Today I have awesome blogger & YA author, Lydia
Sharp, stopping by share her ideas on crafting effective openings. I first met
Lydia over at the Writer’s Digest forum, where she taught me the old show don’t
tell ‘rule’ of writing.
She knows her craft & I’m thrilled to have her
here in celebration of her newest release, Twin Sense. Before getting into the good stuff, I gotta show you the purdy & synopsis.
As girlfriends of the Taylor twins, Layna and Sherri have only been friends by association. But when Sherri breaks up with Keith (for real this time), and Kevin gives Layna a promise ring (whoa, what?), Layna's whole world spins off balance. She avoids Kevin's unwelcome pressure to commit by spending more time with Sherri.
Without the twins around, Layna and Sherri are tempted to go beyond friendship status. Then Keith tries to win Sherri back, and Kevin apologizes for rushing Layna. Now she's stuck inside a double-trouble love quadrangle that has her reaching for the consolation cheesecake. The only way to sort out this mess is to make an impossible choice—between the one she wants and the other one she wants—or she might end up with no one.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover!!!!!! Can't wait to get my hands on one! Be sure to check out the 'extras' for TS below & don't forget to click on the purdy to add it on Goodreads!
Alright. Enough from me. Welcome, Lydia!
The opening lines of any
story are like a handshake between the viewpoint character and the reader.
There is arguably more pressure on your opening page to be perfect than any
other in the story (except perhaps the final page).
Personally, my first drafts
tend to have too much backstory in the opening pages. On a second draft, the
first thing I do is strip my opening scene of lengthy explanations. These drag
the scene down. They pull the reader out of the “now” and place them in the “before.”
There’s plenty of time for explaining things later, perhaps as early as your
second chapter. But in my opinion it has no place on the first page, or even
the first scene.
So what should be
included? Here are four crucial components of an effective opening:
1. Appropriate tone/voice.
When I first started writing
fiction professionally, the top suggestion I received for improving an opening
was to cut all the adverbs. Honest truth? I never believed in that advice. What
if use of adverbs fits the tone and voice of the story?
The advice to remove ALL of
ANYTHING is too strict. It doesn’t allow room for creative freedom, and
creativity is what fiction is all about. So when analyzing your opening, ask
yourself:
What genre/type of story am I
writing? A hard SF novel is not going to have the same opening lines as a
contemporary romance. The mood is wholly different for each, emphasized by your
word choice. If the overall tone of the story is humorous, show it in your
first line. If it’s serious, show that right away too.
When you shake someone’s hand
you subconsciously make assumptions of character based on the feel of that
handshake. Readers make the same subconscious assumptions about your story when
they read the first line. Are you giving them the right impression?
2. Correct tense and
point-of-view.
When my editor for Twin
Sense asked why my first line was in past tense and the rest of the story
was in present tense, this was my reaction: ~headdesk~
It seemed so obvious once she
pointed it out--I was promising one thing and giving another. If a story begins
in a certain tense, the reader will rightfully expect it to continue in that
tense until you show a good reason to change it. Changing tenses from the first
sentence to the second? Not a good reason. It unnecessarily jars the reader.
As for point-of-view, this is
where you must show that you know what the reader expects from your genre. For
example, YA contemporary romance is quite often told in first person, female
POV, either past or present tense. While adult contemporary romance is often
told in third person, past tense, ping-ponging between the hero’s and heroine’s
POVs.
Of course there are going to
be exceptions to every “rule”, but when deciding what tense and POV to use, you
must take into consideration what your readers will be expecting from the story
you give them. Or you might turn them off on the very first page.
3. Present the story
question.
This doesn’t mean you have to
spell anything out for the reader. The story question is implied through the
happenings of the opening scene, and then emphasized throughout the rest of the
book. After finishing, the reader should be able to look back at your opening
and see that, yes, it was there all along even if they didn’t notice it at
first.
For example, the main story
question in Twin Sense is about a love triangle--who will the main
character choose? So right away on page one the reader is introduced to the two
people the MC will be stuck between later, and how she feels about each
of them now. This effectively plants the seeds of question in the back
of the reader’s mind. They know something about the opening scenario has to
change by the end of the book.
4. Active forward
progression.
This comes back to the
previous advice that backstory (large chunks of it, anyway) have no place in an
opening. Why? Because it moves the story backwards instead of forward.
Think of it this way: When
you first meet someone, say, at a party or gathering, and they introduce
themselves, then immediately start talking about their horrible childhood, or
their horrible exes… is that pleasant for you, or uncomfortable? Wouldn’t you
rather they talk about what’s happening in the here and now? Current events,
what they enjoy doing in their leisure time, how you both know the same friend
of a friend--anything that’s relevant to your present situation is better than
going backwards in your very first conversation. You usually save those other
things for future chats, after you’re more familiar with one another.
The same goes for your
character’s introduction to the reader. Don’t scare them off by telling too
much too soon. Keep everything said clearly relevant and it will automatically
move forward. In the beginning, this is what keeps a reader turning pages. They
are not invested in anything yet, so forward movement is all you have on your
side at first.
To emphasize all of the above
points, here are some of my favorite first lines, followed by one of my own:
I hadn’t killed anyone all
winter, and I have to say I felt pretty good about that.
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown, YA fantasy
Something is wrong with the
sky.
Life Is But a Dream by Brian James, YA contemp
The first time I died, I didn’t
see God.
Fracture by Megan Miranda, YA SF thriller
We look like a couple of
brunette bananas.
Twin Sense by Lydia Sharp, YA romantic comedy
What are your
favorite first lines, and why? What do you think is the hardest part of
crafting an effective opening?
Extras!
There Is Nothing Wrong with You (or Why I Write GLBT YA)
Twin Sense Blog Tour (Nov - Dec 2012):
Take 5: Lydia Sharp and Twin Sense
@ Writer Unboxed, November 18
New Release: Twin Sense
@ Euterpe YA, November 23
Adapting Story Structure for Any Project
@ The Bookshelf Muse, November 26
WOW Wednesday: Writing the Book You Want to Read
@ Adventures In YA & Childrens Publishing, November 28
Take 5: Lydia Sharp and Twin Sense
@ Writer Unboxed, November 18
New Release: Twin Sense
@ Euterpe YA, November 23
Adapting Story Structure for Any Project
@ The Bookshelf Muse, November 26
WOW Wednesday: Writing the Book You Want to Read
@ Adventures In YA & Childrens Publishing, November 28
Lydia Sharp
For Lydia's published and upcoming fiction, click HERE.
Lydia is also a regular contributor to the Write It Sidewaysblog and the award-winning Writer Unboxed blog.
Thank you for your post. It's perfect timing since I'm working on my opening scene right now. I have a tendency to start in the wrong place and usually lose a few pages or scenes before I get to the perfect place.
ReplyDeleteOoh, and I forgot to say I like your cover. Very nice!
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