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Thursday, May 16, 2024

Writing - part xxx686 Writing a Novel to Entertain, Ideas for Publishing

 16 May 2024, Writing - part xxx686 Writing a Novel to Entertain, Ideas for Publishing

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.

I’m back to my main point—we are looking for entertaining ideas to write about.  I covered some real territory in the last few blogs, and I’ll pull this information together is a cognizant way. 

The last point I made was about experience.  I really think an author needs a broad level of experience in something, and I don’t think writing is enough by itself.  If you look at our favorite authors from the Twentieth Century, you’ll find a huge number happened to participate in the fighting in World War I and World War 11.  This seems to be a favorite history fact for the World War I authors, but ignored in the World War II authors.  I find this fascinating in itself.

When I researched the lives of my favorite authors, I found many had military or at least government connections into the fighting in some way.  Even the great women writers of the time participated in some way.  The same is true, to a lesser extent in the modern era.  We find many authors, especially of political and topical novels to have experience in the military.  Perhaps the publishers are keeping their histories an intentionally secret, which I think was the plan for the World War II authors. 

In any case, experience is a critical element of the writer both for their depth of knowledge and their depth of understanding.  I think we perhaps see less of this in authors and less quality works because of the obvious prejudice against certain types of writers, settings, and plots.  Yes, there is something wrong with the world when exciting and true tales are buried by the surreal and silly.  When the makeup of ones chromosomes are more important than one’s writing skill or thoughts.  This is a real problem for art and literature.  It’s an even worse problem for society and culture with the loss of true knowledge and skill.

You can see it in the writing as well as the stories.  I wonder all the time, where is the next Frank Herbert and where is the next great movie?  Jack Vance made a great mark on the world of science fiction, but none of his novels have been turned into movies.  Instead, we get the insipid Star Trek dreck and Star Bores both written by the clueless without any idea how to entertain. 

There is still hope.  We see the movie industry turning out redo after redo.  Star Trek and Star Bores are into their multiple renditions still without much entertainment.  Plus, without much reality either—they need an experienced scientist or real astronaut to write for them.  It doesn’t help when the imaginations of the mentally crippled become the surefire fantasy worlds of the media.  It also leads the stupid and youth to think the world is much different than their experience—babes in libland.

So, you might ask—why not write exactly what the market wants?  That’s a great idea, but really more attune to the nonfiction market.  You can indeed write a book about contemporary events and have a nearly surefire work—well especially if you are already recognized and known, ouch.  You can also break into the nonfiction marketplace and establish yourself.  I have a great writer friend who is building his brand in writing about writing.  He’s also moving into other fields in the nonfiction space.  I’m watching closely. 

Unfortunately, my skills and knowledge aren’t exactly in the popular nonfiction areas.  I could move outward into some areas, but maybe not.  I work in a couple of dead languages, ancient Greek and Anglo-Saxon.  I could pull a Tolkien with a translation of some Anglo-Saxon text, but without students who are forced to buy your textbook or tome, that’s usually not very lucrative.  I could and have written essays and historical accounts of my flying experiences.  They might have some traction.  I have tried to get some movement there, but I was hoping to get reestablished with a publisher and then move out a little.  Then there is the muse.

What are you excited and inspired to write?  I get inspired every time I design a protagonist for this writing blog.  The inspiration isn’t nonfiction—the inspiration is fiction and something that is unique and new, hopefully in the world.  And, that’s that.

What I mean is this.  As fiction writers, we hope for our Harry Potty or Sparkly Vampires.  Really both the Harry Potty novels and the Sparkly Vampire novels are not the best written works in literature.  They both ended with movie adaptations that brought in buckets of cash.  Count the Throne Game among those as well.  A boring and mendicant fantasy novel that spawned a thousand copiers and mucho audiences.  That’s all we want as writers, and I can assure you—you won’t achieve these levels by writing to the market or even by following the herd.  Whatever you write must be new, exciting, entertaining, and somehow touch the market and needs of people all over the place.  That’s exactly what the novels I mentioned did.  They were real breakouts.  Harry Potty especially.  Who could imagine that those novels for kids would put magic realism on the map.  Who could imagine a kid’s novel could set the world ablaze in more than one way.

So, this is my advice, and this is what I’m going to continue to do.  Keep writing what inspires you.  Gain your experience as a writer.  You need to write eight to ten novels to really be there.  Continue to write and write what is exciting, entertaining, and interesting to you.  Especially if your day job isn’t writing.  Maybe even if your day job is writing.  You know someone out there will love your writing, other than your mother.  You know as long as you gain the skills, and you write what you love to read, you will also be writing something others will want to read.  You just have to find a publisher who also love and believes in your writing.  I did find that, and then my publisher went out of business.  Oh well.  So is life.  I’m looking for another publisher.  Until I do, I’m going to continue to write about writing and keep up my search for a publisher.  I’ll work on my other writing until I get back to novel November or earlier.  I really do need to write a fun novel.  I’ve even outlined it for you—so to speak.  Until then, I’ll see what I can do to help your and my writing.   

In any case, let us continue with entertaining ideas.  That’s what leads to entertaining writing.                

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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