By:
Chris Winkle
The
beginning of your story can do many things, but one is more important than any
other: capturing the reader’s interest. If they don’t keep reading, any other
purpose – setting the tone, hinting at central themes, or whatever else -
becomes pointless. As a reader who frequently doesn’t get past the first few
pages, I’m going to share what inspires me to keep going.
Immediate Action
Readers
expect the beginning to be slow. Some will even wait through the first half for
action and conflict to arrive.
But
surprising them with action and conflict in your opening scene is the single
most effective way to keep them reading. They aren’t going to put the story
down while they are being entertained. They won’t even notice how many pages
they’ve flipped through.
Sometimes
it’s difficult to start the conflict of your story without setting the stage.
The Lord of the Rings is more powerful because the audience witnesses the peace
and innocence of the Shire, before being introduced to the dangers of the
world. But in that case, the story can still open with a smaller conflict that
introduces the themes of the larger one that follows.
What
I don’t recommend is the common practice of highlighting the villain in the
opening instead of the protagonist, through the eyes of a redshirt.
This is done to allow action and set tension, while keeping the main character
in a state of blissful ignorance about the big problem at hand. It does that
effectively, but it keeps writers from using the next tool in this kit.
Meeting the Protagonist
.
. .
Read the full article HERE!
~*~
If
you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they
are again:
- The Keys to a Great Opening Scene http://ow.ly/AtZ0m
- Clarissa Draper: 4 Things NOT To Do When Writing Mysteries http://ow.ly/AtZd1
- Indie and Proud – Plotting For Pantsers by Eden Baylee | Author Ingrid Hall http://ow.ly/AtZFG
- BookMarketingBuzzBlog: Have You Seen Your Book On Broadway? http://ow.ly/AtZX6
- 7 Marketing Trends You Should Not Ignore - Jeffbullas's Blog http://ow.ly/Au12v
- Customer Behavior - The Emotions That Make Images Go Viral : MarketingProfs Article http://ow.ly/Au1g5
- Brand Management - Five Ways Color Affects Brand Development : MarketingProfs Article http://ow.ly/Au1vf
- How to Create the Perfect Social Media Post http://ow.ly/Au1CQ
- 3 Steps to Turn Your Ideas into Sales http://ow.ly/Au1LF
- 12 Twitter Marketing Tips From the Pros | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/Au29N
- Failure, Writing’s Constant Companion | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/Au3pN
- New Self-Publishing Options from Blurb and Book Design Templates — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/AuyCM
- Catherine, Caffeinated | Writer, astronaut, skinny – Catherine Ryan Howard wouldn't mind being any of those things. http://ow.ly/Auzqg
- Characters in Novels That Are Allies and Reflections | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/AuzzT
- Resources for Writers: Some Quick, Basic Tips for Writing a Riveting Short Story http://ow.ly/AuA1S
- How Much Back Story is Too Much | The Editor's Blog http://ow.ly/AuA76
- Anne R. Allen's Blog: 5 Protagonists Readers Hate: Why Writers Shouldn't Identify too Closely with a Main Character http://ow.ly/AuAhC
- Why the Outer and Inner Stories Must Cross | Stavros Halvatzis http://ow.ly/AuAtd
- Flash Flood Fiction : Plot writers and character creators http://ow.ly/AuACG
- Author, Jody Hedlund: Put Your Best Work Out There: Avoid These 25 Newbie Writer Mistakes http://ow.ly/AuAXQ
- How Long Does it Take to Write a Book? | David Bruns http://ow.ly/AuDoC
- Are You an Expert? How Writing Changes Our Brain | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/Av66z
- What's Your Writing Routine? - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/Av6b7
- Are Pre-Orders Right For You? | Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors http://ow.ly/AvhM4
- 4 Steps to the Ultimate Compelling Villain http://t.co/dsXU4V6zwn via @melissagmcphail
- Rejection Blues http://ow.ly/Avra8 @cjlyonswriter
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