Wednesday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

THE EXPOSITORY OPENING TO NOVELS

By: Jack Smith

A strong opening to a novel is, of course, important.  If the opening is boring or off-putting in any way, the reader is likely not to read on.  It is true that some readers will be patient and hope things pick up, but naturally you can’t count on that.   There are four basic opening types in fiction: exposition (I mean by this expository prose), description, narrative summary, and narrative scene.  They are all used by published writers, and one isn’t better or worse than the others.  What’s important is deciding which works best in your novel.

Exposition, as a rhetorical mode, means explanation. Writers are sometimes steered away from an expository opening for fear of mere telling. Who wants to read a long, boring presentation (or telling) of background information setting up the story?  Readers want to get directly involved in the conflict; they want to be pulled in.   But don’t fear the expository mode—instead, work it to your advantage.

Sprinkle in some vivid description.  

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. The German Market: A Guide for Indie Authors | Beate Boeker http://ow.ly/ClIXv
2. Writer @Ava_Jae vlogs her thoughts on book to screen adaptations. What do you think? http://bit.ly/B2Sa_
3. How to Write Better By Following This One, Simple Rule http://ow.ly/Cngyk
4. Seriously Write: 3 Lessons from My Teaching Career that Prepared Me to be a Writer by Marissa Shrock http://ow.ly/CngGj
5. Help! I Accidentally Wrote a Novel http://ow.ly/CngPQ
6. The Kill Zone: Creating Characters We Care About http://ow.ly/CngYj
7. Author, Jody Hedlund: The Growing Popularity of Novellas http://ow.ly/Cnh59
8. Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/CnhcW
9. Fiction University: Your Scene Needs a Problem http://ow.ly/CnhjD
10. The Expository Opening to Novels - Elizabeth Spann Craig http://ow.ly/Cnjqs
11. Novels aren’t movie scripts: how to write great dialogue in prose | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/Cnk4Q
12. Should You Price Your Ebooks Differently in Different Countries? | Lindsay Buroker http://ow.ly/Cnks6
13. Will Bookstores Sell Your Indie Books? A Self-Publishing Series Case Study - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/CnkAi
14. 6 Hot Trends in Indie Book Marketing - Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/CnDI7
15. Frustrated with Slow Progress? Join the Crowd | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/CoytX
16. 10 tips to help writers stay focused http://ow.ly/CoNtv

Happy writing and running, Kathy