Sunday, July 1, 2012

Tricks for Writing a Killer Beginning

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After weeks of research and letting the idea simmer in my brain, I've officially begun writing a new novel. This is an exciting--and terrifying--time! And it's gotten me thinking a lot about the pesky business of beginning a novel.

Here are some tips I try to follow:

Make me care about the character. It won't matter to me if a character is in life-or-death peril if I don't care about her yet. If I invest my time in a story--if I keep turning pages--it's because I connect with the character, THEN through her the story and the world. Warning: this doesn't mean claustrophobic pages of internal monologue, because you must...

Start with story; start in-scene. Don't write about what has happened. Write about what's happening NOW. Nix those prologues, chunks of backstory, or lengthy interiority. Stick in the now.

Give a little framework before jumping into dialogue. Even a couple sentences will suffice. Give those talking heads some setting or sensory detail to help ground the reader.

Sprinkle in worldbuilding. I don't want to be inundated with the details of your world. I want just enough to ground me and intrigue me, but the story must keep moving forward. Remember when you're writing in-scene, beats must happen in real time. Narrative summary, lengthy descriptions, or lengthy interior reflection shouldn't break up in-scene moments unless there is enough "real time" allotted for it. Save narrative summary for transitions between scenes, if possible. Trust that the reader will catch on, BUT don't be overly coy, thinking that will add suspense. (It won't; it will only add frustration.) Deciding when to write in-scene vs. narrative summary is tricky, but you can do it!

Incite me. There needs to be an inciting incident by the end of chapter one (especially if you're writing YA). This doesn't have to be the doorway between acts one and two, but something BIG needs to happen that's life-changing for your character, that incites her into some kind of action. In other words, get your story wheels turning ASAP and make me NEED to read chapter two!

Begin on the day something different happens. Carol Lynch Williams gave this awesome advice at the WIFYR conference I just attended. Yes, you need to ground the reader in the "normal life" of your main character, but your story should start on the day life changes for her. For example, my story, The Rowaness of Shalott, begins when King Arthur comes to Guinevere's island after a five-year absence.

Conflict. Just because the main plot of your story hasn't kicked into full gear doesn't mean there should be no conflict at the beginning. There has to be conflict! Your main character must want something right from the get-go, and something/someone must be standing in her way; furthermore, there must be stakes if she doesn't succeed. (Hint: conflict/yearning is a key ingredient to making me care about your character.)

Don't forget the details. It's your job as a writer to not only engage me in your character (and his/her story), but also let me know his/her age, gender, physical appearance, and other important details ASAP. Age and gender, especially, must be indicated in some manner on page one.

Make a promise. Your reader should understand the kind of novel they're reading from the first page. If the book is a fantasy, something must strongly hint of that fantasy in the beginning. If you're writing horror, scare me. If your novel is a mystery, give me something to puzzle over--again, on page one!

Shake hands with your ending. Your beginning and ending should be fun house mirror reflections of each other. They need to resonate and come full circle. In order to know where to begin your story, think of where you will end it and let that spark some ideas. This is something that can be finessed with revisions, but I strongly believe you should know how your story will end before you begin it.

That about covers it. Easy, schmeezy, right? (WRONG!) And here comes my final piece of advice for writing story beginnings...

RELAX! Try not to panic over all the rules. Know them. Read and study them. But then turn a blind eye, let go, and have fun! Don't worry, those rules are probably lingering in the back of your brain and keeping you fairly on track. (And they'll be waiting with a vengeance when it's time for revisions!) But while drafting, let yourself fall in love with the seed of a story and the birth of a character. Don't judge them just yet. :-)

What are your favorite tips for writing beginnings?

21 comments:

  1. You know I've just finished chapter one of my new novel, too. This was fun as I read through your post and thought how each item applied to my new story. The only one I'm not sure of is "shake hands with your ending" since I don't know how it will end. Lol. That's what revisions are for...right?

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    1. Yes, indeed, that's what revisions are for. And with your current WIP and the way you're writing it, you're totally justified! Can't wait to read your first chapter in a bitty. :-)

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  2. Excellent tips on opening chapters. I'm editing my WiP right now, and know my first chapter needs polishing, so I will be coming back to these tips.

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    1. Yes, if you're in the editing phase, then dig in and dig deep! I actually love revising more than drafting because I can see how it's all finally forming into an awesome story (even if it needs a lot of work or cutting). Good luck, Clare!

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  3. I love this post! I think beginnings are one of the hardest parts of the draft. It's so hard to know where to begin, and often the beginning ends up being cut out for something later in the plot to act as the beginning. I definitely think it is an aspect of writing you need to have a real feel for, but these are great tips! I'll definitely remember some of these in the future.

    I think my main advice for beginnings would be this: don't let them stress you out. It's much easier to fix a beginning once you've got the whole first draft, and as long as you manage to start somewhere you can pick it up from there!

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    1. I agree, Fiona. Beginnings are one of the hardest parts of the draft. Right up there with endings, for me. I love your main advice and I'm trying to cram that, above all, into my brain right now until I get to writing act two (where I usually hit my stride).

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  4. This post is stupid.

    Haha just kidding! I love it. I've always found beginnings come pretty naturally to me....it's the middles that bring me down.

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    1. Kate, you are officially fired from commenting on my blog! ;-) I'm envious beginnings come so easily to you. For me, they are a ton of hard work and the MIDDLE is my happy place. Sorry, guess we can't be friends anymore. Buh-bye. *winks again because one can never wink enough*

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    2. Blasted teenagers. Think they know everything. :P

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  5. What a great list! I am happy my current beginning follows most of this, but I have a certain someone *cough* who helped with that ... and now my beginning is so much better! :)

    I don't like "tips and tricks and rules", in general, as you know, because I don't feel any book has to follow certain guidelines to be good, but I like that you say these are things you try to follow, not what everyone has to follow. I agree with most everything you've listed here, so it's going into my Evernote for things to look over when I'm stuck. <3

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    1. I agree with you, Michelle, that rules can always be broken. I personally love studying up on craft (the eternal student in me), but I really don't dwell on it much when I write. It's like acting. There are all these technical things you must do: cheat out 3/4 to the audience, project, set up and react to a comedic beat, etc. You learn that stuff over the years, but then you don't really think about it while you perform. I believe, though, that knowledge is working for you without you being aware. You are "naturally" a fabulous writer, Michelle, because of years of hard work and figuring out what works for you and your unique writing voice. I LOVE your writing and am so excited for your selkie book!

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  6. These are great writing tips! I love the beginning of a book:) Good luck with yours! I'm sure it will be just fabulous:)

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    1. Thanks, Deana, and thanks for the retweet! I'm so anxious to hear how things go on sub for you. I'll be checking up on your blog regularly. :-)

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  7. Katie,

    You know I love these how to write posts of yours. I still think about your dialogue one. It's helped me a ton.

    Tim Wynn-Jones kept reminding my class that there are no real rules, but that we should know what's "expected" so that we know what we're doing when we change it up. Everything should be for a reason.

    It'll be awhile before I start a new novel, but as I'm revising I'll be checking in with your list:)

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    1. Thanks, Robin! And that's great advice from Tim Wynn-Jones. Keep sending me his words of writing wisdom. I wish I could've sat in on all the classes at WIFYR! I love learning so much.

      Good luck revising LOVESENSE. I can't wait to see how the new character pans out in the book! <3

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  8. I've written, rewritten, edited, taken out, and added in everything I can to my first chapter, and I'm quite pleased to say it qualifies for most of the things on that list. Unfortunately it still has a bit to go before I'll think it's good enough, this post helped me think of more things to brutally tear from it. Beginnings aren't my strong point, I'm much better with middles and especially ends.

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    1. Beginnings are hard for me, too, Carly--mainly because I've got premises with A LOT going on. It takes plenty of time to figure out how to weave that in without slapping the reader over the head AND keep the story clipping forward at a satisfactory pace. I love middles because the stage is set, so then I really get to start playing!

      Good luck with your revision. All the work you've done on your first chapter will be worth it!

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  9. Beginnings used to be the hardest part for me to write, but now I enjoy writing them. The set-up is a thrill. I get stuck in the dragging, sagging middle. Want to write a post about that next? :)

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    1. Haha, maybe I will! For me, the middle is the payoff for all the foundation I've laid in act one. I love surprising myself with twists in the plot and new subplots in act two. The layers of the story become more complex. Plus, act two is where the love story really takes off (my favorite part). :-)

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  10. Hi Kathryn,

    Loved this post! I'm currently writing, or trying to write, a story with a plan - I've never planned before and guess what - got nowhere!

    However, I keep on getting great ideas while writing and am finding that the story is developing extra layers and intrigue as I write.

    So, I guess I'm half following the plan, but allowing for new ideas.

    I've found these new ideas and twists really exciting - almost like the story has developed a life of its own and is gorwing organically.

    Thanks for the advice - I'll be checking back to it regularly!!

    Neil.

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  11. Hey Neil,

    Don't beat yourself up. A lot of people "pants" when they write, and it gets them far. It usually results in strong voice and characters, but a lot of revising--which is perfectly okay. :-) My writing style is more in the divide between outlining/pantsing (sounds like maybe yours is, too). I have to keep things loose so I feel completely free to take a twist in the story at any given moment, and I need to leave some room for discovery, which drives me to keep writing. I think the most important places to follow structure in writing, though, are the beginnings and ends...at least for me. My middles seem to stay fairly on-track on their own. Thanks for the great reply on this blog post, and good luck with your writing!

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