My Craft Article Published Today: "Build Better Beginnings: from Throat-Clearing to Motor-Running Fiction!" šŸŽƒ

Splendid news! Iā€™m excited that my craft article, ā€œBuild Better Beginnings: from Throat-Clearing to Motor-Running Fiction,ā€ was published today as part of the WOW! Women on Writing Market Newsletter.

Also, check out the amazing interview with Paula Munier (by Donna Judith Essner), the literary markets actively seeking submissions of writing, and so many more literary resources to spark your writing.

I also had the chance to contribute two seasonal photos to the article, including this one.

Hereā€™s a fun excerpt. ā€œFirst drafts of narratives frequently gain momentum a few pages or a chapter in, but readers must be entertained from the start or else they donā€™t continue reading. Letā€™s take a few looks at some splendid, sure-fire ideas for building beginnings that reel in readers.

  • Donā€™t hold off. Want, want, want, immediately! Unmet desires and needs give the protagonist something to act on and to react against from the get-go. Instead of leading up slowly to the protagonistā€™s struggle, show the character already struggling in the first scene. Even better if they struggle from the first page.

  • Limit your number of characters in the first pages. A deeper dive into one characterā€”rather than a slower, cocktail-party-style, round-robin introductionā€”gives your readers a chance to shadow your protagonist and to feel firmly situated into their life and limitations before meeting the entire cast of characters. Itā€™s great to introduce the antagonist early, though, as pushback motivates the protagonistā€™s need to act.ā€œ

Read the rest at: the WOW! Market Newsletter. šŸŽƒ