29 June 2021, Writing - part xx634 Writing a Novel, Plots and Classics, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
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 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 29th 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 30th novel, working
title Red Sonja. I finished my 29th 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.
For Novel 32: Shiggy
Tash finds a lost girl in the isolated Scottish safe house her organization
gives her for her latest assignment: Rose Craigie has nothing, is alone, and
needs someone or something to rescue and acknowledge her as a human being.
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.
I’ve worked through creativity and the protagonist. The ultimate point is that if you properly
develop your protagonist, you have created your novel. This moves us on to plots and initial
scenes. As I noted, if you have a
protagonist, you have a novel. The
reason is that a protagonist comes with a telic flaw, and a telic flaw provides
a plot and theme. If you have a
protagonist, that gives you a telic flaw, a plot, and a theme. I will also argue this gives you an initial
scene as well.
So, we worked extensively on the protagonist. I gave you many examples great, bad, and
average. Most of these were from
classics, but I also used my own novels and protagonists as examples. Here’s my plan.
1.
The protagonist comes with a telic
flaw – the telic flaw isn’t necessarily a flaw in the protagonist, but rather a
flaw in the world of the protagonist that only the Romantic protagonist can
resolve.
2.
The telic
flaw determines the plot.
3. The telic flaw determines the theme.
4. The telic flaw and the protagonist determines the initial
scene.
5. The protagonist and the telic flaw determines the initial
setting.
6. Plot examples from great classic plots.
7. Plot examples from mediocre classic plots.
8. Plot examples from my novels.
9. Creativity and the telic flaw and plots.
10.
Writer’s block as a problem of continuing
the plot.
Every great or good protagonist comes with their own telic
flaw. I showed how this worked with my
own writing and novels. Let’s go over it
in terms of the plot.
This is all about the telic flaw. Every protagonist and every novel must come
with a telic flaw. They are the same telic
flaw. That telic flaw can be external,
internal or both.
We found that a self-discovery telic flaw or a personal
success telic flaw can potentially take a generic plot. We should be able to get an idea for the plot
purely from the protagonist, telic flaw and setting. All of these are interlaced and bring us our
plot.
For a great plot, the resolution of the telic flaw has to be
a surprise to the protagonist and to the reader. This is both the measure and the goal. As I noted before, for a great plot, the
author needs to make the telic flaw resolution appear to be impossible, but
then it happens. There is much more to
this.
Here is our list of 112 classics. I told you this is a compilation of lists
from various sources. These are all true
classics in most every genre of literature.
What I’m going to do now is look at the list and evaluate if they
include a Romantic protagonist or a Romantic plot. Second, I’m going to mark those that are true
classic novels with an asterisk.
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery – Somewhat Romantic
protagonist and no Romantic plot.
*93 Huckleberry Fin – Mark Twain – Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams – Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
*95 Gulliver’s Travels - Jonathan Swift – No Romantic protagonist or
Romantic plot.
*96 Matilda – Roald Dahl – Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl – Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
*100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo –
Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
*101 The Once and Future King – T.H. White – Somewhat Romantic protagonist
and Romantic plot.
*102 The Deerslayer – James Fenimore Cooper – Romantic protagonist and
Romantic plot.
104 Ben Hur – Lew Wallace – Romantic
protagonist and Romantic plot.
105 The Robe – Lloyd C. Douglas –
Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
106 The Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan – No Romantic protagonist or
Romantic plot.
*109 The Call of the Wild – Jack London –
Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
*110 Stand on Zanzibar – John Brunner – No Romantic protagonist or Romantic
plot.
*111 The Shockwave Rider – John Brunner –
Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
I evaluated the list of plots and categorized them according
to the following scale:
Overall (o) – These are the three overall plots we defined above:
redemption, achievement, and revelation.
Achievement (a) – There are plots that fall under the idea of the
achievement plot.
Quality (q)
– These are plots based on a personal or character quality.
Setting (s)
– These are plots based on a setting.
Item (i)
– These are plots based on an item.
I looked at each novel and pulled out the plot types, the telic flaw,
plotline, and the theme of the novel. I didn’t make a list of the themes,
but we identified the telic flaw as internal and external and by plot
type. This generally gives the plotline.
Overall (o)
1. Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 – 49%
2. Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60%
3. Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43 – 73%
Achievement (a)
1. Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e – 51%
2. Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e, 45 – 46%
3. Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26%
4. Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37%
5. Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23%
6. Progress of technology (a) – 6 – 5%
7. Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54%
8. Money (a) – 2e, 26 – 25%
9. Spoiled child (a) – 7 – 6%
10. Legal (a) – 5 – 4%
11. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%
12. Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13%
13. Guilt or Crime (a) – 32 – 29%
14. Proselytizing (a) – 4 – 4%
15. Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10%
16. Escape (a) – 1ie, 23 – 21%
17. Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23%
18. Secrets (a) – 21 – 19%
Quality (q)
1. Messiah (q) – 10 – 9%
2. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%
3. Rejected love (rejection) (q) – 1ei, 21 –
20%
4. Miscommunication (q) – 8 – 7%
5. Love triangle (q) – 14 – 12%
6. Betrayal (q) – 1i, 1ie, 46 – 43%
7. Blood will out or fate (q) –1i, 1e, 26 – 25%
8. Psychological (q) –1i, 45 – 41%
9. Magic (q) – 8 – 7%
10. Mistaken identity (q) – 18 – 16%
11. Illness (q) – 1e, 19 – 18%
12. Anti-hero (q) – 6 – 5%
13. Immorality (q) – 3i, 8 – 10%
14. Satire (q) – 10 – 9%
15. Camaraderie (q) – 19 – 17%
16. Curse (q) – 4 – 4%
17. Insanity (q) – 8 – 7%
18. Mentor (q) – 12 – 11%
Setting (s)
1. End of the World (s) – 3 – 3%
2. War (s) – 20 – 18%
3. Anti-war (s) –2 – 2%
4. Travel (s) –1e, 62 – 56%
5. Totalitarian (s) – 1e, 8 – 8%
6. Horror (s) – 15 – 13%
7. Children (s) – 24 – 21%
8. Historical (s) – 19 – 17%
9. School (s) – 11 – 10%
10. Parallel (s) – 4 – 4%
11. Allegory (s) – 10 – 9%
12. Fantasy world (s) – 5 – 4%
13. Prison (s) – 2 – 2%
Item (i)
1. Article (i) – 1e, 46 – 42%
I’d like to willow down the list of classics to some true
entertaining classics. We’ll then look
at these in more details.
Let’s do a little comparison between these classic works and
evaluate them. Here is how we will
evaluate them:
1.
Are they entertaining?
2. Would you read it again?
3. How’s the protagonist?
4. How’s the plot?
5. How does it relate to actual human values and life?
6. Did the author write in a way that makes this work truly
unique?
7.
Is this work important to humanity
and to the future?
The British Broadcasting Corporation loves the Victorian
idea of the rule of nobility and the inherent aristocracy of the nobility. They usually don’t like foreign authors
unless they are communists, Russians, or pronobility—preferably all three of
these.
Antoine De Saint-Exupery fits almost all of these categories—except
Russian. Exupery was a noble and
French. He was an aviator and a war
hero, which is commendable, but he produced novels that were all about the resplendence
of the aristocracy. It is hard to tell
if he was a communist or a socialist, but he believed the nobility should rule
and not the people. His tour de force
was The Little Prince. It is a
piece of childhood propaganda about the nobility that should never be allowed
to children.
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery – Somewhat Romantic
protagonist and no Romantic plot.
The Little Prince is
openly a novel for children about how adults and the educated can’t be trusted
or listened to. I have to quote this
about the novel, “The narrator begins with a discussion on the nature of
grown-ups and their inability to perceive especially important things. As a
test to determine if a grown-up is enlightened and like a child, he shows them
a picture that he drew at the age of 6 depicting a snake which has eaten an
elephant. The grown-ups always reply that the picture depicts a hat, and so he
knows to talk of "reasonable" things to them, rather than fanciful.”
This is not an example of how the world works unless you are
in a fascist or tyrannical nation.
Exupery is telling his readers that you can’t trust adults (even parents
or teachers) or really anything else—only the mind of the child (reader) is
worthwhile as a basis for truth. This
might be a wonderful idea in the mind of the mentally insane, but it is
definitely an idea that would lead to the end of humanity. The very idea that an uneducated and undisciplined
child should think of their ideas or thoughts as equal or superior to adults or
to the people before them is literally insane.
Just think of it this way—if you asked a child to design an aircraft for
you, what do you think the result would be.
I wouldn’t fly in it—a child who believed Exupery would be happy to fly
in it and die in it. Perhaps that’s why
Exupery crashed as many times as he did, and why he never came back from the
last one. Personally, either Exupery was
nuts or he was intentionally promoting propaganda to children.
I think he was a propagandist for the return of the
aristocracy. He said as much in his
other writing and especially his autobiography.
The subject of The Little Prince should also tell you
this. It is about the life of the little
prince as he tries to rule (control) his planet. He is beset by the common people (baobab trees)
which he must uproot and eradicate immediately before they can take over his
planet. The Prince also has a rose,
which he keeps in a glass to protect her.
The rose represents the common who are beautiful and should be owned and
contained. Basically, The Little
Prince is about how Exupery thinks the world should be organized under the
nobility. He fails to tell all his young
audience, that they are the plants, and he is the prince.
Let’s evaluate this novel according to the criteria.
1. Are they entertaining?
2. Would you read it again?
3. How many movies/plays are there of the novel?
4. How’s the protagonist?
5. How’s the plot?
6. How does it relate to actual human values and life?
7. Did the author write in a way that makes this work truly
unique?
8.
Is this work important to humanity
and to the future?
The Little Prince is
indeed entertaining. It is an entertaining
version of The Communist Manifesto or Mein Kamph for children. That is one of the greatest problems with
this novel and with giving it to children.
I’d recommend never giving this book to a child unless you supervise and
explain what the writer is about. This
novel is literally the snake that Exupery decries because it kills the little
prince. The purpose of the novel is to
do just that, inculcate the youth with the idea that adults are fools and
children are wise. Such an idea is, as I
noted, insane.
I’ve read it twice, and once was enough. Don’t waste your time. There are unfortunately some adaptations. Most of these don’t really get much into the
philosophy of The Little Prince so they are somewhat safe.
There are adaptations—too many in my mind. The good thing about adaptations is that they
are focused on small children. The Little
Prince is a boring book to most children.
Try reading this book to your kids and they will quickly get bored. On the other hand, the adaptations are really
dumbed down to be of any entertainment value at all. The Little Prince is a diatribe and proselytizing
plot in the wrapper of a children’s novel.
As I noted, it is really boring to most children. Adults are the ones who read the novel. You can tell real adults from those who are immature
by their response to this novel. Those
who believe are obviously hopeless and uneducated. Those who immediately see how stupid and presumptuous
it is have some hope. For the record,
let me repeat, no child has as much sense or sensibility as any adult. Their worldview and event horizon is just too
small for them to have acquired any real knowledge or thinking skills. These require teaching and learning.
Who is the protagonist?
First, there is no Romantic protagonist.
With The Little Prince we have another example of the observer point
of view and the observed protagonist. Is
the observer the protagonist (narrator) or is the Prince the protagonist? I’d say the narrator is the protagonist. He is simply recounting the Prince’s tale. However, this really gets to the point—what exactly
is the telic flaw or the novel?
I would argue that the telic flaw of the novel is the
problem of the common people (the adults) being in charge of the world. The result is a tragedy, the little prince
dies and must return to his own planet.
The telic flaw is unresolved unless the reader takes it into his or her
hands to repair the problem. In other
words, since adults (parents and teachers) can’t ever understand the truth,
they should never be listened too. There
is no plot in this novel at all. There
is a contrived story about the planet and wisdom of the little prince, but
there is no plot—no goals are achieved, nothing is accomplished, nothing has
changed. This means there is no semblance
of a Romantic plot at all.
There are no human values in The Little Prince. Unless you wish to be under the glass or
eliminated for being common and not aristocratic, then you have no need to any
idea put forth in The Little Prince. A
I noted, I would not give this novel to any child, and many adults should be cautious
of it, especially if they are not well or classically educated.
The uniqueness of The Little Prince is that of a propaganda
tome written for children. Who could
imagine such a thing. Who could imagine
a book written to tell children not to listen to adults (parents and teachers).
Who would publish and encourage such an
idea? If this is uniqueness, the world
doesn’t need it.
The future of The Little Prince is dystopian. A world ruled by children—the uneducated and
untrained—is a world that can’t achieve adulthood. In fact, in real life, we may be seeing
Exupery’s little prince in all the little grown monsters living in their mother’s
and father’s basements. These are the
products of The Little Prince.
They know everything and achieve nothing. They are immature children in adult
bodies. This is the world of The
Little Prince. Personally, I want to
get my children off the payroll as soon as possible. Their success as adults is the future of the
world not their life as a leach under the aristocratic thumb of even a
benevolent prince.
We’ll look at Mark Twain next.
In the end, we can figure out what makes a work have a great
plot and theme, and apply this to our writing.
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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