sends them off.  This is the output.

2.      Based on the expected output, Deirdre and Sorcha are taken or go to school.  Somehow I need to give them no options to escape.  They inspect the school and the output is the end of the day. 

3.      First day of class is the obvious input.  The output will be their investigation of the off areas in the school that they observed.  Perhaps they will talk to the teachers and the students.

With a scene input, we can move to the scene itself.  The scene input is the hard part.  Following the setting, we move on to the output.  The next step is to write the tension development in the scene.

An entertaining (successful) scene is always made up of tension and release in the scene.  No matter what the subject or concept of the scene, a scene cannot be considered a good scene without tension and release. 

First a scene is not a novel, but every scene must include tension and release.  This is a complex way of stating that every scene must be filled with entertainment and excitement.  Tension and release is the way you incorporate entertainment and excitement into a scene. 

1.      Setting tension – there can be tension that comes directly from the setting. 

2.      Character tension – tension that comes from the interaction of the characters.

3.      Item tension – tension that comes from items interjected into the

Character tension is the main way we build tension and release in a scene. 

Perhaps I should look at tension from this standpoint:

1.      Telic flaw

2.      Plot

3.      Situations

4.      Existing conflict

5.      Character details

6.      Setting details    

7.      Item details

8.      Comedy

9.      Voice

Whole books have been written (or should be written on author voice).  This is a very difficult and complex idea.  Character voice is a little easier to tackle. 

A good writer can give every character their own voice such that within a conversation, the readers should be able to pick out the speaker with little difficulty—even without tags.  In great writing, the voice of the character come out uniquely and naturally.  What does this mean?

I have read that some writers advocate that authors should not use action tags at all in conversation, or, at least should reduce their use as much as possible. I say that idea is bunk.  As a matter of fact, since in actual conversation about 80% of communication is body language, a reasoned writer might conclude that dialog should be at least 80% action tags.  I don’t think we should go that far, but pertinent action tags should be attached to almost every statement in a dialog. 

The big question I have is why wouldn’t you?  Character voice can only be maintained at a certain level for so long.  I can’t keep the irony and sarcasm going at 100% for such a character, but I can use action tags to indicate many many emotions and thoughts.

Think about it.  If you have an angry character, how do you express anger?  The worse way is to tell us, but that’s one method.

“I don’t like it,” Paul said angrily.

If that’s all you got, that’s still a step beyond:

“I don’t like it,” said Paul.

I don’t like to use the word said.  There are hundreds of better words to use than said, and there are action tags.  How about this.

“I don’t like it,” Paul scowled.

This is a type of action tag.  I didn’t tell you what he thought—I showed you.  If Paul is a cigarette smoker, what about this:

“I don’t like it,” Paul threw down his cigarette and ground it underfoot.

Here again, I’m showing you what the character is doing and at the same time giving you a clue to his mind.  The use of an action tag is perfect to express this to your readers, plus this is character revelation.  There is no character voice in the statement, “I don’t like it.”  There is enormous character voice when linked to an action tag.  And that is the point, to build character voice, you can do it through the words of the character—not a very effective or good continual method.  Or you can use action tags.  The action tags combined with the words produce character voice.

I can’t state this more strongly.  If you want to create character voice, you must use action tags.  If you don’t, you will cripple your writing.  

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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