23 October 2021, Writing – part xx665 Writing a Novel, Plots and My Novels, Regia Anglorum
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 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.
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.
These are the steps I use to write a novel including the five discrete parts of a novel:
- Design the initial scene
- Develop a theme statement (initial setting, protagonist, protagonist’s helper or antagonist, action statement)
- Research as required
- Develop the initial setting
- Develop the characters
- Identify the telic flaw (internal and external)
- Write the initial scene (identify the output: implied setting, implied characters, implied action movement)
- Write the next scene(s) to the climax (rising action)
- Write the climax scene
- Write the falling action scene(s)
- Write the dénouement scene
I finished writing my 29th novel, working title, Detective, potential title Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective. The theme statement is: Lady Azure Rose Wishart, the Chancellor of the Fae, supernatural detective, and all around dangerous girl, finds love, solves cases, breaks heads, and plays golf.
Here is the cover proposal for Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective.
| 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’m planning to start on number 31, working title Shifter.
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 31: Deirdre and Sorcha are redirected to French finishing school where they discover difficult mysteries, people, and events.
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.
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: 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.
To start a novel, I picture an initial scene. I may start from a protagonist or just launch into mental development of an initial scene. I get the idea for an initial scene from all kinds of sources. To help get the creative juices flowing, let’s look at the initial scene.
- Meeting between the protagonist and the antagonist or the protagonist’s helper
- Action point in the plot
- Buildup to an exciting scene
- Indirect introduction of the protagonist
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.
- Read novels.
- Fill your mind with good stuff—basically the stuff you want to write about.
- Figure out what will build ideas in your mind and what will kill ideas in your mind.
- Study.
- Teach.
- Make the catharsis.
- 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.
I’ve worked through creativity and the protagonist. The ultimate point is that if you properly develop your protagonist, you have created your novel. This moves us on to plots and initial scenes. As I noted, if you have a protagonist, you have a novel. The reason is that a protagonist comes with a telic flaw, and a telic flaw provides a plot and theme. If you have a protagonist, that gives you a telic flaw, a plot, and a theme. I will also argue this gives you an initial scene as well.
So, we worked extensively on the protagonist. I gave you many examples great, bad, and average. Most of these were from classics, but I also used my own novels and protagonists as examples. Here’s my plan.
- The protagonist comes with a telic flaw – the telic flaw isn’t necessarily a flaw in the protagonist, but rather a flaw in the world of the protagonist that only the Romantic protagonist can resolve.
- The telic flaw determines the plot.
- The telic flaw determines the theme.
- The telic flaw and the protagonist determines the initial scene.
- The protagonist and the telic flaw determines the initial setting.
- Plot examples from great classic plots.
- Plot examples from mediocre classic plots.
- Plot examples from my novels.
- Creativity and the telic flaw and plots.
- Writer’s block as a problem of continuing the plot.
Every great or good protagonist comes with their own telic flaw. I showed how this worked with my own writing and novels. Let’s go over it in terms of the plot.
This is all about the telic flaw. Every protagonist and every novel must come with a telic flaw. They are the same telic flaw. That telic flaw can be external, internal or both.
We found that a self-discovery telic flaw or a personal success telic flaw can potentially take a generic plot. We should be able to get an idea for the plot purely from the protagonist, telic flaw and setting. All of these are interlaced and bring us our plot.
For a great plot, the resolution of the telic flaw has to be a surprise to the protagonist and to the reader. This is both the measure and the goal. As I noted before, for a great plot, the author needs to make the telic flaw resolution appear to be impossible, but then it happens. There is much more to this.
I evaluated the plots from the list of 112 classics and categorized them according to the following scale:
Overall (o) – These are the three overall plots we defined above: redemption, achievement, and revelation.
Achievement (a) – There are plots that fall under the idea of the achievement plot.
Quality(q) – These are plots based on a personal or character quality.
Setting(s) – These are plots based on a setting.
Item(i) – These are plots based on an item.
I looked at each novel and pulled out the plot types, the telic flaw, plotline, and the theme of the novel. I didn’t make a list of the themes, but we identified the telic flaw as internal and external and by plot type. This generally gives the plotline.
Overall (o)
1. Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 – 49%
2. Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60%
3. Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43 – 73%
Achievement (a)
1. Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e – 51%
2. Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e, 45 – 46%
3. Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26%
4. Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37%
5. Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23%
6. Progress of technology (a) – 6 – 5%
7. Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54%
8. Money (a) – 2e, 26 – 25%
9. Spoiled child (a) – 7 – 6%
10. Legal (a) – 5 – 4%
11. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%
12. Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13%
13. Guilt or Crime (a) – 32 – 29%
14. Proselytizing (a) – 4 – 4%
15. Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10%
16. Escape (a) – 1ie, 23 – 21%
17. Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23%
18. Secrets (a) – 21 – 19%
Quality (q)
1. Messiah (q) – 10 – 9%
2. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16%
3. Rejected love (rejection) (q) – 1ei, 21 – 20%
4. Miscommunication (q) – 8 – 7%
5. Love triangle (q) – 14 – 12%
6. Betrayal (q) – 1i, 1ie, 46 – 43%
7. Blood will out or fate (q) –1i, 1e, 26 – 25%
8. Psychological (q) –1i, 45 – 41%
9. Magic (q) – 8 – 7%
10. Mistaken identity (q) – 18 – 16%
11. Illness (q) – 1e, 19 – 18%
12. Anti-hero (q) – 6 – 5%
13. Immorality (q) – 3i, 8 – 10%
14. Satire (q) – 10 – 9%
15. Camaraderie (q) – 19 – 17%
16. Curse (q) – 4 – 4%
17. Insanity (q) – 8 – 7%
18. Mentor (q) – 12 – 11%
Setting (s)
1. End of the World (s) – 3 – 3%
2. War (s) – 20 – 18%
3. Anti-war (s) –2 – 2%
4. Travel (s) –1e, 62 – 56%
5. Totalitarian (s) – 1e, 8 – 8%
6. Horror (s) – 15 – 13%
7. Children (s) – 24 – 21%
8. Historical (s) – 19 – 17%
9. School (s) – 11 – 10%
10. Parallel (s) – 4 – 4%
11. Allegory (s) – 10 – 9%
12. Fantasy world (s) – 5 – 4%
13. Prison (s) – 2 – 2%
Item (i)
1. Article (i) – 1e, 46 – 42%
Here is a list of my novels:
| 1* | SF | A Season of Honor (Honor III) | 1986 | P 08 |
| 2 | 1 | 30-Oct | Nov | |
| 2* | SF | The Fox’s Honor (Honor II) | 1989 | P 08 |
| 3 | 2 | 2-May | Oct | |
| 3 | SF | The End of Honor (Honor I) | 1995 | P 08 |
| 9 | 3 | 13-Jul | Jul | |
| 4 | HF | Antebellum | 1991 | * |
| 4 | 4 | 7-Feb | ||
| 5* | F | Aegypt | 1992 | P 08 |
| 5 | 5 | 16-Jun | Jan | |
| 6* | HF | Centurion | 1995 | P 08 |
| 8 | 6 | 1-Feb | Jan | |
| 7a* | SF | Athelstan Cying | 1992 | A |
| 6 | 7 | 26-Sep | ||
| 8 15 | SF | Twilight Lamb | 2007 | A |
| 7b* | 8 | 8-Aug | ||
| 9 16 | SF | Regia Anglorum | 2007 | A |
| 7c | 17 | 23-Nov | ||
| 10* | SF | The Second Mission* | 1996 | P 03 |
| 10 | 9 | 13-Nov | Aug | |
| 11 | Fan | Illidin | 1977 | I |
| 1 | Sep | |||
| 12 | F | Sister of Light | 1997 | C |
| 11 | 10 | 16-Aug | ||
| 13 | F | House | 1994 | I |
| 7 | 23-Dec | |||
| 14 | F | Hestia: Enchantment of the Hearth | 2006 | * |
| 13 | 11 | 28-Dec | ||
| 15 | Fan | Aramis | 2006 | I |
| 12 | 27-Apr | |||
| 16 | HF | Japan | I | |
| 14 | ||||
| 17 | F | Sister of Darkness | 2008 | C |
| 17 | 12 | 3-Jun | ||
| 18 | F | Shadow of Darkness | 2008 | A |
| 18 | 13 | 14-Sep | ||
| 19 | F | Shadow of Light | 2008 | A |
| tt5t | 14 | 24-Oct | ||
| 20 | F | Children of Light and Darkness | 2008 | A |
| 20 | 15 | 1-Dec | ||
| 21 | F | Warrior of Light | 2009 | A |
| 21 | 16 | 1-Feb | ||
| 22 | HF | Praetorian | ||
| 22 | ||||
| 23 23 | SF | Shadowed Vale | 2009 | A |
| 18 | 10-May | |||
| 24 24 | SF | Ddraig Goch | 2009 | W |
| 25-Aug | ||||
| 25 | F | Warrior of Darkness | 2009 | * |
| 25 | 19 | 29-Oct | ||
| 26 | F | Dana-ana: Enchantment and the Maiden | 2010 | * |
| 26 | 20 | 10-Jun | ||
| 27 | F | Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon | 2010 | A |
| 27 | 21 | 1-Nov | ||
| 28 | F | Khione: Enchantment and the Fox | 2011 | * |
| 28 | 22 | 1-Mar | ||
| 29 | F | Valeska: Enchantment and the Vampire | 2013 | * |
| 29 | 23 | 26-Nov | ||
| 30 | F | Lilly: Enchantment and the Computer | 2014 | * |
| 30 | 24 | 1-May | ||
| 31 | SF | Escape from Freedom | 2014 | * |
| 31 | 25 | 2-Oct | ||
| 32 | F | Essie: Enchantment and the Aos Si | 2015 | * |
| 32 | 26 | 1-May | ||
| 33 | F | Sorcha: Enchantment and the Curse | 2016 | * |
| 33 | 27 | 1-Mar | ||
| 34 | F | Red Sonja | 2016 | W |
| 34 | XX | 1-Mar | ||
| 35 | F | Deirdre: Enchantment and the School | 2016 | * |
| 35 | 28 | 1-Jul | ||
| 36 | F | Blue Rose: Enchantment and the Detective | 2018 | * |
| 36 | 29 | 1-Jul | ||
| 37 | F | Cassandra: Enchantment and the Warriors | 2018 | * |
| 37 | 1-Jul | |||
| 38 | F | Rose: Enchantment and the Flower | 2021 | * |
| 38 | 1-Mar |
Regia Anglorum is the third novel in my second series of science fiction novels. I call this series, The Ghost Ship Chronicles. I hope it will be published at some time.
I used the science fiction universe of The Chronicles of the Dragon and the Fox further into the future. I also wanted to write an entertaining novel about a screwup who is taken over by a competent soul, so to speak. When I started writing Athelstan CyingI had no idea how long the novel would become or where the plotline would really take it. This is part of the problem of writing with to a plotline, but this is also part of the problem of writing an ambitious idea and concept. Regia Anglorum is really the direct follow-on to Athelstan Cying and Twilight Lamb.
Here is some of the information on the novel:
Den and Natana Protania are installed as the Captain and First Officer of the newest Family Trader Vessel, the Regia Anglorum. The ship receives its official negotiated trading schedule that takes them to planets Family Traders have not visited in years, including El Rashad.
Nikita lives on garbage in the streets on El Rashad and collects every piece of reading material she can. Her only consolation is the church, her doll, Alice, and the minds of the spacers Nikita reads when they land at the spaceport. Nikita, like Den and Natana is a high level psyonic.
Nikita detects the most beautiful mind she has ever seen. It is Natana’s, and Natana determines to find and bring the girl back to the ship. It isn’t as easy as Natana thought. Nikita has issues: she is distrustful of anyone, and she is malnourished and sick.
Nikita’s integration into the ship is not easy, but she makes friends. Four girls invite her to be a member of their “special” girl’s club. Nikita also makes some unintentional enemies. Alex the class bully is just one. He taunts Nikita almost every day. Finally, Alex gets his hands on Alice and tosses her over a fence in the ship’s wilderness area. Nikita snaps. She attacks Alex and climbs the fence. When she falls on the other side, she breaks her arm and sprains her leg. Natana and Den recover Nikita, but life has changed for her.
Because of her injuries, Nikita can’t work, train, or do her school work, and it is all Alex’s fault. Alex now tries to make amends for his treatment to Nikita. Nikita has more problems: injured crewmembers can’t make planetfall, and her parents, Den and Natana have planed a trip to the surface of Acier. Plus, Nikita’s class is going on a fieldtrip to Acier, and she can’t go.
Nikita discovered; Alex is a special because he is an engineering design genius—he can invent and build almost anything. When her class returns from Acier, Nikita has something she needs Alex to build for her. Nichol, one of the members of her girl’s club is cutting—it became worse when she returned to the ship. Nikita confronts her and discovers the Family Traders don’t need writers, musicians, entertainers, or inventors. Nichol is a singer, musician, and writer—that’s her special. Since she can’t produce a skill the ship needs, she knows one day she will be kicked off, and the thought terrifies her.
Nikita knows how to help Nichol. She brings in her friends and Alex to solve the problem. In the process, they learn the Captain and First Officer, Den and Natana are missing on Acier. Nikita is devastated. She must go to the surface of Acier to help Nichol and rescue her parents, but the ship is on a lock down until security finds the Captain and First Officer. Nikita and her friends make a plan to do it all—the question is can they pull it off?
This is a really fun and entertaining novel that allows the reader to observe the Family Trader culture from the view of a child newly experiencing it. This allowed me to provide a great showing of a really different technological environment and setting.
The names of all of the novels are ship’s names. Regia Anglorum is the name of the new Family Trader ship that Twilight Lamb captures in the second novel.
Let’s evaluate the plots.
Overall (o)
1. Redemption (o) – 17i, 7e, 23ei, 8 – 49% Oh yeah, Den and Natana have been redeemed, but now I add in a new character who needs real help. Nikita is a psionic child abandoned on a horrible planet. She is a full on zero at the very end of human society.
2. Revelation (o) –2e, 64, 1i – 60% This novel continues the revelation of Den and Natana with the addition of the revelation of Nakita and of the Family Trader culture at a different level and depth.
3. Achievement (o) – 16e, 19ei, 4i, 43 – 73% The ultimate achievement of the novels is still to defeat the Athenian Charter and to protect the Confederation, but we have brought in a new helper who intends to change the Family Trader’s to make them more effective and just.
Achievement (a)
1. Detective or mystery (a) – 56, 1e – 51% There are all kinds of mysteries that Nikita, Den, and Natana must discover. Mainly Nikita must save her friends to save herself and her new family.
2. Revenge or vengeance (a) –3ie, 3e, 45 – 46% This is a small part of the novel with Nikita and Alex. Alex causes some problems for Nikita which he must resolve to regain her trust.
3. Zero to hero (a) – 29 – 26% This is a very powerful zero to hero for Nikita with Den on the sidelines.
4. Romance (a) –1ie, 41 – 37% Not really although we see Alex falling in love with Nitika-it’s a kid’s love.
5. Coming of age (a) –1ei, 25 – 23% Yes, with Nikita, this is a very high level coming of age novel.
6. Progress of technology (a) – 6 – 5% There is a very strong progress of technology from the old empire to the new confederation. This is something the we explore in the novel.
7. Discovery (a) – 3ie, 57 – 54% Nikita becomes the new discovery focus.
8. Money (a) – 2e, 26 – 25% Money and human value are still very strong in the Family Trader ships. You can never get away from this, but Nikita brings new thinking and ideas of how to make money and how to help her friends.
9. Spoiled child (a) – 7 – 6% Alex fills this spot and provides some fun scenes based on it.
10. Legal (a) – 5 – 4% This novel brings in focus the legal problems for certain people and children in the Family Trader System. Nikita resolves these issues.
11. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16% Not in this novel.
12. Self-discovery (a) – 3i, 12 – 13% There is a strong self discovery plot with Nikita as well as others.
13. Guilt or Crime (a) – 32 – 29% Yes, Alex and Nikita both have issues with breaking Family Trader rules and have to face the music.
14. Proselytizing (a) – 4 – 4% Nope.
15. Reason (a) – 10, 1ie – 10% Yes, everyone depends on Nikita’s skills and reasoning to resolve the problems.
16. Escape (a) – 1ie, 23 – 21% Yes, Nikita needs to get off the ship to find her new parents. In addition, Nikita needs to escape from her original planet.
17. Knowledge or Skill (a) – 26 – 23% Knowledge and skills are the basis of this novel. Nikita’s skills become a powerful press for her success and her friend’s success.
18. Secrets (a) – 21 – 19% Huge secrets. There are Den and Natana’s secrets and now Nikita’s secrets.
Quality (q)
1. Messiah (q) – 10 – 9% Nope.
2. Adultery (qa) – 18 – 16% Nope.
3. Rejected love (rejection) (q) – 1ei, 21 – 20% Yes, Nikita rejects Alex’s advances because of how he acts.
4. Miscommunication (q) – 8 – 7% Not really.
5. Love triangle (q) – 14 – 12% Nope.
6. Betrayal (q) – 1i, 1ie, 46 – 43% Yes, Alex betrays Nikita and their class.
7. Blood will out or fate (q) –1i, 1e, 26 – 25% Yes, there is a very strong problem in the ship with birth and choices of profession as well skills.
8. Psychological (q) –1i, 45 – 41% This is a huge psychological novel on many levels. The transition is to Nikita and her issues as well as her integration into the Family Trader ship.
9. Magic (q) – 8 – 7% Nope.
10. Mistaken identity (q) – 18 – 16% Nope.
11. Illness (q) – 1e, 19 – 18% Yes, Nikita is injured and must recover.
12. Anti-hero (q) – 6 – 5% Nope.
13. Immorality (q) – 3i, 8 – 10% Nope.
14. Satire (q) – 10 – 9% Not really.
15. Camaraderie (q) – 19 – 17% Yes, this is an enormous part of the revitalization of Nikita Protania.
16. Curse (q) – 4 – 4% Nope.
17. Insanity (q) – 8 – 7% Nope.
18. Mentor (q) – 12 – 11% Yes, Alex is transitioning into Nikita’s protagonist’s helper.
Setting (s)
1. End of the World (s) – 3 – 3% Nope.
2. War (s) – 20 – 18% In the past.
3. Anti-war (s) –2 – 2% Nope.
4. Travel (s) –1e, 62 – 56% Yes, the family traders are all about travel and trade in space.
5. Totalitarian (s) – 1e, 8 – 8% Nope.
6. Horror (s) – 15 – 13% Not really.
7. Children (s) – 24 – 21% Yes, this brings the Family Trader children into a new focus.
8. Historical (s) – 19 – 17% Not really.
9. School (s) – 11 – 10% Oh yes, this is a very school oriented novel.
10. Parallel (s) – 4 – 4% Nope.
11. Allegory (s) – 10 – 9% Nope.
12. Fantasy world (s) – 5 – 4% Nope.
13. Prison (s) – 2 – 2% Nope.
Item (i)
1. Article (i) – 1e, 46 – 42% The ships themselves are items in the plot and are plots to themselves.
Next we’ll look in more detail at Regia Anglorum.
In the end, we can figure out what makes a work have a great plot and theme, and apply this to our writing.
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.
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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