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Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Writing - part xxx678 Writing a Novel to Entertain, The Great American Novel

08 May 2024, Writing - part xxx678 Writing a Novel to Entertain, The Great American Novel

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 two 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.

6. The initial scene is the most important scene.

 

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.

 

I finished writing my 34th novel (actually my 32nd completed novel), Seoirse, potential title Seoirse: Enchantment and the Assignment.  The theme statement is: 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 cover proposal for Seoirse: Enchantment and the Assignment




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 finished writing number 31, working title Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warrior.  I just finished my 32nd novel and 33rd novel: Rose: Enchantment and the Flower, and Seoirse: Enchantment and the Assignment.

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 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.

 

For novel 35: Eoghan, a Scottish National Park Authority Ranger, while handing a supernatural problem in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park discovers the crypt of Aine and accidentally releases her into the world; Eoghan wants more from the world and Aine desires a new life and perhaps love.

 

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.

 

My main focus, at the moment, is marketing my novels.  That specifically means submissions.  I’m aiming for agents because if I can get an agent, I think that might give me more contacts with publishers plus a let up in the business.  I would like to write another novel, but I’m holding off and editing one of my older novels Shadow of Darkness.  I thought that novel would have fit perfectly with one potential agent who said they were looking for Jewish based and non-Western mythology in fantasy.  That’s exactly what Shadow of Darkness is, but they passed on it.  In any case, I’m looking for an agent who will fall in love with my writing and then promote it to publishers.  That’s the goal.

So, where do we get great ideas to write about.  We need entertaining ideas, or we need ideas we can turn into entertainment.  Just look at Shakespeare, he has some really revolutionary ideas which he turns into entertainment, and he has some really old ideas which he still turns into entertainment.  Some rake made the comment that there are only so many plots, and that artists just reuse the old ones in a newer framework.  That may be true, but I don’t agree with it at all.  I’ve read novels that were unique, and I’ve written novels that were unique.  New plots and new ideas are always possible, but one point that is correct, the new comes from the old.

The new ideas come from the old ideas.  The new plots come from the old plots.  You could also write that new characters come from old characters, but there is much more going on with characters.  We’ll look at that.  At the moment, let’s contemplate new ideas coming from old ideas. 

This statement is completely true and indicative of reality.  It’s also why there can really be new ideas and new plots, and new concepts in writing.  Ideas are evolutionary. 

Did you get that?  Ideas are evolutionary.  I have an interesting example that explains the concept of ideas as well as imagination.  Let’s see if it fits.  Not that long ago, a scientist had an idea—could he reproduce a simple appliance from base materials?  You’d think that would be easy, especially with our knowledge and technology.  This scientist decided to make a toaster from basic materials.  He worked diligently on this project for a year.  His conclusions were that it is impossible to reproduce certain steps in the development of products to make a toaster.  The main problems were refining the metals and making the plastic type materials required for electricity.  There were so many holes in the stream of knowledge from the past, that each required a leap of information that just didn’t exist anymore.  I hope some other scientist tries this project again sometime, but it’s likely a one off.  There might be a possibility of developing an appliance from scratch.  I think it might be possible.  Now, how does this fit into ideas.

Modern plots and ideas for plots are like the appliance.  They have been through thousands of years of development to give us those novels and ideas in current use.  Luckily, we can read many of them, but also many old plots seem strange or even antiquated to our minds.  The classic, fate plot in Greek and other ancient literature finds its way into an occasional novel in the modern era, but very few.  Likewise, the classic “blood will out” plot finds its way into the modern occasionally, it’s deep in Harry Potty, but it’s still rare.  All the plots we have come from the past and are made new by their use, and then authors create new type of plots and plots.  The magic realism plot is an old new idea.  It comes out of fantasy, but it’s still quite new.  There is much more to this.  I’ll continue, next.

I’m of a mind that there really are new ideas available to be discovered.  Just like in science and engineering.  I experienced one very memorable meeting with DARPA when I was designing low speed aircraft for them.  One of their people stated, “There’s nothing new to invent in low speed aerodynamics.”  I beg to differ.  In fact, was the guy even listening to my presentation.  I was presenting an entirely new and pretty revolutionary idea to improve low speed aircraft in general.  It was literally a new idea in aerodynamics.  In any case, writing and plots are the same.

Yes, there may or may not be any new plots to be developed, but even a basic plot like a romance plot can have infinite variations based on the characters, setup, setting, and circumstances.  This is what I mean when I state the theme is a statement rather than a word or idea.  The theme or plot might be love, but there is much more to a theme than a word, and that move us to theme.

I’m not sure the idea of a theme in the classic sense is very worthwhile.  I mean what does a single word theme really mean?  Sure you can have a theme of betrayal or love, but that’s simply a description and not a plot or any really worthwhile reflection of any novel.  This is why I advocate for a theme statement.  Some call this a plot statement, but I state, what’s the difference? 

The classic joke about novels is that you are writing the great American novel.  This begs the question on all fronts.  What is a great American plot, or a great American theme, or a great American anything.  I’ll tell you a secret about what the great American novel really was.

Oh, I should go for that, next.  I’ll give you a hint—it had to do with the invention of the modern Romantic protagonist.

The great American novel is a trope in American and likely the world’s thoughts.  It indicates a very special kind of novel, but just what is it?  The great American novel is an idea that found it’s place in the late Victorian Era—that is the end of the Nineteen and the beginning of the Twentieth Century.  The world was changing greatly.  It was the time of the common man as opposed to the aristocracy. 

From the beginning of the middle class, wealth was becoming less of a phenomena of the aristocrats and more a phenomena of business.  The industrial era made this even more true.  In most societies, you had old wealth and new wealth.  In the USA, few started with much and what they had and owned generally came from the sweat of their brows.  Something else made the New World and especially the USA different than most of the rest of the world.  That was the ownership of property.  In the past, all the property was owned by the royalty and granted to the common person.  All the goods produced belonged to the monarch and not the person on the property.  In the USA, it was much different than this. 

In the USA, the person owned the property and whatever it produced.  The government took their tax, but, in general, what the property owner produced belonged to them, and this created great wealth.  The new wealthy in America were the farmers, cattlemen, shop owners, and factory owners.  This groups grew larger and larger into a bursting middle class.  The ownership of property is what caused this great transfer of wealth from the aristocratic to the common.  The Old World only began seeing this type of rise of the common person when the old aristocratic structures were ended and people could own property.  The ownership of property is the key to wealth and prosperity, and in America, the American dream was taking shape.  The common person was becoming wealthy through hard work and diligence—that is the American dream, by the way.  The tribal record of this success was the great American novel.  Such novels celebrated the success of the common person in America, and these novels found a strong foothold in the Old World.

Along with this great American novel came the Romantic protagonist.  I’ll get to that, next.     

I want to write another book based on Rose and Seoirse, and the topic will be the raising of Ceridwen—at least that’s my plan.  Before I get to that, I want to write another novel about dependency as a theme.  We shall see.

 

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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