I found this exercise useful when determining where/how to start a story. Even if some of the scenarios don't quit sound plausible for you and your story, I suggest giving it a try, even if it means starting in a place you never would have thought of, a way you never would have thought of, or forces you to add details you had not planned to add before. It gets the creative juices flowing and even if you end up throwing out the exercise openings, you may learn something about your story that is helpful.
quote: Pull out a story of yours that has at least the first few scenes completed. Write five different opening scenes for the story, each no more than three to six paragraphs, focusin on:
1. The description of some object of importance to the scene. 2. Your point-of-view character engaged in some specific, unexpected action. 3. An outrageous opinion held by the point-of-view character, expressed inside her head or in her own words -- something she would never tell a living soul (everyone has these). 4. Six lines of dialogue between two character (three lines each) who are arguing about something that will be important to the plot. 5. A description of the room where the first scene occurs. Focus on details that will have thematic significance and/or that tell us something about the owner's personality.
Edit: Must add credit so as not to plagarize...this is from "Beginnings, Middles, and Ends" by Nancy Kress.
[This message has been edited by Christine (edited February 10, 2005).]
Posted by Duffy (Member # 2394) on :
I read that book (in fact it's on the desk right in front of me right now)!
Christine's right folks. Work it do.
Posted by HSO (Member # 2056) on :
Thanks, Christine, for posting this valuable info. I will refer back to this when I begin my next story and I hope to improve my beginnings (which are often rather weak); this should help.
HSO
Posted by rjzeller (Member # 1906) on :
Ditto to HSO's remarks. I guess there's one more book to add to the list. I'll deinitely check that out for my next story, as well as maybe finidng a better opening for my keepitcoming serial as well (as with HSO, I feel my openings are sometimes weak)...
Z
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :