Writing - part x790, Writing a Novel, Imagination and Leader

7 March 2019, Writing - part x790, Writing a Novel, Imagination and Leader

Announcement: Delay, my new novels can be seen on the internet, but my primary publisher has gone out of business—they couldn’t succeed in the past business and publishing environment.  I'll keep you informed, but I need a new publisher.  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 29^th novel, working title, Detective, potential title Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.  The theme statement is: 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 cover proposal for Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective. 

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I am continuing to write on my 30^th novel, working title Red Sonja.  I finished my 29^th novel, working title Detective.  I’m planning to start on number 31, working title Shifter. 

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 30:  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 31:  Deirdre and Sorcha are redirected to French finishing school where they discover difficult mysteries, people, and events. 

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:  Why don’t we go back to the basics and just writing a novel?  I can tell you what I do, and show you how I go about putting a novel together.  We can start with developing an idea then move into the details of the writing. 

To start a novel, I picture an initial scene.  I may start from a protagonist or just launch into mental development of an initial scene.  I get the idea for an initial scene from all kinds of sources.  To help get the creative juices flowing, let’s look at the initial scene. 

1.     Meeting between the protagonist and the antagonist or the protagonist’s helper

2.     Action point in the plot

3.     Buildup to an exciting scene

4.     Indirect introduction of the protagonist

The protagonist is the novel and the initial scene.  If you look at the four basic types of initial scenes, you see the reflection of the protagonist in each one.  If you noticed my examples yesterday, I expressed the scene idea, but none were completely independent of the protagonist.  Indeed, in most cases, I get an idea with a protagonist.  The protagonist is incomplete, but a sketch to begin with.  You can start with a protagonist, but in my opinion, as we see above, the protagonist is never completely independent from the initial scene.  As the ideas above imply, we can start with the characters, specifically the protagonist, antagonist or protagonist’s helper, and develop an initial scene. 

If we start with a protagonist, we need some kind of guide.  Here is a general guide for developing a modern protagonist.  We’ll look at examples and explain the ideas.

1.        Normal person (not wealthy, noble, or privileged)

2.      Loves to read

3.      Loves to learn

4.     Unique skill(s), power(s) and/or learning

5.      Pathos (poor, homeless, abused, friendless, ill)

6.     Individualistic and independent

7.      Introspective

8.     Leader

9.     Naturally good

10.  Rejection of the urban

11.   Rejection of the modern

12.  Appeal to the imagination

This focus on imagination is what brought the Romantic protagonist from the common through knowledge and education to skills, powers, and learning.  The imagination is the key that turns the Romantic protagonist into the Romantic protagonist—the only being in the world who can accomplish the telic flaw of their novel.

In the Victorian worldview, leaders were born and not made.  You were born into aristocracy and privilege and nothing else mattered.  The Romantics completely rejected this view.  If you remember, in the Romantics worldview, the common person could become uncommon through the acquisition of skills, powers, and learning.  Now, the Romantics are not adverse to the idea of discovered skills.  For example, the character who discovers they have magical skills or leadership skills or learning skills.  This isn’t outside their view, however, every truly Romantic character expends effort, usually high degrees of effort to perfect their skills, powers, and learning.  In almost every case, the Romantic protagonist had to expend extreme levels of work to become uniquely suited in his or her skills, powers, and/or learning.  The effort expended is the measure of the Romantic protagonist.  This is also true of their leadership skills.

Imagination in leadership comes from two sources in equal measure for the Romantic protagonist.  The first is the imagination that propels the Romantic protagonist to become a leader.  If you will note, the Romantic protagonist is not naturally a leader—independence and individualistic tend to not lead to leadership skills.  However, the Romantic protagonist because he or she is independent and individualistic sees the need to lead and not let others down.  The leadership skill comes precisely out of imagination and is propelled by imagination.  I’ll get to the propelled by imagination in a moment.  The basis for the development of the Romantic protagonist’s leadership skills is an adjunct to imagination and need.

For example, in Starship Troopers, Johnny Rico sees the need to develop his leadership skills.  They don’t come naturally to him.  He isn’t a born or natural leader.  He is the opposite.  He is the typical Romantic protagonist, independent, individualistic, introspective, not socially inclined, a reader, a learner, and all which leads to the exact opposite of being a leader.  Johnny sees the need to become a strong leader because of his combat and life experiences as a Starship Trooper (space marine).  The need to become a strong leader becomes the focus of his life and he studies to acquire this skill and learning.  Imagination is the driver to develop this skill.  Next, his leadership is propelled by his imagination.

I wrote that propelled by imagination is the second interaction of imagination in the leadership of the Romantic protagonist.  All readers (intellectuals) want their leaders to be imaginative and their leadership to be based in imagination.  All readers want the outcome of leadership in a novel to be based in the imagination of the leader.  What this means is that the leader bases his or her leadership on thinking and imagination.  The Romantic leader doesn’t use a council to determine the means, the Romantic leader takes in the facts and information, then uses their imagination to develop a solution and implements it.  This is the use of imagination in leadership.  Readers expect the Romantic leader to develop intuitive and ingenious solutions through their imagination and thoughts (same thing) that result in victories and success.  This is what readers want in real leaders too.

I’ll point this out.  Although in the real world, perhaps the Romantic leader is not the best or most effective type of leader, this is the leader readers (intellectuals) like and want.  They want an introspective leader who takes their ideas and knowledge and then uses them in an imaginative way they couldn’t figure out themselves.  This is the way a well plotted book works too.  The protagonist takes an impossible solution and resolves it using an unexpected but completely reasonable means.  As I wrote, this might not be the best or normal type of leadership in the real world, but it is the type of leadership readers look for.  In the real world leaders are generally highly socially interactive and lead through both direction and consensus.  For example, the leader might not be imaginative or intellectual at all.  They just need to be socially aware enough to build trust and know when consensus is required and direction and direct action is necessary.  In other words, the trust and normal consensus leadership allows them the latitude for direct action (orders) when necessary.  Think of the Lieutenant in the military.  As long as he has the respect and trust of his troops because he defers to their advice and knowledge when consensus is needed, they will be willing to follow him to the top of the hill in a hail of bullets when he orders them to.  Necessity vs. trust and respect.  The Romantic leader uses imagination and intellect instead of social skills.  However, since social skills are skills after all, the Romantic protagonist could develop these too for the purpose of leadership or other reasons.  Just say’n.  The Romantic protagonist isn’t limited although he or she is pretty well defined.           

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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