Sunday challenge: Better Beginning

I haven’t dug out any of my writing craft books in months. But today, I spent the first hour or so of my Sunday morning sitting on the patio with Sol Stein’s book Stein on Writing.

I dug it out because I’m struggling a bit with the opening of one of my novel manuscripts. This one is my middle grade fantasy – which was great fun to write – but has an opening that is a bit of a dud.

I’ve stared at it. I’ve rewritten it. I’ve chopped it out and hit “delete” more than once. Finally, I gave up on it for a while and focused on the rest of the story, which was the right move at the time. Now, however, I have a full manuscript draft – that still doesn’t resonate in the first page. Problem, right?

Chapter 2 of Stein’s book is called Come Right In: First Sentences, First Paragraphs. He begins:

“Elia Kazan, brilliant director of stage and screen as well as a late-blooming novelist, told me that audiences give a file seven minutes. If the viewer is not intrigued by character or incident within that time, the film and its viewer are at odds. The viewer came for an experience. The film is disappointing him.”

So between my love of film, my own late blooming writing life, and the general good advice of this opening itself, I think I’d better listen to Mr. Stein. (I guess I’m hooked by the chapter on how to hook readers. Hmmm.)

Stein goes on to say the ideal goals of the opening of a novel are:

1.      To excite the reader’s curiosity, preferably about a character or a relationship.

2.      To introduce a setting.

3.      To lend resonance to the story.

I also have the voice of a writer-friend whispering in my ear about this same opening. She is the first “test reader” to give me feedback on the story and her first piece of advice was to work on the opening. She suggested it needs to start more in the middle of the action, more “in” the story – which (brilliantly) fits with Stein’s advice.

Not exactly the hook I need, but
you get the idea.

My challenge today: Make my middle grade novel opening reach for those goals.

Who do I want to excite the reader to get to know? Stephen, the prince who prefers poetry to swords? Hector, the tricky cousin who has designs for the throne? Both of them are in the opening already with at least an attempt at giving clues to their lop-sided relationship. Who is missing? The heroine. Perhaps she comes into the story way too late. The question is: How can I move her into page one?

Setting? Castle. But where does the rest of the STORY take place really? Outside of the castle. In the forest, in a secluded tower prison. Various other places within the kingdom. Should I move my opening to one of these other places in the story? Even if the castle is the seat of the king and therefore represents the hero and heroine’s ultimate goal? Something to think about…

Finally – resonance. The story, ultimately, is about being true to who you are. Holding fast to your dreams and defending them when necessary. Having the courage to stand up and speak up – and take action in the face of the unknown. Is that what needs to resonate? Or is it, perhaps, the problem: Hector plotting to take over the throne? This might be the hardest of the Stein’s three goals to accomplish.

I’m off to fill up my coffee mug and try to wipe the opening “slate” clean. To try again. Wish me luck.

First Lines and Popsicles

Why the heck are beginnings so hard? I’ve looked at the first page of my YA novel in progress so many times, I’m sick of reading it. When my writing partner and I worked on our first novel together, we struggled time and again with our first chapter. We re-wrote it multiple times. I lost track, actually, of how many different versions we had. We’d think it was fixed, then one of us would drag it out again and decide it still needed work. So we’d tear it apart and rebuild, tuck it away and hope it was just right. And then the pattern would start all over again.

Sigh.

Then there is the classic question: To Prologue or Not To Prologue? Also just painful. I mean… Sayantani and I had this fantastic scene of a hunt taking place in the jungle, and it tied back into the resolution of the story so well! And I have a dream prologue that my main character just has to have to set the stage for RLR. But you hear that some agents and editors hate prologues…and it is the first thing they’ll see of your manuscript if they ask for the first five/ten/chapter/whatever. So the last thing you want to do is turn them off by having a prologue, right?

So…in honor of the beginning of Summer, I’m going to take a look at first lines for some of the books I have sitting in either my “to be read” piles or my kid’s summer reading piles. Just had a big trip to Barnes and Noble yesterday with my son, so we’ve got some good stuff racked up for summer reading. Maybe this will inspire me.  Here goes:

Middle Grade

Fred & Anthony Meet the Heinie Goblins from the Black Lagoon by Esile Arevamirp and Elise Primavera – “Fred and Anthony hung out a lot together, goofing off and watching horror movies.”

My Rotten Life, Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie by David Lubar – “It’s no fun having your heart ripped from your body, slammed to the floor, and stomped into a puddle of quivering red mush.”

Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Weiner by Ursula Vernon – “What’s your problem?” asked Danny’s best friend, Wendell, shaking him awake.”

Young Adult

Surrender by Sonya Hartnett (note: This one was a Prinz honor book) – “I am dying: it’s a beautiful word. Like the long, slow sigh of a cello: dying.”

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher – “Sir?” she repeats. “How soon do you want it to get there?”

Blood Red Road by Moira Young – “The day’s hot. So hot and so dry that all I can taste in my mouth is dust.”

So I should go write now. I’ll probably ignore my beginning today and work on something smack dab in the middle. (Middles are easier. Not easy…but easier. At least for me.) It is summer, after all, and too hot to get frustrated on a beginning. But maybe tomorrow…

You, too. Go write something. And eat a popsicle.

Believing in Beginnings…and what Follows

I’m having a very writerly problem. I can’t seem to get going on my YA novel manuscript. See – I put it on the back burner to attend to some edits on a middle grade project for my agent. You’d think once the edits were done and the manuscript turned over, I’d just pick up where I left off, right? Ha. No so much.

With the finished manuscript in capable hands – and lots of waiting and nail-biting to do – I started this blog. And as some of you know, blogging is addictive. So it is easy to keep putting off working on RLR (my code name for The YA Novel That Is Languishing On My Laptop).

Confession: Even thinking about opening the file makes me a little queasy lately. I get a bit of a sour taste in my mouth and my mind jack rabbits to about 32 other things I should/could/ought to be doing. Folding laundry. Walking the dog. Hounding a kid about homework. Washing my hair. Planting geraniums in neat little rows in someone else’s back yard.

The good news: I think I’ve managed to identify part of the problem. I read like a maniac – sometimes as many as 3 or 4 novels in a week in addition to all other necessary activities (see above) – oh, and a full time job. And lately, I don’t think I’ve read a book I haven’t liked. And even if I didn’t LOVE it, I still found things to learn from the author about craft. Each time I put down a novel I’ve really enjoyed, I think RLR will never be that gripping. Or funny. Or beautiful.

I know…I bet most writers have these evil, self-defeating thoughts. I’m not unique in this problem. I need to get the heck over it.

And I’m not going to let READING become the reason I’m not WRITING. (Shaking my head and rolling my eyes at myself.)

So here’s what I’m doing tonight. I grabbed a stack of random MG and YA books that were sitting around my kitchen. And I’m going to read the first sentence – just the first – and write it down here. I’m going to prove to myself that beginnings are possible. That even if the first sentence I have in my manuscript right now isn’t perfect (truly – it pretty much sucks) that I can overcome and write a beginning equal to these random authors. And what follows beginnings? Well, the rest of the story, of course.

Wish me luck!

I remember the day the Aluet ship came to our island. Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell, 1960.

Once when I was in ninth grade, I had to write a paper on a poem. (first line of the prologue) Blood Promise, Richelle Mead, 2009

Until the age of twelve, I led what most people would consider an unexceptional life. Kiki Strike Inside the Shadow City, Kirsten Miller, 2006

“You don’t look much like your sister,” Chip said, bouncing the basketball low against the driveway. Found, Margaret Peterson Haddix, 2008

Zach Freeman woke out of a deep sleep to see his butt perched on the ledge of his bedroom window. The Day My Butt Went Psycho, Andy Griffiths, 2001

It’s a perfect night to run away, thought Fadi, casting a brooding look at the bright sheen of the moon through the cracked backseat window. Shooting Kabul, N. H. Senzai, 2010

So – there are a couple I really like, and a few that aren't gripping or funny or beautiful. Which means – I should suck it up and just write. And quit fussing. And …um…believe in my writing. Yeah. Believe. It’s a beginning.

PS -- There are no psycho butts in my book. Just sayin'.