| BEGINNINGS |
| by Elizabeth Sinclair |
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| Copyright 1996-1999 |
| Beginnings serve several purposes besides starting your book or story. They introduce: Main characters Story Goal -- what they are driven to obtain by the end of the story Motivations -- what is driving them to obtain this goal Conflict -- obstacles that will keep them from reaching that goal Settings Locations They let the reader know what to expect in the way of: Story tone Story type In other words, they prepare the reader for the upcoming story. Because the reader's understanding of the above is vital to your reader's enjoyment of your story, it is your responsibility to the reader to provide these elements and to make them clearly understood without beating your reader over the head with the facts. How you write the first chapter of a book or first paragraph of a short story, will ultimately determine if your reader finishes the story or closes the book and never picks it up again. |
| When opening the book/story, it is critical to raise some question[s] in the reader's mind, a question[s] so compelling that they'll keep reading to find the answer. The sooner this question[s] can be raised, the better for the reader and the author. Therefore, some authors elect to raise a question in the first sentence. If Maggie McIntyre thought anything when the man dropped out of the sky, it was that an oversized bird was dive-bombing from the cliff above. LOVER'S LEAP by Pamela Browning "Cold-hearted bitch!"JENNY'S CASTLE by Elizabeth Sinclair T.J. MacGregor tried to leave Seascape Inn, but every time he stepped over the property line, he blacked out. BEYOND THE MISTYSHORE by Victoria Barrett What question or questions arise by the above passages? Write them down. As he/she reads on, the reader should find the answers, BUT he/she should also encounter new questions that require them to continue reading for more answers. The author has now sucked the reader into the book, and if handled well, the subsequent pages will have them hooked until the end, when the big overall question (the story goal of each major character) is answered --does the villain get the ranch, or will the single mother be able to make it on her own? Whatever the overall story goal of the characters is, that is the predominant question that the reader moves toward as the plot progresses and is answered at the climax of the book. This is the ONLY place this goal question can be answered. If it is answered before the climax, the plot comes to halt at that point. Where do you begin? As the Mad-Hatter said to Alice, start at the beginning and proceed on to the end. Your story begins at the point at which your main character's life alters from the norm. Begin in the middle of the action that will perpetuate the GMC that will drive the story. |
| Examples: The moment that John, desperate for money, holds up the convenience store. The day the husband asks his wife for a divorce to marry his young secretary. The day Harry gets his dream job. The moment that the future lovers come face to face for the first time. The day the long, lost cousin shows up after ten years to claim his share of dead Uncle Joe's estate. Each of these scenarios forecast a change about to take place. That change is what will perpetuate the problems (GMC) that will provide the action for the story. Anything that happens before this event is considered backstory and can be dribbled through the story as it progresses and it becomes vital for the reader to know certain facts. Until it becomes vital, there is no need to stop the forward action of your story to tell the reader about what happened to Harry as a six-year-old during his first day of kindergarten. However, when Harry ends up in a like situation as an adult, then the reader should know why he's reacting in a certain way -- pre-conditioning as a result of his kindergarten experience. |
| POINTS TO REMEMBER Major Characters -- The first names to appear will be perceived by the reader to be the major characters of your story. Therefore, minor characters should be introduced after major characters, when possible. Sometimes, when major characters are interacting with minor characters in the first scene, it is not possible for all major characters to be introduced first. In this case, make certain the first character introduced is a major character. Major characters are always POV (point of view) characters, therefore when the POV shifts from this first character to another, the reader will understand that this second character's POV is that of a major role player in the plot. Major characters' GMC -- Goal, Motivation and Conflict -- are the backbone of your plot. It is therefore essential that the reader know what the major character's are trying to obtain from the beginning. It is also vital that the reader know why they are attempting to attain this goal and what they will have to overcome to be victorious. GMC is the reason your reader is reading the story. Without these three elements, YOU HAVE NO STORY. |
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