3T Writing Tidbit - How to Get Started

 Openings. Grr. They're my nemesis. How do you get started when your reader needs to know all your wonderful characters and all the things leading up to the brilliant events that happen in your plot and all the quirks of your fictional world and... and... and...

What?!?! Readers want a story, not an information dump. Forget all that stuff you need to give them to "get started". Most of my favorite books start with:

1 character

doing something interesting

-or-

1 character

presenting a question the reader will want answered

-or-

no character at all!

Here are some first lines that demonstrate the above, some taken from Libby Life.

“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.” -William Goldman, The Princess Bride

“It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.” -George Orwell, 1984 

“My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.” -Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones

“When I first set eyes on Evelyn Barton-Forbes she was walking the streets of Rome --
(I am informed, by the self-appointed Critic who reads over my shoulder as I write, that I have already committed an error. If those seemingly simple English words do indeed imply that which I am told they imply to the vulgar, I must in justice to Evelyn find other phrasing.)” -Elizabeth Peters, Crocodile on the Sandbank

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.” -Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

"Green sky at night; hacker's delight." -Charles Stross, The Atrocity Archives

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits. 

2T Repeat Performance - Feelings Exposed!

I've done a number of blog tours over the years, posting on different sites. Now I'm bringing them to you!

Originally published February 4, 2013 for Crimson Romance blog

Feelings Exposed!

Think back to high school. How many boys did you like? Did you have a lot of crushes or one big love? Here’s the kicker—how many of those boys knew you liked them? (My answer at the end. ☺)

Romance is scary. It takes two to tango and you’re never quite sure about the other person until you put your own feelings on the line. That’s why romance novels are so deeply compelling. Storytelling is all about conflict, and whether or not to reveal your heart is one of the most personal struggles there is.

But exactly because it’s scary, romance is also fun. It’s exciting for the couple, breathless with possibilities. But it’s even better for the best friend or reader. Watching two people dance around their attraction can be high comedy. They hide behind nonchalance, then dash out to signal their interest before retreating again—usually just when the other person starts flailing their romantic semaphore.

My favorite is the bickering that disguises an explosive attraction, squabbling friction just before the physical flames ignite. Here’s an example from my romantic comedy debut with Crimson Romance, Edie and the CEO.

Edie wants to make her 60s protester grandparents proud. But championing the little guy gets her in trouble with sexy CEO Everett Kirk. Someone's trying to force Everett out of his job, and Edie's latest escapade hasn't helped. A snowstorm and an empty cabin makes them confront their attraction.

Everett has arrived to pick up Edie for a conference. She isn’t awake yet and he thinks she’s in trouble and breaks down her door. She steps on a broken board and hurts her foot.

“If you risk infection by putting that foot down,” Kirk called from the living room, “I will personally lash your ankle to your thigh. Let me warn you, I tie some pretty wicked knots.”

“I just bet you do,” she muttered. Did the man install an AuthorityCam to see around the corner? Stupid president, autocratic and demanding even off the job.

Grumbling, she hopped to the bathroom, found disinfectant and cotton balls, flopped onto her toilet seat, and pulled up her foot.

It was a dirty, bloody mess.

Phooey. If she hated his high-handedness, she hated worse when he was right. He was already arrogant enough.

She doused the cotton ball with disinfectant and swabbed her wounded foot, but it was like cleaning a muddy car with a makeup sponge. She just smeared the blood and dirt. So she started the water in the tub to rinse her foot instead. Then she decided she might as well shower. It was only efficient. Amazingly rational, considering she hadn’t had any caffeine yet.

But in case Prince Omniscience decided to be his usual argumentative self, she locked the door.

She stripped quickly, got right in, and started shampooing. She’d worked up a good lather when the pounding started at the bathroom door.

Half-blinded, she stuck her head out. The door bowed with each thud, Kill Door Part II. In hindsight, locking it might not have been the smartest move. “What are you doing?”

“We need to get going.” Kirk’s deep voice carried easily through the composite. Another thud told her he was serious. “What are you doing?”

She started to yell, “I’m taking a shower,” but it would only get lost in the next bang. She grabbed a towel, twisted it around her, unlocked and opened the door.

Mid-swing, Kirk’s large and capable hand froze. He blinked. His gaze dropped. Widened.

Turned molten silver.

 

So how many of your high school loves or crushes knew? Me, I had one big love and a lot of other little crushes and none of them knew ☺ It took until college for me to brave telling, and that’s how I got my husband. But that’s another story…

Hugs!

Mary

 

I live in the Midwest with my beta-reader alpha husband, two grandcats who demand equal lap time, a basement full of spare computer parts and several musical instruments including a romantic cello and a flute for orchestral twittering birds. Find me on the web at http://www.maryhughesbooks.com, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MaryHughesAuthor and Twitter @MaryHughesBooks

 

Happy New Year!

 

 xkcd

 

xkcd

 

In case your 2024 was less than salubrious (Imgur)

2021 New Year Funny Saying

And because any year that ends or starts out with Moon Moon is a good year :) My best to you all!

Just for old time's sake, Moon Moon

3T Writing Tidbit

 NaNo-NowWhereIGo?

If you're like half a million writers, you took part last month in NaNoWriMo, the national novel writing month. What if you won? You poured 50,000 words of your heart and soul onto the page, virtual or concrete. And when you read through it...

Well, no first draft is a complete winner. So what do you do now?

When I was doing NaNoWriMo, there was a single blog post on that subject. I've distilled some of the recommendations here.

But they're come a long way! Not only are there resources on what to do next, there is an official Now What challenge during the months of January and February! See an example here from 2023-24. Support for all your post-soul-pouring needs in one place.

What are some things you can do in the meantime?

1. Get a deck of index cards (or the e-space equivalent). Read through your novel. Each time a scene changes, start a new card. 
1. Write on it: 
1. characters; 
2. action; 
3. how it advances either the emotional content or the plot.
2. Look at your cards for point 3. Doesn't advance the emotions or plot? They're boring filler scenes. Chuck 'em.
3. Look at your cards for point 1. Are there any characters you can dedup? Dr. Watson was Holmes's biographer... but he also did medical and pathology diagnoses, and as an army doctor was often Holmes's muscle as well. Conan Doyle could have written three separate characters, but combining these attributes made Dr. Watson a beloved and more realistic character.
4. Finally, look at the order of the cards. What if you moved the first one somewhere else? What about the one in the middle? Play with rearranging the cards and see if something clicks. Is there more tension if you delay a scene, or bring one forward? Is there a more satisfying payoff? Have fun!
   

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.  

2T Repeat Performance - Wine, Books and Music—Stand Out!

I've done a number of blog tours over the years, posting on different sites. Now I'm bringing them to you!

Originally published January 10, 2013 for the Samhain Blog

Wine, Books and Music—Stand Out!

Touring California wineries on a recent trip to LA was a revelation. See, I grew up with German Rieslings and Liebfraumilch, and my usual table wines are crisp and fruity—and simple. What you taste at the beginning is what you taste all the way through.

California wines are intensely complex. Peppery, buttery; hints of leather or notes of raspberry and plum. There are overtones and undertones and starts and finishes—and that’s before aeration, which adds richness and nuance. Even a Muscatel that my husband and I bought in an LA grocery store was a medley of flavors.

Why all the complexity? One reason surprised me.

The wineries are trying to stand out. They’re competing with a globe’s worth of well-established, famous wines: French and Italian; German and Portuguese; Australian and Brazilian.

As an author and musician, I understand scrabbling to find your audience. A single voice, pushing to be heard in a choir of millions, is hard. Some books sell hundreds of thousands of copies while similar books languish. 

The wineries show us that the voices and books that impress aren't necessarily sweeter or better written. But they are different, new in a way that stands out from the rest. Many grab attention by being piquant or complex.

So how’s this for complexity? Biting Love—spicy stories with powerful vampires, overtones of action, notes of humor, under(the covers)tones of sex and a finish of music and love.

Hugs!
Mary

Strong men. Stronger women.
http://maryhughesbooks.com

 

3T Writing Tidbit

 Vampires -- why are they so appealing for romances? They're violent, creepy, and they drink blood, for goodness sake. Depending on the mythos behind them, they're incapacitated by the sun, doomed to remain their age (young or old) forever, or cursed.

I did a lot of research before starting my vampire series. I think I've explained elsewhere the different philosophies of vampire creation (including biological or physical trigger, and just plain cursed). 

But why, with all the things we have against them, do we still write about them? Why do we even make them the heroes of our stories?

• They put the super in supernatural. Most stories, if vampires are pitted against other supernatural beings, will put the vampires on top. Often by a mile. They're faster, stronger, and wickedly clever.
• They're timeless. Because they're essentially humans-plus, we can write them in any era we write people.
• People-plus, but they're also a taste of the unknown. Whatever mythos creates the vampire, they're beings of the shadows, inhabiting, even thriving, in the places we fear most.
• They're sexy. Dangerous, alluring -- the stuff of our nightmares, but also our dreams. They represent the unknown, and in being unknown, offer us untold possibilities.
  

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.   

2T Repeat Performance -

I've done a number of blog tours over the years, posting on different sites. Now I'm bringing them to you!

Originally supposed to be published May 28 2014 for Magical Musings

A 2017 2T Repeat Performance highlighted one of the Magical Musings posts I'd done. It says, "I know I started this blog last week and had all sorts of great, Amazing, IRREPLACEABLE ideas, but naturally now I can’t find the file."

Guess what? I found the file.

Here's the original idea in its original form and unedited. From the cobwebby depths of an author's brain. Enjoy! 

A few of my favorite things - Magical musings #9

Tech/science news. I have a secret crush on all things science. If it happens to have a face like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene, the late Steve Irwin or Carl Sagan, all the better.

I have wallpaper from the NASA (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages) site. I grew up with—and looked forward to—National Geographic specials (the theme runs through my head just typing it) and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Even with all of Hulu and NetFlix to choose from, I still sometimes watch TED talks for fun. For our anniversary last year we went to the Oriental Institute. There’s something deeply thrilling about seeing things made thousands of years ago. Wondering if anything we do will last that long.

 

Well, that's the start of a blog, all right. Apparently some things last on my computer at least 10 years, lol.