My Favorites

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Writing - part xxx877 Scene Outline, Novel Outline, The Fox’s Honor

24 November 2024, Writing - part xxx877 Scene Outline, Novel Outline, The Fox’s Honor

Announcement: I still need a new publisher.  However, I’ve taken the step to republish my previously published novels.  I’m starting with Centurion, and we’ll see from there.  Since previously published novels have little chance of publication in the market (unless they are huge best sellers), I might as well get those older novels back out.  I’m going through Amazon Publishing, and I’ll pass the information on to you.

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 the third edition of Centurion:




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)

   

I went through the scene outline to show you how to approach writing a scene.  I think it is relatively simple—that doesn’t mean it is easy, but once you know the basics of writing a scene, with the right elements, you can write a great scene.  If you can write a great scene, you can potentially write an initial scene, the rising action scenes, the climax scene, a falling action scene, and a dénouement.  That means, if you can write a scene, you can write a novel. 

Now, to get to a novel, and to a great scene, you need a great protagonist.  I recommended a Romantic protagonist.  The reason is the Romantic protagonist is my favorite type and generally, the favorite of most readers.  In fact, I don’t know of a single reader who doesn’t love a great Romantic protagonist, or even a close to Romantic protagonist.  I point out Harry Potty who has become one of the most popular protagonists in history and is very close to a Romantic protagonist.  I think he’d even be more popular if he was a full on Romantic protagonist.  Just a thought.

With a fully developed Romantic protagonist, writing a scene is pretty easy and writing a novel is relatively easy.  In my short form blog, I’m going over the telic flaw from the protagonist and how it pertains to the novel and how it comes from the development of the protagonist.  Perhaps this idea of the telic flaw belonging to the protagonist is the most important factor in novel development.  This is why I write that the first step in writing a novel is the Romantic protagonist development.  I’ll consider if I should give you the basics and telic flaw from the design of the protagonist, like I’m doing in my short form blog.  I’ll try to expand this idea to help bring out the concept of the initial scene.  I’ve done this before, but I’ll try to give you something new out of this, next.

As I wrote before, the telic flaw for the novel comes from the protagonist.  In addition, the protagonist defines all kinds of things issues and in time, the setting, the place, and all.  As I wrote, the protagonist defines all these things in the novel.  The novel and the telic flaw of the novel comes directly from the protagonist.

I could go through all my protagonists and define the telic flaw from that protagonist for you.  I think I did this before.  Perhaps I should do it again.  That might be a very worthwhile set of examples.  I’ll think about it.  You see the list of novels above.  I think I’ll use my list of novels from the first to the last I’ve finished.  That’s next.

A Season of Honor:  This was the first novel I wrote.  The very Romantic protagonist is Baron Shaun du Locke.  Shaun has a lengthy history that I developed for the novel and actually that I used to write the two other novels in the series, The End of Honor and The Fox’s Honor.  Shaun du Locke was a prince who was deposed because he fell in love with the wrong woman—a power his brother could not allow, and she was executed.  It’s not incorrect to say that Shaun was haunted by this action and the loss of the Lady Lyral Neuterra.  The problem is that Shaun was contracted to take Lyral’s cousin and near twin, Elaina Acier to her arranged marriage on the Imperial Capital planet Arienth.

There is the telic flaw of the novel.  Shaun must deliver Elina to Arienth, but the woman in question looks like his lost love, and of course, he is falling in love again.  It’s not just how Eliana looks but it is her personality and skill as a noblewoman. 

If you notice, the telic flaw for the novel comes directly out of the protagonist.  It isn’t really a flaw in the protagonist, but rather a flaw in the world of the protagonist, and a flaw he must rectify (resolve).  This is exactly what I mean by the protagonist beings the telic flaw of the novel with them.  I’ll look at The Fox’s Honor, next.  

The Fox’s Honor stars Devon Rathenberg as its Romantic protagonist.  Devon is in the succession but from another branch of the imperial family so considered outside it.  He is the Emperor’s chief of intelligence, the Fox.  In this capacity, Devon has devised a plan to save the Emperor, the Human Galactic Empire, and the people of the empire.  He must die to reveal the Emperor’s enemies and the nobles who have been conspiring against the power of the Emperor.

However, Devon has fallen in love with a lady, the Lady Tamar Falkeep.  Tamar happens to be on the planet where Devon must cause his own death through losing a duel, thus, Devon will state his love to the Lady and carry out his mission.  You see the telic flaw that comes with this character, right?

Devon’s telic flaw (the novel’s telic flaw) is that Devon must die to revel the Empire’s enemies and yet he is compelled to confess his love to Lady Tamar.  Tamar is enraged and follows the knight when he fights and loses the duel on purpose, but she can’t let him die.  She saves his life and forces him to live.  As you can see, the telic flaw for the novel, the loss of Devon’s honor comes directly out of the protagonist.  Tamar is the protagonist’s helper.  The end result is a massive clandestine operation and then a military operation for Devon and Tamar to get back their honor and their lands.  I’ll move on to The End of Honor, 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           

No comments:

Post a Comment