Whammo! You Hooked 'em! by Julie A. Lindsey

Will Mr. Owl keep reading after chapter one? (source)

I love the extra ZING! NaNoWriMo adds to everything about writing this month. It seems appropriate to begin a Nano novel with an extra SHAZAAM! Doesn’t it?

I had the great pleasure of attending the Central Ohio Fiction Writer’s Conference earlier this month and met an amazing group of seasoned authors, editors and agents. My favorite topic covered that weekend was all about what they look for in an opening chapter.  They emphasized the importance of chapter one about a thousand times saying, “In Chapter one you either hook the reader, or they put you down and walk away.” 

No one wants to be THAT author. So, as you tear through your opening chapter this week, laying out the foundation to reel those readers into your world, keep these things in mind:

1.       Chapter one needs a sense of immediacy. Don’t start with your character approaching a door to knock on. Start when the door pulls wide and so do your MC’s eyes. Don’t start with the labor pains. Start with the blaring scream of that final push. Make your reader think to themselves “My WORD, what have I gotten into here?” Those are the kind of thoughts that need answers, and only reading the next sentence, paragraph, page, chapter will answer them.

2.       No info dumps. We know our characters entire life stories and it can be hard to separate what the reader needs to know and what they don’t. Remember: Most things can be implied, not stated and the rest can be left out. In other words, if the information isn’t necessary to propel your characters forward, forget about it. The reader only needs and wants to know what is immediately relevant. Cut the rest.

3.      Engage the reader. The devil’s in the details, as they say. Draw the reader in with things everyone understands, relates too, knows. Add the little ticks and quirks and oddities that make the characters real. Chipped fingernail polish on an otherwise put together woman. No one’s perfect. A crooked nose on a handsome stranger. A lingering look at a desert case from a slim patron. All these details add vision to the reader and depth to the character. Why’s her polish chipped? Nail chewer or house cleaner? How’d such a distinguished man get a nose like that? Was he a college boxer? Was he in an accident? Is he not what he seems at all? How about the skinny person staring at the pie? Hungry? Eating disorder? Or a healthy concern about others eating more than they need?

4.       Start your story on the cusp of change. Jump right into the story. Begin where the action begins. Make the most of every word and remember there’s a reader deciding at the end of every sentence, if they want to know more.

5.      Create a strong sense of character from the outset. Unite the reader to the main character as early as possible. If he’s careful, show us he checks his shoes are tied twice before beginning his morning run. He scans the crossroad ahead for the last block before he arrives there. Point out the way he listens to the traffic and not music. He thinks there are too many useless accidents thanks to music. Then drop a piano on him. Who can’t relate to preparing tirelessly only to get blindsided?

6.      Motivation must be present. A hint or sense of doom or trouble should be nestled in every paragraph. Absurdly long shadows from the crane carrying the piano make the man think it’s later in the day than he realized. However you do it, Make sure Change is in the air in Chapter one.

Applying these ideas to your opening chapter will not only grab a reader when the time comes to share your Nano-novel-of-awesome, but it will set up a foundation for intrigue throughout your manuscript and set a precedence for the character’s personality to keep showing through. 

Do you have any tricks to hook the readers? Do you like to keep them on their toes?

I am a mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you'll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.

My sweet romance novella Bloom will launch the Turquoise Morning Press’s new Honey Creek line in Jan 2012. I’ve contracted three novellas for my Seeds of Love series with TMP and will be planting those seeds throughout 2012. My humorous women’s fiction Death by Chocolate will be available for download December 2011, and it hits shelves in April 2012 as the first in my Killer Confections Saga!

I blog about books and writing and Tweet @JulieALindsey Say “Hi!”

The Key to Beginnings by Jannae Sifontes

(source)

It’s Nov 4th, and writing is (hopefully) underway!  You’ve got your outline, your snacks, your character sketches and your writing tools of choice sitting in front of you.

Now what?

There is just something rough about those first crucial words in any work, be it short prose or novel length.  These are the words that may well cause someone to stay engaged or to close the book or webpage and ignore the rest of your masterpiece.  However, as big of a deal as these words are in the grand scheme of things, do not let them stress you out to the point where you stare at the page all day and end up writing nothing.  

Remember, you can ALWAYS come back and tinker with that opening paragraph later on down the line.  If nothing comes to mind for that iconic introduction into the world you are about to create, then move on to the meat of the matter.  The choice of words isn’t quite as important as the message conveyed by them.

For me, the key to the beginning is remembering the end.  Is there an overall theme or mood that I want to create for this work?  If you plan on transitioning from one mood to another, be sure to keep that in mind.  Just like cooking, you’ll want to introduce those other elements as you’re writing so that your reader isn’t completely taken off guard.  

Unless, of course, that is exactly what you are going for.  A sort of Alice down the rabbit hole feeling.  Even so, you have to remember which elements you want to remain constant, and be sure to start with them as well.

Do I want to set up some major plot twists down the line?  Know what hints you want to drop and how early you want to drop them.  As a writer, you want to make reading your work a smooth experience with as few derailing moments as possible.  There is a difference between surprising your reader and making your reader completely confused because that ingenious plot twist came out of seemingly nowhere.

The beginning of your work is setting the foundation for what everything else will be built upon.  Only you know what aspects of your story are crucial to that foundation.  Which characters must be introduced now, which facts or rules of your world must be explained up front and what history must be painted are all intimate decisions that will vary from work to work.  

Please do not feel like you must introduce everyone within the first few chapters of your work or that you must explain every aspect of the world they live in sooner rather than later.  You’re not writing a history book (or are you?!?).  Take your time and let your reader sink deeper into your world, establishing a breadcrumb trail, if you will, that leads them deeper and deeper into the novel. 

In addition to establishing that foundation for the rest of your work, you want to form a connection between the reader and your characters.  With that being said, make them as believable as you can.  Show as much as you can rather than tell with your characters.  Let their personalities shine through their actions and inner dialogue as you introduce them.   

When you get to know someone in real life, it’s usually little things over time, learning bigger and juicier tidbits the longer you know them.  If you let the readers know about that traumatic event at the start of the relationship, the reader may develop their own notions about the character, which may differ from the image you want to portray.

But above all, have fun!  You should be excited more than anything.  If you are already stressed out at this point, you’re over thinking it all WAY too much, and you’re more likely to get burned out sooner.  This is the start of a great adventure, if you aren’t enjoying it, how do you expect your readers to do so?

Happy writing, Wrimos!


How do YOU start your novels? Do you have any tips for NaNo newbies on beginnings?

Jannae’ Sifontes (@PurelyNae) has had a love affair with writing since the age of 8, which has manifested itself in many ways over the years.  From her Bachelors in English to her J.D., one thing she has yet to get tired of is putting ideas on paper.  She is currently employed as a Marine wife, going on her third year of marriage and waiting to see where the military and life takes her.  Jannae’ has high aspirations for changing the world around her, one thought and one moment at a time.  This will be her first year participating in NaNoWriMo, with hopes to go on to eventually publish the resulting work.