Writing – part x344, Novel Form, Secrets in Novels, Athelstan Cying

11 March 2018, Writing – part x344, Novel Form, Secrets in Novels, Athelstan Cying

Announcement:  Ancient Light is delayed due to the economy.  You can read more about it at http://www.ancientlight.com.  Ancient Light includes the second edition of Aegypt plus Sister of Light and Sister of Darkness.  I’ll keep you updated.

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 website http://www.ldalford.com/ and select “production schedule,” you will be sent to 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.
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)
   1. Research as required
   2. Develop the initial setting
   3. Develop the characters
   4. 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 28^th novel, working title, School, potential title Deirdre: Enchantment and the School. The theme statement is: Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.

Here is the cover proposal for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School.

Cover Proposal

The most important scene in any novel is the initial scene, but eventually, you have to move to the rising action. I continued writing my 29^th novel, working title Red Sonja. I finished my 28^th novel, working title School. If you noticed, I started on number 28, but finished number 29 (in the starting sequence—it’s actually higher than that). I adjusted the numbering. I do keep everything clear in my records. I’ll be providing information on the marketing materials and editing.

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 29: 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.

This is the classical form for writing a successful novel:

1. Design the initial scene
2. Develop a theme statement (initial setting, protagonist, protagonist’s helper or antagonist, action statement)
   1. Research as required
   2. Develop the initial setting
   3. Develop the characters (protagonist, antagonist, and optionally the protagonist’s helper)
   4. Identify the telic flaw of the protagonist (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

The protagonist and the telic flaw are tied permanently together. The novel plot is completely dependent on the protagonist and the protagonist’s telic flaw. They are inseparable. This is likely the most critical concept about any normal (classical) form novel.

Here are the parts of a normal (classical) novel:

1. The Initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)
2. The Rising action scenes
3. The Climax scene
4. The Falling action scene(s)
5. The Dénouement scene

So, how do you write a rich and powerful initial scene? Let’s start from a theme statement. Here is an example from my latest novel:

The theme statement for Deirdre: Enchantment and the School is: Sorcha, the abandoned child of an Unseelie and a human, secretly attends Wycombe Abbey girls’ school where she meets the problem child Deirdre and is redeemed.

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

If you have the characters (protagonist, protagonist’s helper, and antagonist), the initial setting, the telic flaw (from the protagonist), a plot idea, the theme action, then you are ready to write the initial scene.  I would state that since you have a protagonist, the telic flaw, a plot idea, and the theme action, you have about everything—what you might be lacking is the tension and release cycle in your scenes.

The release part of the scene development cycle is similar to a punchline.  This is the point at which the tension of the scene is released.  The complete tension is never released until the climax of the novel, but the tension of the scene is released to some degree at this point.

I’m still addressing conflict and release from the standpoint of scenes, but I thought it might provide a good example to look at secrets in my novels.  If you remember, there are two basic types of secrets in a novel.  The first is the plot revelation.  The revelation of the plot and the protagonist are secrets until they are revealed in the novel.  This is the number one basic element of secret in a novel.  This secret is unknown to the characters and the readers until it is revealed.

The second type of secret is the secrets of the protagonist or other major character.  These are secrets known to the readers, but not known to other characters in the context of the novel.  These are revealed (or not revealed) through the plot.  I write not reveled because these secrets may remain secrets from no one, a few, or all in the context of a novel.  The writer uses the revelation of these secrets to create tension and release and to drive to the climax.

I’ll write a little about my science fiction novels.  I write science fiction that is set in the far future.  I have a series that is in not yet in publication called The Ghost Ship Chronicles.  This is a quintology (5 novels).  I hate those types of novels.  You can read the novels separately without the others, but they are connected and form a larger plot.  The titles are based on the names of spaceships.  The first novel is Athelstan Cying.

The background for these novels is that following the collapse of the Human Galactic Empire, the reps, Republicans won and created a short lived system of interspace government.  This system slowly evolved into a representative government where the Family Trader Ships were equal in representation to the planets.  A confederation of planets and large spaceships formed the representative government.

At the end of the Human Galactic Empire, esper or mental psyonics became the weapon of the day.  These were used routinely by the members of the nobility and were breed into the population.  This was part of the problem with the Human Galactic Empire—inbreeding caused the collapse of the noble families.  This is teased and foreshadowed in The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox.

In Athelstan Cying, one of the mutant espers of the past has survived as a disembodied spirit.  When the Family Trader enters Athelstan Cying to salvage it, the Captain’s son, Den Protania, a near-do-well, causes a critical failure which results in his death.  The spirit tries to save Den Protainia, but it is instead trapped in Den’s body.

The great character secret of the novel is that Den Protania is a completely different and changed person.  He tries to hide this great secret, but he is discovered early by Natana Kern, an epser sensitive psychologist journeyman who is assigned to Den.  The problem is that Den and Natana are long-time enemies.

The plot secret of this novel is the rehabilitation of Den Protania.  Everyone knows he was a great failure.  The new Den wants to redeem himself.  This is a powerful redemption novel that sets up the other four novels.  The ultimate plot of the five is a group that is using mechanical psy or esper to take over political entities in the Human Confederation.  There is more.

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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