Writing - part xx653 Writing a Novel, Plots and My Novels, The End of Honor

 18 July 2021, Writing - part xx653 Writing a Novel, Plots and My Novels, The End of Honor

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. 

 

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. 

 

I evaluated the plots from the list of 112 classics 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%

Here is a list of my novels:

 

1*	SF	A Season of Honor (Honor III)	1986	P 08
2	1		30-Oct	Nov
2*	SF	The Fox’s Honor (Honor II)	1989	P 08
3	2		2-May	Oct
3	SF	The End of Honor (Honor I)	1995	P 08
9	3		13-Jul	Jul
4	HF	Antebellum	1991	*
4	4		7-Feb
5*	F	Aegypt	1992	P 08
5	5		16-Jun	Jan
6*	HF	Centurion	1995	P 08
8	6		1-Feb	Jan
7a*	SF	Athelstan Cying	1992	A
6	7		26-Sep
8 15	SF	Twilight Lamb	2007	A
7b*	8		8-Aug
9 16	SF	Regia Anglorum	2007	A
7c	17		23-Nov
10*	SF	The Second Mission*	1996	P 03
10	9		13-Nov	Aug
11	Fan	Illidin	1977	I
1			Sep
12	F	Sister of Light	1997	C
11	10		16-Aug
13	F	House	1994	I
7			23-Dec
14	F	Hestia: Enchantment of the Hearth	2006	*
13	11		28-Dec
15	Fan	Aramis	2006	I
12			27-Apr
16	HF	Japan		I
14
17	F	Sister of Darkness	2008	C
17	12		3-Jun
18	F	Shadow of Darkness	2008	A
18	13		14-Sep
19	F	Shadow of Light	2008	A
tt5t	14		24-Oct
20	F	Children of Light and Darkness	2008	A
20	15		1-Dec
21	F	Warrior of Light	2009	A
21	16		1-Feb
22	HF	Praetorian
22
23 23	SF	Shadowed Vale	2009	A
	18		10-May
24 24	SF	Ddraig Goch	2009	W
			25-Aug
25	F	Warrior of Darkness	2009	*
25	19		29-Oct
26	F	Dana-ana: Enchantment and the Maiden	2010	*
26	20		10-Jun
27	F	Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon	2010	A
27	21		1-Nov
28	F	Khione: Enchantment and the Fox	2011	*
28	22		1-Mar
29	F	Valeska: Enchantment and the Vampire	2013	*
29	23		26-Nov
30	F	Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer	2014	*
30	24		1-May
31	SF	Escape from Freedom	2014	*
31	25		2-Oct
32	F	Essie: Enchantment and the Aos Si	2015	*
32	26		1-May
33	F	Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse	2016	*
33	27		1-Mar
34	F	Red Sonja	2016	W
34	XX		1-Mar
35	F	Deirdre: Enchantment and the School	2016	*
35	28		1-Jul
36	F	Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective	2018	*
36	29		1-Jul
37	F	Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warriors	2018	*
37			1-Jul
38	F	Rose: Enchantment and the Flower	2021	*
38			1-Mar

 

The End of Honor was the third novel I completed, and my sixth published--the fifth by Oaktara.  Unfortunately, Oaktara is out of business.  You are see it on the web, but I’m not sure you can get a new copy.  I’d like to get a new publisher—I might be able to get it republished with them.

I wrote The End of Honor to explain the issues that started the entire problem that led to The Fox’s Honor and to A Season of Honor.  I must write that The End of Honor is a kind of experimental novel.  I did two things with it intentionally that I wouldn’t recommend for an inexperienced author.  My publisher and their editor seemed to like these two features, so I shouldn’t complain too much.  The first feature was a dying protagonist.  The novel begins in the first person with the Lady Lyral Neuterra.  In the initial scene she is executed, and then she tells the first part of the novel from the events that precipitated her execution. 

 

The rest of the novel is in the third person with John-Mark as the protagonist.  At least, John-Mark is the major Point of View (PoV).  You could presume that Lyral is still the protagonist.  She is still the entire focus of the novel although she is dead. 

 

The second feature that is unusual is that The End of Honor and The Fox’s Honor both share the same chapter.  In both, the key chapter is when Devon Rathenberg supersedes John-Mark as the leader of the rebelling houses.  The Fox’s Honor continues from this point with Devon Rathenberg’s story.  The End of Honor continues with John-Mark’s story.  John-Mark saves the Human Galactic Empire, while Devon Rathenberg establishes his county and future.  This is important in the context of the series and the novels. 

 

There is a third feature in all three novels in the series that I wouldn’t recommend for inexperienced writers.  I never should have done it, but my publisher and their editor didn’t have any problems with it.  That is I had a short and pithy prologue at the beginning of each novel.  The prologue might not be what you think of as a prologue.  They were in the form of Jack Vance’s prologues and notes.  I don’t think these prologues detracted from the novels much, but they always can cause problems for writers in both getting publishers interested and selling novels.

 

Here’s The End of Honor in a nutshell.  John-Mark, the second son of the Emperor Maricus goes wooing the Lady Lyral Neuterra.  They really are in love, but their marriage is arranged and is intended to bring about some remarkable political gains for certain houses in the Landsritter.  It is made clear in the novel that these political gains are known, but the purpose was not to reduce the current or future power of the Emperor or the Empire.  The problem is that Perod-Mark, the first son and reagent was convinced or led to believe that the marriage of John-Mark and Lyral would indeed reduce the future and current power of the Emperor.  Perod-Mark as the Emperor in waiting had no desire to reduce his power or potential power.  To prevent this from happening, Perod-Mark executed his father and Lyral while John-Mark was off fighting on the frontier of the Empire and Devon Rathenberg was about his mission to discover the insurrectionists in the Empire. 

 

Perod-Mark was the insurrection and insurrectionist.  The result is a war for the control of the Human Galactic Empire.  The houses fell into three camps: those allied with Perod-Mark, those in the rebelling houses, and the neutral houses.  The power of the Empire is overwhelming, but John-Mark leads the great battle around Acier, and soundly defeats a large portion of Perod-Mark’s forces.  The Empire is wounded, but still very powerful. 

 

To attract the neutral houses and to cement the fidelity of the rebelling houses, Devon Rathenberg is chosen by John-Mark to replace him as the leader and future emperor.  Perod-Mark must accept this because he has no male heirs.  John-Mark leads the remaining forces of the now unified houses to defeat the Emperor and his allied forces.  In the end, the Emperor must accept Devon Rathenberg as the next in line as the Emperor.  John-Mark becomes the scapegoat who takes responsibility for starting the conflict and ending the conflict.  Devon Rathenberg is left as the future hope for the Empire and its people.   

 

Let’s evaluate the plots.

Overall (o)

1.     Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 – 49%  This has a very strong redemption plot.  John-Mark believes he caused the death of Lyral and the conflict in the Empire.  It was really his brother, Perod-Mark, but that’s just how people think.  The result is that John-Mark dies everything to redeem himself and Lyral’s good name.

2.     Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60%  This includes a very complex revelation plot concerning Lyral, John-Mark, Devon, and the forces of the rebelling houses.

3.     Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43 – 73%  The achievement is defeating Perod-Mark and the houses allied with him.  This is a critical achievement that leads directly to the resolution of the novel’s telic flaw.

Achievement (a)

1.     Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e – 51% The mystery in this novel is largely about the strategy and tactics the rebelling houses and John-Mark will use to defeat the Empire compared with what the Empire’s tactics and strategy will be.  This is a classic military type novel where the fog of battle is a critical element in the mystery.

2.     Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e, 45 – 46%  This is almost the opposite of the revenge plot.  In this novel, John-Mark must put away every desire for revenge to save the people of the Human Galactic Empire.  Revenge would make resolution of the novel impossible.

3.     Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26%  This is almost a hero to zero novel except we find that in the end, John-Mark is the hero.

4.     Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37%  Romance dies in this novel.  That is, Lyral is executed and John-Mark must give up everything to save his friends and people.  The romance part builds the beginning of the novel.

5.     Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23%  None of that.

6.     Progress of technology (a) – 6 – 5%  Not so much as the technology of science fiction in the future.

7.     Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54%  The discovery plot is based on determining the tactics and strategy to use against Perod-Mark.  This is very complex based on politics, the culture of the Empire and the military forces involved.

8.     Money (a) – 2e, 26 – 25%  The wealth of Acier first comes into play in this novel.  Acier is the initial target of Perod-Mark because it is the wealthiest county (planet) in the Empire.  The great Battle of Acier is fought in the space above it.

9.     Spoiled child (a) – 7 – 6%  Nope.

10.  Legal (a) – 5 – 4%  Not really.  There are some legal issues involved, but not really much at all.

11.  Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%  Nope.

12.  Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13%  There are some degrees of self-discovery in the novel, but it isn’t that strong of a plot.

13.  Guilt or Crime (a) – 32 – 29%  Guilt plays a very important role in this novel.  John-Mark’s guilt over the loss of Lyral and over the murder of his father.  

14.  Proselytizing (a) – 4 – 4%  Nope.

15.  Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10%  Yes, tactical and strategic reasoning fill the novel and the whole resolution of the telic flaw.

16.  Escape (a)  – 1ie, 23 – 21%  Nope.

17.  Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23%  Yes, knowledge and skill are the means John-Mark uses to resolve the telic flaw.  

18.  Secrets (a) – 21 – 19%  Yes, but not everywhere. 

Quality (q)

1.     Messiah (q) – 10 – 9%  Nope.

2.     Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%  Nope.

3.     Rejected love (rejection) (q) – 1ei, 21 – 20%  Perhaps with Perod-Mark against John-Mark and his father.

4.     Miscommunication (q) – 8 – 7%  Not really.

5.     Love triangle (q) – 14 – 12%  Not really.

6.     Betrayal (q) – 1i, 1ie, 46 – 43%  Betrayal is the major plotline of this novel.  The betrayal of the Emperor, John-Mark, and Lyral as well as the entire Empire by Perod-Mark puts the entire action in play.

7.     Blood will out or fate (q) –1i, 1e, 26 – 25%  Nope.

8.     Psychological (q) –1i, 45 – 41%  Kinda a little.

9.     Magic (q) – 8 – 7%  Nope.

10.  Mistaken identity (q) – 18 – 16%  Nope.

11.  Illness (q) – 1e, 19 – 18%  Nope.

12.  Anti-hero (q) – 6 – 5%  Nope.

13.  Immorality (q) – 3i, 8 – 10%  Yes, Perod-Mark betrays his father, brother, and the Empire.

14.  Satire (q) – 10 – 9%  Not really.

15.  Camaraderie (q) – 19 – 17%  A little between the major characters.

16.  Curse (q) – 4 – 4%  Nope.

17.  Insanity (q) – 8 – 7%  Nope.

18.  Mentor (q) – 12 – 11%  Nope.

Setting (s)

1.     End of the World (s) – 3 – 3%  Nope.

2.     War (s) – 20 – 18%  Yes, big time intelligence setting within a wartime environment.

3.     Anti-war (s) –2 – 2%  Nope.

4.     Travel (s) –1e, 62 – 56%  Yes, much of the novel is about travel and fighting in space.

5.     Totalitarian (s) – 1e, 8 – 8%  Kinda, with the current  Emperor and Empire.

6.     Horror (s) – 15 – 13%  Not really.

7.     Children (s) – 24 – 21%  Nope.

8.     Historical (s) – 19 – 17%  Nope.  Unless you count Imperial history, but that’s really not what this means.

9.     School (s) – 11 – 10%  Nope.

10.  Parallel (s) – 4 – 4%  Nope.

11.  Allegory (s) – 10 – 9%  Nope.

12.  Fantasy world (s) – 5 – 4%  Nope.  Unless you count science fiction.

13.  Prison (s) – 2 – 2%  Nope.

Item (i)

1.  Article (i) – 1e, 46 – 42%  Not really.  There is some about the ring of state and the signet of the Emperor.

 

We’ll look at the details of The End of Honor 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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