10 July 2021, Writing - part xx645 Writing a Novel, Plots and Classics, Jack London
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.
*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 doesn’t like great
American writers. They certainly didn’t
and don’t like Jack London. London is
perhaps one of the most important writers from the early Twentieth
Century. He is also entertaining and
puts a stop on Realism and Naturalism.
The Call of the Wild may
be one of the most important breakthrough novels of the Twerntieth Century. Them main reason is that it is a Romantic
novel claimed to be in the Realism and Naturalism style. It is not at all in these styles. Just the fact that the protagonist is an
animal should stop the chirping idiots of literati who imagine The Call of
the Wild could ever be included in the realism or the naturalism camps. Now, as a writer, especially a successful
one, like Jack London, who cares where the literati place your work. My editor claimed my works were dystopian
when they were just historical, but so goes markets for novels.
In any case, The Call of the Wild is an important classic
and Jack London the author. This novel
definitely needs to be on the list.
*109 The Call of the Wild – Jack London –
Romantic protagonist and Romantic plot.
The Call of the Wild
is a novel about a dog, Buck, who is dognapped from California and taken to the
Klondike to be a sled dog. The novel is
all about Buck’s adventures and owners.
The focus is on Buck who is the protagonist. In the end, Buck hears the call of the wild
and returns to the wild.
What is interesting about The Call of the Wild is the
next novel London wrote held almost the opposite point of view, not of
character, but of rational. Where The
Call of the Wild is about the return of an animal to the wild, White
Fang is a novel about a wolfdog who becomes domesticated. It is almost ironic that these two novels are
from the same author in nearly the same period and concerning nearly identical circumstances.
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 Call of the Wild
is highly entertaining. It has a
Romantic protagonist in a Romantic plot.
It is a nearly perfect Romantic piece of literature except it is about
an animal instead of a human. Not only is
this novel entertaining, but so is White Fang. I recommend you read both.
I’m not sure how many times I’ve read The Call of the
Wild or White Fang. Once is
certainly enough. The novels should be
viewed as companion pieces. I actually
should include White Fang on the list of classics.
The Call of the Wild has
been copied and adapted many times. That’s
good and bad. The stories are great, but
I think London had a more refined and correct view as expressed in White
Fang than in The Call of the Wild.
Here is what is funny.
The Call of the Wild and White Fang are both novels with
Romantic protagonist (even if they are animals) and a somewhat Romantic
plot. The plots are very adventurous,
and that usually points to the Romantic nature of the plot. There is no way you could call either of these
novels Realism or Naturalism. There
subject matter might be the real and natural world but that isn’t what realism
or naturalism is about. Just to help
you, here is a definition of Realism in literature:
Literary realism
is a literary genre, part of the broader realism in arts, that attempts to
represent subject-matter truthfully, avoiding speculative fiction and
supernatural elements. It originated with the realist art movement that began
with mid-nineteenth-century French literature (Stendhal), and Russian
literature (Alexander Pushkin). Literary realism attempts to represent familiar
things as they are. Realist authors chose to depict everyday and banal
activities and experiences.
To continue on this theme, here is a definition for Naturalism:
Naturalism is a
literary genre that started as a movement in late nineteenth century in
literature, film, theater, and art. It is a type of extreme realism. This
movement suggested the roles of family, social conditions, and environment in
shaping human character. Thus, naturalistic writers write stories based on the
idea that environment determines and governs human character.
Just to be irritating, how real is a story about a dog as
the protagonist. This is not
representing the subject matter truthfully, and is completely speculative and
supernatural. In addition, the entire
idea of the wild calling anything or anyone is entirely speculative and
supernatural. That devastates the
Realism idea. Now to Naturalism. There is no human character in a dog. Now the dog is an anthropomorphism and not
really a dog, but London was obviously not creating a real parallel or an allegory
about the dog, Buck. London was giving
us a totally Romantic story about the life of a dog in the wilderness and the
dog’s thoughts on the matter. In the
case of Buck, he decided to skip the domestication stuff. In the case of White Fang, he decided working
hard for three squares was better than hunting in the wilderness. As I stated in the beginning, there is no
Realism or Naturalism in either novel.
The Call of the Wild
is a pretty strong Romantic plot. It isn’t
a total Romantic plot. If it were, the
climax would be a bit stronger to resolve the telic flaw. It’s still pretty good and a great example of
taking a revelation plot and making it nearly Romantic. There isn’t much way you can make Buck a hero
and have his master croak. On the other hand,
White Fang gives us a great Romantic plot with a powerful climax.
The Call of the Wild
is all about the spiritual and human values portrayed by a dog. Buck is the stand in for the perfect human. That’s where the human values come from. The comparison of the bad humans and the good
humans in the minds of the dogs and especially Buck are what drive the
novel. The spiritual values are all
about the call of the wild and if humans also follow the call. They are found lacking in The Call of the
Wild and the opposite in White Fang.
The unique character of The Call of the Wild is that
it is a novel for adults about animals. In
the past, we saw anthropomorphic animals who stood for humans, like in Alice
in Wonderland and in The Wind in the Willows, but these are books
for children and adults and not just for adults. London wrote for adults and although his
novels are considered educational fare today, they are still really for
adults. We can let children read them,
but with some supervision. I’d read them
to older children and allow older children to read them, but they are
ultimately not children’s novels.
London helped push the literature of the Twentieth
Century solidly into the Romantic camp.
I know most literati don’t like to talk about where writing has gone,
but it is very obvious that Romanticism is the style of the bestseller and
today’s bestseller will be the classic of tomorrow. It should be viewed as ironic that a novel
about a dog could be considered Realism or Naturalism and that such a novel
would then open the doors to the modern Romantic Era in literature, but there
it is. Who could imagine the best seller
of the modern age could be a juvenile book about wizards and witches?
We’ll look at John Brunner 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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