Writing - part xx238 Writing a Novel, Protagonists Plots and Theme more Leora Bolang

28 May 2020, Writing - part xx238 Writing a Novel, Protagonists Plots and Theme more Leora Bolang

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 21^st 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 websites 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

Ideas.  We need ideas.  Ideas allow us to figure out the protagonist and the telic flaw.  Ideas don’t come fully armed from the mind of Zeus.  We need to cultivate ideas. 

1.     Read novels. 

2.     Fill your mind with good stuff—basically the stuff you want to write about. 

3.     Figure out what will build ideas in your mind and what will kill ideas in your mind.

4.     Study.

5.     Teach. 

6.     Make the catharsis. 

7.     Write.

The development of ideas is based on study and research, but it is also based on creativity.  Creativity is the extrapolation of older ideas to form new ones or to present old ideas in a new form.  It is a reflection of something new created with ties to the history, science, and logic (the intellect).  Creativity requires consuming, thinking, and producing.

If we have filled our mind with all kinds of information and ideas, we are ready to become creative.  Creativity means the extrapolation of older ideas to form new ones or to present old ideas in a new form.  Literally, we are seeing the world in a new way, or actually, we are seeing some part of the world in a new way. 

So, modern characters must look like the reader’s impression of the protagonist.  This is an interesting problem as culture and society change as does the impression of the readers.         

Here is the list of characteristics for great protagonists (this is based on the concept of a Romantic protagonist):

1.     Hero, independent, and individualistic – characters who truly risk their lives for others.

2.     From the common ilk – as opposed to the nobility and wealth.

3.     Educated – both seeking education and study and loving to read and learn.

4.     Focus on the inner world of the protagonist – the mind and motivation of the protagonist.

5.     Celebration of nature, beauty, and imagination – the expression of the mind of the protagonist.

6.     Rejection of industrialization and social convention – from urban to rural.

7.     Idealization of woman, children, and rural life.

8.     Inclusion of supernatural or mythological elements.

9.     Inclusion of historical elements.

10.  Frequent use of personification.

11.  Emphasis on individual experience of the sublime.

12.  Discovery and skills—the protagonist finds his or her special skills and abilities and uses them to resolve the telic flaw.

13.  The readers agree with the mind (thoughts and decisions) of the protagonist

I added the last statement, but really this last statement is a direct reflection of 4, 11, and 12. 

My ultimate point is that first I develop a great protagonist and the plot and theme of the novel I want to write comes directly out of that protagonist.  Every great protagonist comes with his or her own telic flaw.

Yesterday, I gave you an example of Azure Rose from my novel, Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.  I showed how she was a Romantic protagonist and how she herself resulted in a plot and theme for the novel.  In other words, I didn’t develop a plot or a theme first, I developed a great protagonist and found the telic flaw, plot, and theme from her revelation.  Azure Rose came with a plot and a theme.  I’ve done this before and at the risk of repeating myself, I’ll do this a couple of more times or more.  Here is a list of my completed novels and protagonists:

A Season of Honor (Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox III), published, Shawn du Locke

The Fox’s Honor (Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox II), published, Devon Rathenberg

The End of Honor (Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox I), published, John-Mark

Antebellum, not published, Heather Sybil Roberts

Aegypt, published, Paul Bolong

Centurion, published, Centurion Abenadar

Athelstan Cying, not published, Den Protania

Twilight Lamb, not published, Den Protania

Regia Anglorum, not published, Nikita Protania

The Second Mission, published, Alan Fisher

Sister of Light, not published, Leora Bolang

Hestia: Enchantment of the Hearth, not published, Angela Matheson

Sister of Darkness, not published, Leora Bolang

Shadow of Darkness, not published, Lumière Bolang

Shadow of Light, not published, Lumière Bolang

Children of Light and Darkness, not published, Kathrin McClellan

Warrior of Light, not published, Daniel Long

Shadowed Vale, not published, Nikita Protania

Warrior of Darkness, not published, Klava Calloway

Dana-ana: Enchantment and the Maiden, not published, Byron Macintyre

Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon, not published, Aksinya

Khione: Enchantment and the Fox, not published, Khione

Valeska: Enchantment and the Vampire, not published, George Mardling

Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer, not published, Lilly

Escape from Freedom, not published, Scott Phillips

Essie: Enchantment and the Aos Si, not published, Essie

Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse, not published, Shiggy

Deirdre: Enchantment and the School, not published, Deirdre Calloway

Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective, not published, Azure Rose

Sister of Darkness and Sister of Light, are currently not published.  They were almost published—they were on contract when my publisher went out of business—oh well.  The protagonist of both of these novels is Leora Bolang.  These novels are the second and third in the Ancient Light novels.  Leora Bolang is another excellent example of how a protagonist defines the telic flaw, plot, and theme.  Similar to Lumi’ere she is the protagonist in two of my novels, she makes a great source for how the same protagonist can make two very different novels.

Sister of Darkness is a military spy thriller romance novel with a supernatural twist.  These novels come out of the Aegypt novel which is published.  Leora Bolang came out of Aegypt.  Very specifically, Leora Bolang is the Goddess of Light from ancient Egypt.  She was ensorcelled, mummified, and entombed by her sister, Leila, the Goddess of Darkness in a tomb in Libya.  Paul Bolang released Leora Bolang and Leila from the tomb. 

Leora Bolang is a goddess and woman from the ancient world.  Her goals in life is to live in the modern world and to protect the world from her sister, Leila.  At the end of Sister of Light, Leora Bolang has rescued Paul and found her sister, Leila.  Leila captured Paul.  Sister of Light is set during the interwar years of 1926 to 1934.  Leila is working with the National Socialists and Hitler to bring great evil into the world.  At the end, Leora Bolang can’t fight her sister, but she and Paul’s determination to work to stop her are still driving factors.

Leora Bolang is a hero.  She is also independent and individualistic.  Leora Bolang isn’t from the common, but she is driven to zero by being reborn in the modern world.  She has nothing at all when she enters the picture in Aegypt.  At the beginning of Sister of Darkness, she is married to Paul Bolang, and Paul is being called to support French Special Forces in Norway against the German invasion there.  Paul is a Colonel and leader in the French Special Forces.  They are living in France and have four children.

Leora Bolang is educated to the peak of her times, but desires education and this becomes an important part of the novel.  The inner world of the protagonist – the mind and motivation of the protagonist is the most important part of this novel. 

If you consider the celebration of the ancient world and ancient history and things, then Leora Bolang represents this celebration of nature, beauty, and imagination.  You further see in this same theme the idealization of women, children, and the rural.  Children come in from the fact that Paul and Leora Bolang have four children and they become an important part of the novel.

The inclusion of the supernatural and mythological comes directly out of Leora Bolang as the Goddess of Light.  The historical elements come out of the novel as it is set directly in modern history.  In this novel, the emphasis on individual experience of the sublime comes out of her interaction and integration with the modern world.  Further, Leora Bolang seeks to know the truth compared to her ancient existence and life as a goddess.  She is a real goddess.  The novel is a discovery type novel where the readers discover the skills of Leora Bolang, so discovery with revelation.

The telic flaw in Sister of Darkness is similar but not the same as in Shadow of Light.  In Sister of Darkness, the ultimate telic flaw is to stop Leila, but there is another problem.  Paul and Leora Bolang’s oldest daughter has powers similar to Leora and Leila.  Usually in the pantheon of the Goddess of Light and Darkness, they were chosen from one set of twins born to either goddess.  Leora doesn’t have twins, but her daughters seem to share some of her powers.  Her eldest daughter is attracted to the Osiris Offering Formula (a golden tablet) which was an artifact found in the Sister of Light novel and hidden by Leora.  When Leora and her children are forced to escape their home during the German invasion of France, Leora can’t find the Osiris Offering Formula—she kept it in the sun to reduce its dark powers.  In the course of Sister of Darkness, we find that Lumi’ere, Paul and Leora Bolang’s daughter has the tablet and that Leila is manipulating her through it.  Lumi’ere is learning to be a Goddess of Darkness.  Leila has Lumi’ere kidnapped to Berlin and that becomes the plot connection of the telic flaw in the novel.  Specifically, the telic flaw is not just to stop Leila, but to stop Leila from harming and influencing Lumi’ere.  You can see how this drives the plot.  Within the plot development is the Osiris Offering Formula which represents and enhances the Goddess of Darkness’s power. 

The telic flaw of protecting and saving their daughter as well as the ultimate telic flaw (the same telic flaw) of stopping Leila drive this novel.  This is a very different telic flaw from the previous novel with the same protagonist.  The plot is also very different set in 1939 to 1945 with World War II raging around them and as spies for the allies in Berlin.  I should mention the theme of the novel.  Ultimately, the theme is the destruction or stopping of evil in the world, but the kidnapping of Paul and Leora Bolang’s daughter makes stopping that evil very personal. 

I hope you can see that the entire plot, telic flaw, and theme came out of the development of this character.  This is exactly what I mean when I write that the plot, theme, and telic flaw comes directly out of the protagonist.

Ultimately, the point is that we need to keep our readers content and pleased with our characters while presenting the revelation of the protagonist and the plot.    

The beginning of creativity is study and effort.  We can use this to extrapolate to creativity.  In addition, we need to look at recording ideas and working with ideas.    

    

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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