06 July 2026, Writing - part xxxx466 The Novel, Parts is Parts
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.
I want to start with these definitions as
a premise for writing.
1. Write to entertain
2. Write using the
common outline for a novel
3. Develop a telic flaw,
a protagonist, an antagonist, and plan to resolve the telic flaw.
4. Start with an initial
scene.
5. Develop and define a
modern protagonist: you get a telic flaw, a potential protagonist’s helper, and
a potential initial scene from the development.
6. Write to reveal the
protagonist.
And here is the scene:
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
I’m working on finishing my latest novel
number 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.
Since many writers and especially new
writers don’t understand about the format of the novel, perhaps I should go
back to the basics again and explain this.
When I write about the format of the novel, I’m not writing about the
formatting of the novel like a style guide, I’m writing about the way a novel is
successfully put together. Now, you can develop
novels using different outlines and forms, but there is a distinct reason for
not doing this—lack of success. I know
of a few novels which are considered successful that use a different form than
the normal novel. When I write few, I
mean almost zero. Famously, there are a
very few, almost zero, roman-fleuve style novels out there. Most of the roman-fleuve style novels are
French, and they aren’t real roman-fleuve novels. John Dos Passos famously wrote the USA
trilogy that is an American roman-fleuve style novel, but if you haven’t heard
of it, your education was lacking. If
you actually read it, I’m pleased, but I bet you didn’t think much of it—it is
a real-life roman-fleuve novel series.
What does that mean?
The reality of the roman-fleuve novel with
its movement through time and a family or nation are more important than the
plot or storyline. In fact, the
storyline and the plots are totally dependent on the projected history of the
nation, tribe, or family. Everything
else is rubbish. What does that
mean? In general, it means there is no
there there in the novels that make up a roman-fleuve style novel. The intention might be to entertain the
reader, but the execution is to establish a lengthy and realistic account about
something. There is no there intended to
be there. In fact, the there that is
there is usually not real at all—it is a fictional depiction of the real. I’ll point back at John Dos Passos and
USA. This is a fictional roman-fleuve
novel that has some connection to the real world, but not much at all. It isn’t an history, it is an history fiction
to depict John Dos Passos’ view of the USA.
It isn’t a very pretty view either, but most realism isn’t. I don’t consider it to be very entertaining,
but I really like the normal and common style of the novel for entertainment purposes. Since about 99.9 percent of all novels are
written this way, and about 99.9 percent of all successful novels are written
this way, you should become familiar with it.
I can touch on the other types of novel styles while we investigate the
very successful and normal novel style.
I should note, that when I studied about
novels back in the 1970s, my very proficient teacher explained and defined
novels this way. Yes, he and we looked
at other novel forms and true to the times and the focus of the class in
literature, he didn’t make any determination about the success or the quality
of the very few odd novels that didn’t match the common style. He was a teacher, but also as a teacher, I
would have pointed this out. As a
writer, I can’t help myself. If you, as
a budding novelist, don’t follow the common form for writing a novel, your
chance for success is almost zero. It
isn’t high in the normal course of existence.
It behooves you to know and learn the common structure for an entertaining
novel—if in the course of your own development, you are inspired to write in a
different form, more power to you. As it
is, you theoretically have near zero success, but we should look at the common
and normal structure of a novel. That
makes a novel relatively easy to write.
There’s more.
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
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