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Saturday, October 30, 2021

Writing - part xx758 Writing a Novel, Using Coming of Age Achievement Plots in Scenes

30 October 2021, Writing - part xx758 Writing a Novel, Using Coming of Age Achievement Plots in Scenes

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 becomes inevitable in the climax.  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%

So, what is it about writer’s block?  Many if not most authors and writers will complain about writer’s block.  When I was a younger author, I would get writer’s block very often, but I’ve discovered something very important about writer’s block.  Writer’s block is a function of the plot and not the protagonist.  The correction or resolution of writer’s block comes from centering our writing on the protagonist instead of the plot.  This is what I’d really like to get into as a topic.  Here is an outline of how we will approach this.

 

1.      Problems with a plot focus

2.      Correcting with a protagonist focus

3.      How to figure out a plot with a protagonist focus

4.      Writing development

5.      Fixing or blowing through problems with writing

6.      How to write to prevent writer’s block

7.      The Scene Outline

8.      Exercises

9.      Examples

10.  Conclusions

 

The novel is the revelation of the protagonist and the scenes, not the plots, are the process of that revelation.  In fact, the plots are really part of the scenes.  Now, some plots interact beyond and between one scene, but this is the real point we should address.  What really is the plot and how is the plot connected to the scene and the telic flaw.

 

I didn’t want to address the scenes yet, so let’s start with the plot(s).  In the first place, we have a telic flaw. This is the problem the protagonist must resolve.  In a comedy, the protagonist overcomes the telic flaw, while in the tragedy, the telic flaw overcomes the protagonist.  Where is the plot?  That’s a great question.

 

Almost every novel is a revelation of the protagonist.  The author uses various plots and nudges the novel toward the telic flaw resolution.  What about these plots, and how can we create, invent, and/or use them?

 

Except for the protagonist, the telic flaw is the most important point of any novel.  It’s so important that most people don’t even know what it is, yet it is the key point of every novel, and as I’ve noted over and over, the telic flaw is a characteristic of the protagonist.  The protagonist owns the telic flaw.  Just like Harry Potty and Voldermort. Voldermort happens to be the overall antagonist as well as the telic flaw of all the Harry Potty novels.  Then there are the plots.

 

Now, the plot or plots are the means of the telic flaw resolution and they are the means of tension and release development in the scenes.  They are also the means of the development of the rising action to the climax of the novel.  They are parts, but look at the other parts.

 

Mainly, we have the scenes.  The scenes are cohesive parts of a novel.  They are the building blocks of a novel.  Yes, scenes are made of paragraphs, sentences, and words, but you can’t have a novel without scenes.  As I noted in the outline of writing 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

 

So, I have a telic flaw, and I know there are scenes.  Each scene is filled with tension and release.  The tension and release are the plot(s).  In fact, the tension and release are the plots.  This is the trick, and this is where we want to go.  We need to develop tension and release in the scenes and this happens to be the plots. 

 

In the development of a scene, we start with the output of the previous scene.  The author then needs to design the output of that scene.  For example, in the Harry Potty travel scenes, the output of the previous scene is that Harry Potty must go from London to Hogwarts.  That becomes the input for the travel scene.  The output for the travel scene is that Harry arrives at Hogwarts.  Anything else is purely for tension and release.  The author then provides other plots in the scene to create tension and release. 

 

The focus of writing any novel is the scene.  The scene is all about tension and release.  The tension and release comes from the plots.  This is how we bring the plots into the scenes and into a novel.  This means that as an author, we have the scene input and output of the scene, we need to choose plots to then write and install in the scene.

 

We have five types of plots: overall, achievement, setting, quality, and item.  From these plots, we note that, in the scene, achievement, quality, and item can be set into many scenes.  Setting can be used as the setting of the scene, however, there is generally less control over these plots.  In other words, when we move into the scene, the setting is usually already set.

 

The other types of plots give us the opportunity to build tension and release in a scene.  In general, it is difficult to demonstrate this without delving deeply into examples.  Instead, let’s review the potential plots and see how we might use them. 

We choose plots based on three things.  First, is the input and output of the scene.  Second, is the telic flaw resolution.  Third, is the tension and release of the scene.  

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%

We looked at the overall achievement plot.  This is the type of plot that can be any achievement.  The achievement plots above are those from the classics.  These are the general achievement plots I identified in the classics alone with their stats, also from the classics.

What do you do if a scene doesn’t have an obvious output?  I’ve never had this happen.  I can tell you a couple of things to do.  The first is just keep writing.  Eventually, it will come to you.  Or you can do what I’m setting you up for in this exercise—look at the plots you could used and chose one or two.

As I noted, you don’t have to make a plot that is supporting the tension and release in a scene, an overall plot in the novel.  It can be a supporting or subplot, or even more, it can be a simple plot to build the tension and release in the scene—and that’s it. 

Let’s look at the next achievement plots in this sense.  How about coming of age?  Coming of age might be a little more difficult to accomplish exclusively in a scene.  The coming of age plot is based on a couple of very specific protagonist qualities.  The first is the age of the protagonist. 

For coming of age, you need someone coming of age.  If they aren’t the age for coming of age, that is a self-discovery plot.  The difference between the coming of age and the self-discovery plot is simply age.  The age of the protagonist makes using a coming of age plot difficult in a novel without a protagonist who is coming of age.  So, what’s the age of the coming of age plot? 

Great question.  Here’s where judgement must come into play, but I’ll try to define it.  I’d say adulthood, and adulthood in the West means somewhere around twenty to twenty-five.  You could go with the legal age of majority, but that’s only about seventeen. 

The other quality of the coming of age plot is that the protagonist needs the environment and the circumstances to change.  This isn’t as difficult.  We can solve some of this conundrum by taking up both the coming of age and the self-discovery plot as one.  I think this is a great idea.  I thing we can apply this to any scene.

The coming of age or self-discovery plot can be applied to almost any scene.  You just have to posit a personal problem that needs discovery and correction.  This is also a redemption plot.  I’ll also add that you could use the coming of age plot in the scene of an adult novel if the child of a character or the protagonist came to some revelation and change.

That’s the point after all.  We are talking about revelation and change from some character.  We expect that revelation and change to be with the protagonist, but it doesn’t have to be.  In fact, a very powerful scene could be when a youthful character requires mentorship and help from the protagonist or other character.  The resulting revelation and change could be a very pathos developing event. 

In my own novels, I’ve used just such an event and plot in a scene.  This is in addition to the overall plots of the novel.  I’m writing specifically about a scene where the protagonist helps a friend with a serious problem that is causing that character to cut themselves.  The solution and resolution of this problem is not one of the overall plots or subplots of the novel.  This is a plot that does affect and drive one of the novel plots.  However, the main point of this plot was to engage my protagonist in a new venture and problem in the novel.  I think it was quite ingenious.  The result was too.  This problem or plot did affect more than one scene, but the result was magnificent in the context of the novel.

So, here’s what I think.  The coming of age or self-discovery plot can be used very effectively in a scene for tension and release.  If you introduce it, you better be ready for the ramifications because this idea will drive or has the potential to drive much of the rest of your novel. 

I love these kinds of plots, and I love to use them in scenes for the reason I mentioned above.  If you need to invigorate any novel, just interject this type of plot, and you will see the sparks flying.  You will need to really figure out how to control, and direct this kind of plot.   

The next achievement plot is what I’ll look at tomorrow. 

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%

 

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  

fiction, theme, plot, story, storyline, character development, scene, setting, conversation, novel, book, writing, information, study, marketing, tension, release, creative, idea, logic

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