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Thursday, June 29, 2023

Writing - part xxx364 Writing a Novel, Seoirse and more Travel Scenes

29 June 2023, Writing - part xxx364 Writing a Novel, Seoirse and more Travel 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 31st novel, working title, Cassandra, potential title Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warriors.  The theme statement is: Deirdre and Sorcha are redirected to French finishing school where they discover difficult mysteries, people, and events.     

Here is the cover proposal for Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warriors




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.  Writing number 31, working title Shifter.  I just finished 32nd novel, Rose.

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.

 

For novel 33, Book girl:  Siobhàn Shaw is Morven McLean’s savior—they are both attending Kilgraston School in Scotland when Morven loses everything, her wealth, position, and friends, and Siobhàn Shaw is the only one left to befriend and help her discover the one thing that might save Morven’s family and existence.

 

For novel 34:  Seoirse is assigned to be Rose’s protector and helper at Monmouth while Rose deals with five goddesses and schoolwork; unfortunately Seoirse has fallen in love with Rose.  

 

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:  Let me tell you a little about writing.  Writing isn’t so much a hobby, a career, or a pastime.  Writing is a habit and an obsession.  We who love to write love to write. 

 

If you love to write, the problem is gaining the skills to write well.  We want to write well enough to have others enjoy our writing.  This is important.  No one writes just for themselves the idea is absolutely irrational and silly.  I can prove why.

 

In the first place, the purpose of writing is communication—that’s the only purpose.  Writing is the abstract communication of the mind through symbols.  As time goes by, we as writers gain more and better tools and our readers gain more and better appreciation for those tools and skills—even if they have no idea what they are. 

 

We are in the modern era.  In this time, the action and dialog style along with the push of technology forced novels into the form of third person, past tense, action and dialog style, implying the future.  This is the modern style of the novel.  I also showed how the end of literature created the reflected worldview.  We have three possible worldviews for a novel: the real, the reflected, and the created.  I choose to work in the reflected worldview.

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

With that said, where should we go?  Should I delve into ideas and creativity again, or should we just move into the novel again?  Should I develop a new protagonist, which, we know, will result in a new novel.  I’ve got an idea, but it went stale.  Let’s look at the outline for a novel again:

 

1.      The initial scene

2.     The rising action scenes

3.     The climax scene

4.     The falling action scene(s)

5.     The dénouement scene(s)

   

The initial scene is the most important scene and part of any novel.  To get to the initial scene, you don’t need a plot, you need a protagonist.

 

I’m now writing Seoirse, and since I retired from my day job, I’m back to a chapter a day.  I could likely write two chapters a day, but my brain gets tired.  I think it’s important to report again on how to write a novel.  Let’s start at the beginning.

 

I already developed the protagonist for this novel: Seoirse Séamas Wishart.  That is his name in Gaelic.  His common or English name is George James Wishart.  Why the difference.  It all has to do with the worldview of my novels.  The worldview is reflected and therefore the supernatural exists.  We are mainly writing about the common and mythical supernatural in the world.  I’d like to say that whatever the basis for the usual supernatural in human thought exists in the reflected worldview of this and my novels.  Thus there are vampires, werewolves, fairies, the Fae courts, dragons, gods, goddesses, and other mythical creatures.  They aren’t the world.  They world of my novels is the world you see around you.  The supernatural aspects are generally unseen, unknown, and rare.  They exist like the supernatural exists in the world today: generally unseen, unknown, and rare.  That’s the basis of the world in my novels.

 

I wrote initial scenes, but remember, there is only one initial scene.  When I write initial scenes, I mean the scenes I used at the beginning of the novel to lead into the crisis.  I guess I could outline some of the development of this novel for you.  It has a little different development outline than many of my novels.  Part of the reason is the subject matter and the fact that it is a follow-on.  Come to think of it, Cassandra had something similar in its development.  I won’t say this is a common type of outline for the development of a follow-on, but it does bear some similar characteristics.  Here’s some of it.

 

1.     Initial scene – a dialog that introduces the mission the protagonist and the protagonist’s helper.  Seoirse and Rose don’t hit it off too well.  Rose knows what she is expected to do and she sees Seoirse as an interloper.  Seoirse is put in the position as Rose’s handler and protection.  I should mention that Ms. O’Dwyer (Organization name), Mrs. Marshall (overt name) is their boss and set them to the assignment.  This is a great dialog scene with all kinds of deep seated issues brought out.  Rose does not want supervision or protection.  Ms. O’Dwyer is giving her protection because of the recall and Chinese problems at the climax of the first novel.

2.     Next scene—travel scene, where Seoirse and Rose are forced together by Ms. O’Dwyer to make the three hour drive from London to Monmouth.  They also pick up their Fae helpers.  Ms. O’Dwyer does not allow Fae in her house and usually not in the Organization although the basement of the Organization has a place where the Fae are allowed and Ms. O’Dwyer’s secretary is Burgundy Rose, a Fae being.  In this travel scene, Rose and Seoirse get to bring out their little tiff and personal issues.  We see some plans too for their operations, and Rose declares, to Seoirse’s chagrin and yet pleasure that George Wishart (Seoirse’s overt name at Monmouth) is her boyfriend—it’s a cover.  In addition, in a short connection scene, Rose insists that Seoirse take her out to supper where they are sure to be seen. 

3.     First Monmouth scenes—this is an introduction to the girls in Rose’s class, to Robyn, and to the other girls Rose must look after.  This scene and scenes leads to the fateful crisis tea party scene.

4.     Crisis (tea party)—Rose’s modus operandi is to gain the trust of others, especially girls in this age group by inviting them to tea.  Rose’s cover is as an aristocrat being sent to Monmouth for education.  She applies this very successfully in the first novel, but there is a problem in the second.  Rose sets up the tea party for the five problem children she must take care of.  The problem is that the real problem child, Sveta, knows all about Rose.  The tea party program was successful because the regular girls did not question Rose or Robyn’s motives.  They just were excited to have a personal tea with a girl who looked, acted, and seemed to be a real member of the peerage (actually, Rose is).  Ms. O’Dwyer approved the tea party program for these five and she expected it to work too.  What no one realized was that Sveta, the young Goddess of Light, had knowledge of Rose and her operations at Monmouth.  In addition, Sveta knew all about Rose’s background and Rousay. 

 

In the crisis tea party, Sveta reveals what she knows with the intention of getting the other girls to help her oppose Rose.  Sveta even goes to the degree of recording the entire event.  She thinks her knowledge will not only convince the others, but shock them that their mothers and the Organization (and Stela) are using Rose to observe and to a degree control them.  The problem for Sveta is that she doesn’t know about Rose’s power over glamour and people, Robyn’s power and love for Rose, her own sister (Klava’s) pain over subjugation by Sveta, and finally, that Phoebe and Sophie are not on her side.  In the end, Sveta blows up and only with Rose’s power are the girls protected and saved.  However, Rose must knock them all out, her 10,000 pound tea service is destroyed, Rose is injured, and her clothing is completely burned off her.

 

The ultimate end of this is that Rose was supposed to protect Robyn from others and from Robyn harming herself or others.  If she can achieve this, Rose will get her house and property back.  This was all covered in the initial scene.  Since Rose’s contract is suddenly void and she sees no hope for recovery, Rose runs away.  The point in her running away is that she is unclothed, doesn’t really need clothing at the moment because of the balmy temperatures, and can and does use glamour to hide and protect herself from others.  This is the setup for the rest of the novel. 

 

This is also where I wanted to start the novel but that would have provided little chance for buildup.  Seoirse is the protagonist, and this is all a setup for his action on the stage of the novel.

5.     Prior to the hunt—This is what one on my author friends calls a sequel.  This is definitely a type of transition scene.  In this scene, Seoirse, is brought into a conference with the parents of the children who were involved in the incident.  Luckily, Sveta made a video of the entire incident on her phone.  Unluckily for Rose, it showed her in her glorious delight—nude but helping every one of the girls.  In this scene Ms. O’Dwyer details what they will do about the girls especially Robyn and Sveta, who caused the incident, but then, most importantly how they will get Rose back.  Rose is considered the most important supernatural asset to the British government because she can control the powers of a god or goddess.  The problem is that since Rose failed in her agreement, the government no longer has a means of motivating her.  Rose only wants her house and property back.  She isn’t motivated by stuff.  So, the quandary.  Ms. O’Dwyer has the police, the Fae, the courts, and the entire intelligence structure looking for Rose.  The military is on alert through the Office of the King.  So far, they can’t find her.  Seoirse tells the group that he can find Rose.  Lady Wishart, who is also party to the conference agrees and makes Seoirse the chancellor of the Lady Rose Tash.  The reason for this is that this will allow Seoirse to claim the help of the Fae in finding Rose—it also give him certain authorities over her and her property.  However, making Seoirse the chancellor of Lady Tash also gives Rose power and control over him.

6.     The hunt—Seoirse thinks he knows what Rose is doing to hide.  He lays out his plans and his suppositions to Aillan, his Fae helper.  Seoirse noted that a will-call ticket was issued for the train at Lydney, the closest station to Monmouth.  The conductor noted the tarin stopped, but no one apparently got on the train.  He believes that’s how Rose got into the rail system.  To hide from the Fae (who are in the isolated and out of the way places in Britain), the police (who are in the populated regions or Britain), and the intelligence structure (who are looking everywhere).  Seoirse thinks Rose is riding the rails on the two sleeper trains in Britain.  The first to Penzance would go directly through the stations Rose could have connected to—Paddington.  The second is just a quick local Paddington to Euston in London—the Caledonian Sleeper.  Seoirse lays out his deduction to Aillan.  Rose took the train from Lydney to Paddington and the Penzance Sleeper then scooted over to Euston and took the Caledonian to Scotland, most likely Inverness.  That would get her closest to Rosay and her home.  In the end of this scene Seoirse sends Aillan on the Penzance Sleeper just to make sure Rose isn’t double tripping it, and he takes the Caledonian Sleeper.  They think Rose has not procured clothing since she can use glamour more easily in that state to hide from the eyes of people.  In addition, the weather isn’t that cold and she’s on a train.  Further, Seoirse goes back to Monmouth to get clothing for Rose.  This is the setup for the next crisis for Rose and Seoirse.

7.     The finding—Although the crisis is the action scene that sets off the entire novel, the finding is the scene that significantly forwards the relationship between Seoirse and Rose.  The first thing to understand is that Seoirse is a gentleman.  He is a gentlemen in need of a little instruction and TLC but he is a gentleman.  Rose, on the other hand, is a lady by decree and cover, but she is a survivor and a manipulator who loves the ambiguous and the uncertain.  This becomes clear through her interactions in the entire novel.  Seoirse indeed finds Rose almost right away on the Caledonian Sleeper.  He figured her perfectly right down to her missing knickers.  And, he finds her in the nude.  Unfortunately or fortunately, however you are thinking, Rose doesn’t immediately recognize him or that he can see her.  The scene is both humorous and titillating.  When Rose finally figures out what is going on, Seoirse can’t cover his eyes or let her leave because he has captured the illusive Lady Rose Tash.  Before he allows her the clothing he brought for her, she must promise by the One and All to not escape.  That seals her fate, so to speak.  Seoirse gives her the clothing he brought from her room at school, but she is so flustered, she forgets he can see her plainly in the window of the compartment—it’s night after all.  Seoirse takes her to his compartment and then to dinner.

8.     The dinner—this is a highly important and intricate scene.  In it, Seoirse plays a pivotal role as well as his planning.  While Seoirse wants to establish their cover, Rose wants to establish her propriety.  Seoirse orders wine so he can show off the fake IDs he procured for her and him from the Organization.  As Seoirse notes to Rose, two sixth form students traveling on a sleeper train in the same compartment means the police and others will get involved.  On the other hand, a twenty-one and a twenty-two year old traveling together is just a lover’s tryst.  She becomes Raven Tash (21) and he James Wishart (22).  He buys a bottle of wine to ensure the waiter will ask for their IDs, but tells Rose she need not imbibe.  Of course Rose will imbibe.  Something you don’t know about Rose.  She is a survivor.  She is also a strongly motivated foodie who must eat.  She burns calories like a furnace, and eats everything she can.  It’s a little secret and problem embedded in her past.  She has learned to eat more slowly and she is always the consummate lady, but she can eat copious amounts and quickly.  It’s not a good trait, but she can pull it off.  What does this have to do with dinner?  They are eating a nice dinner on the train.  The focus is not the dinner, but their interaction in dialog.  During their conversation, the most important issues to Rose are what Seoirse saw of her and what others saw of her in the video from the incident.  It should be obvious why this is important even to a maiden of dubious background.  Rose is worried about her cover and what others think of her.  Seoirse is more concerned with getting Rose back and negotiations about what she will do in the future.  He is her handler and protector.  She is the only person in Britain who can handle the goddess girls and others (that we haven’t even moved to in the novel).  This conversation moves to breakfast, but I’ll handle that in the next scene outline portion.

9.     Inverness – What we see in Rose is progression.  She does not change, but in every endeavor and experience, her approach changes.  She dodges, weaves, and forces through her every desire with mostly behavioral training, acting, and manipulation.  Seoirse just wants to achieve his mission and to become friends with Rose.  As an author, I show this progression and action through the incidents in the novel.  Rose demands Seoirse plan their excursion in Inverness while they wait their evening Caledonian Sleeper to return to London.  Rose wants underthings, a nightgown, clothing, makeup, and a souvenir.  She also wants a good dinner (luncheon) and drinks.  Here is where things get a little interesting.  The kinds of clothing Rose usually wears are not available in Inverness.  Yes, my friends, the clothing of celebrities and the ultra-wealthy can’t be found in even large cities and towns.  You need a metropolitan center, and with apologies to Inverness, that’s one of the reasons I sent Rose and Seoirse there.  This produces a little of an issue for Rose, she must have another set of clothing, but she knows she can’t find her usual designer stuff.  She also must settle for regular lingerie—there is no way she can get the hand-made French silk lace knickers and bras that are her usual underclothing.  This is a tension builder in the scene, but as I noted Rose is always in progression.  I forgot to mention, the scene where the police recognize her.  Seoirse has made his report to headquarters that Rose is found, but he Scottish police in Inverness haven’t got the word, yet.  Rose makes a beautiful scene where she convinces the apprehending policewoman that James (Seoirse) has brought Raven (Rose) to Inverness to propose and that the involvement of the police might put him off.  This is a moment where Seoirse realizes that Rose is not at all what she seems.  She is a consummate actress.  The police check with the desk sergeant and find that Rose Tash has been found and Raven Tash may continue with her boyfriend, hopefully fiancé.  That’s just the beginning.  In Inverness, Rose knows exactly where she wants to shop—she borrowed Seoirse’s laptop while he was in the bath and changing.  She takes him to the Victorian Mall in Inverness where she buys antique whiskey glasses as souvenirs.  Then to a fancy store.  She breaks to him that she wants a jumper (sweater) and clings to him.  Seoirse doesn’t seem to realize what she is about.  She went from cold to hot in an instant—is it the cover or something else?  Rose drags him to a kilt and Scottish clothing store, really emporium.  They hand make their kilts and clothing there.  Rose wants a kilt-like skirt and a top in Rousay Rose.  That isn’t a clan tartan, but it fits her.  She also wants a Harris Cape in burgundy, and she wants it all made before luncheon.  The manager notes Rose’s very expensive attire and agrees if she will allow photos of the process and fitting.  Rose agrees as long as Seoirse approves the pictures and that they are flattering to her.  Rose is perhaps one of the most beautiful and elegant women anyone will meet—that is the reason for the attention, plus a woman who wears 5000 pounds in exterior clothing in just jeans and a top is definitely in a certain strata.  Take beauty, kindness, elegance, and wealth all together and you get not just Rose, but societal interaction and acquiescence.  That is Rose.  Suffice to say Rose gets her very Scottish clothing and very stylish cape.  The pictures, which will eventually haunt her and Seoirse are taken, and they head for luncheon at the White House Pub in Inverness.  There are a few more adventures in Inverness, mostly related to drink and makeup.  Seoirse has to bail her out of that one too, but all this is to show just how resourceful and capable Rose is.  In the end, they make their way back to the Caledonian Sleeper and board for London.  They have a Caledonian Double this time.

10.  Return to London – The return to London isn’t as detailed as the trip to Inverness, but still fills out critical details and foreshadowing in the novel.  Of greatest interest for tension and release is that Rose happens to be sleeping on the same bed as Seoirse.  This provides some great laughs later with Seoirse’s parents.  However, the most important part of this scene is the pillow-talk (so to speak) dialog Rose engages in with Seoirse.  She wants to know how to handle the five terrors—the girls that caused the whole problem.  That is, if Rose is willing to take over her assignment again, what can she do to fix the girls?  Seoirse gives her an answer which has great legs in the novel.  He tells her the military breaks their new recruits down to build them back up again, and that his mother might be able to shed some information about that.  This is a revelation to Rose, but of course she gives no indications of this—she just starts digging.

11.  Conference with Ms. O’Dwyer.  That’s the first piece of business, and the obvious piece of business on Rose and Seoirse’s return to London.  This entire conference is about reestablishing Rose’s contract to regain her house and her assignment.  Ms. O’Dwyer allows Seoirse to negotiate, to Rose’s chagrin.  He had the authority and he told Rose, but Rose didn’t trust him.  Seoirse is forced to promise not to speak about the incident of finding Rose in the nude, not to roll his eyes at her, and to help her with the girls.  There are a few other details, but that Rose agrees to the expansion of her assignment to all five girls for her property as long as Seoirse agrees to her terms is a small and large incident in the novel.  It shows a turning point in Rose’s mind, but the others just see it as petulance. 

12.  Briarashe—Rose cajoles Seoirse into taking her to see his parents at Briarashe.  This is a set of three scenes which solidify and drive the novel.  The reason for the visit, so says Rose, is to take pictures and establish a credible cover for her as George’s (Seoirse’s) girlfriend.  I’ll remind you, Seoirse is George at school and Rose originally proposed that George act in the role of her boyfriend while at school so they could legitimately communicate and work together.  She is just continuing the façade.  At Briarashe, Rose begins by berating the Butler because of Seoirse’s terrible wardrobe and clothing choices.  She is acting like the petulant aristocratic girlfriend.  How much is an act and how must the Lady Rose is hard to tell.  When Seoirse’s parents, Lady Wishart and Air Commodore Calloway invite Rose and Seoirse to dinner (luncheon), Lady Rose forces the couple to serve her and Seoirse wine.  She does this through the previous Raven Tash ID Seoirse gave her.  This is a little off putting, but Rose is putting Seoirse’s parents in the place she wants them.  Then Rose appears to trip up a little.  While describing Seoirse and her trip to Inverness, Rose lets out that her current Scottish clothing is Rousay Pink and was hand made for her.  I forgot to mention that Seoirse forgot about Rose’s injuries from the incident.  She was holding his arm and hands to hide them (scalds and cuts on her hands and arms)  This was also the reason she wanted a jumper (sweater) and acquired the Harris cape.  In any case, everyone else remembered Rose’s injuries.  However, when Rose mentions her current Scottish clothing, Lady Wishart informs her in no uncertain terms that she will not wear her clothing to Monmouth or in society that knows her.  The reason is obvious, it could blow her cover.  This informs Rose that Lady Wishart knows all about her background.  This causes a crisis for Rose.  She has been acting very high handed with Lady Wishart and Air Commodore Calloway and she ends up apologizing for that.  Lady Wishart sees things much differently.  She completely accepts Rose and her cover as well as her peerage presented by the King and the Fae.  It may be a fake actual peerage, but it has legitimacy in the world Lady Wishart engages within.  I perhaps didn’t remind you, Lady Wishart is the Keeper of the Book of the Fae.

13.  More at Briarashe – I’ll continue from this tomorrow.                 

 

I guess I should move on from there.

 

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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