It is Monday and
that means Jan Christensen is back today sharing wisdom…..
FIRST LINE; FIRST
PARAGRAPH
I have used the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon more and
more when making a decision to buy a book or short story, especially if the
author is new to me. And I’ve been rejecting several lately because they have
what I consider a fatal flaw. They begin with a character alone and musing. I
admit that some readers don’t mind this at all. But some will become quickly
bored if the musing goes on too long, which it usually does. Musing, by
definition, takes some time. In my opinion, it’s better to get right into the
story and fill in the backstory when needed. Using the character is thinking
about the past, after all.
What should the first line of your story do? Grab the
reader, of course. How do you do that? For modern writers, usually having
something exciting happen works well. Involve at least one sense, and you’ll do
even better. The main character hears a scream, smells smoke, sees an airplane
nosediving from the sky, touches something icky, tastes something odd.
To complete the first paragraph or sentences, be sure to
plant the reader someplace specific. The character is most likely not floating
out in space. Having her on the move is a good move. Some bit of action that
nails the setting helps. Preferably physical action on her part, not in a car.
A train might be okay. An airplane will work if she hears a scream or smells
smoke or feels the plane taking a nosedive.
Whatever you do, don’t have the character waking up or
just sitting around someplace thinking.
To recap, have your character’s senses on alert. Set your
character in a specific place, and use a small bit of description to plant the
reader. And finally, show the reader how your character is reacting emotionally
to what’s going on around her.
A good exercise is to write down in your reader’s
notebook every first line and paragraph you read that pulls you into the story.
This includes first lines of scenes, not just the first line of a short story
or novel. And perhaps also write down those that you feel are not very good.
Jan Christensen ©2017
Jan Christensen lives in Corpus
Christi, Texas, and has had nine novels and over seventy short stories
published. www.janchristensen.com
5 comments:
Good advice, Jan. I know I fall into that trap of "musing" when I begin but I immediately erase it and start over. I might be musing, but my character shouldn't be.
Excellent advice for all of us. Beginnings are the most difficult part to write. So we should start in medias res. I rewrite beginnings after I've written and edited my story or novel.
Thanks for commenting, Susan and Jacqueline. Of course, when I started writing, I often did the "musing" thing. Critiquerers pointed it out, and I decided they were right. And of course, I still catch myself doing it once in a while, but rarely anymore.
I try to catch myself with every opening, but I still do that musing thing once in a while. I should know better by now, but it's an easy trap to fall into.
Earl, I think most of us do it once in a while. I know one writer who does it almost all the time. When I was in a critique group with him, I always suggested he start later on, but he never seemed to change. He was obviously very comfortable writing that way. I'm sure some readers don't mind, but I'll rarely start reading a novel anymore that starts that way.
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