tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post811856084734318664..comments2024-03-28T18:40:05.789-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: Maria von Trapp was WrongJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-2211929310153470412011-08-12T16:53:26.155-04:002011-08-12T16:53:26.155-04:00Anne, Your idea of a good first sentence is very c...Anne, Your idea of a good first sentence is very close to my ownWarren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-19827492642905337552011-08-12T16:51:28.182-04:002011-08-12T16:51:28.182-04:00CluesSister and others,
It can take as long to wr...CluesSister and others,<br /><br />It can take as long to write the first paragraph as it takes to write the rest of a short story. Ditto with a novel. I will never forget starting with the wrong death.<br />That was a real morass.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-13744573304206370132011-08-12T16:47:06.547-04:002011-08-12T16:47:06.547-04:00Liss,
You recognized it and now have a powerful ...Liss, <br /><br />You recognized it and now have a powerful middle where most people's work sags. I really miss reading your WIP. If you want to stop by our house in New Zealand, we have two empty bedrooms.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-13894189262078681232011-08-12T13:59:13.990-04:002011-08-12T13:59:13.990-04:00Oh must we go to what do you do??? Especially sin...Oh must we go to what do you do??? Especially since Warren knows danged well I"m STILL restructuring my novel due to using the wrong beginning point. Yes - I said restructure as in the beginning was the middle and plot point one or so was really the beginning and - just yuck.Lsshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01826408619899226721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-1647392052755416982011-08-12T12:15:51.485-04:002011-08-12T12:15:51.485-04:00With a lot of my non-fiction writing, I often writ...With a lot of my non-fiction writing, I often write the beginning after I've written to the end. Since I've written 4 different starts to my novel, I'm going to mush on and trust that I'll know what to do when I'm finished. BTW - a great tease line about Maria von Trapp - had to look to see what you meant.CluesSisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07073403619053628793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-11688516164405808502011-08-12T12:09:14.537-04:002011-08-12T12:09:14.537-04:00It is difficult to know the "right" plac...It is difficult to know the "right" place to begin a story. I usually begin too early then overcompensate and push too far ahead. If I keep writing it will eventually balance out - I hope.Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-34883975785892806962011-08-12T10:04:12.948-04:002011-08-12T10:04:12.948-04:00As the author, you need to know backstory, but I a...As the author, you need to know backstory, but I agree with the comment about beginning with the birth of said protagonist's grandparents. That doesn't grab me. I don't care. <br /><br />I read to be entertained, not lulled to sleep. If a book has an exceedingly slow start, odds are very good I'll stop reading at the end of the first page, close the book, and move on to the next author.<br /><br />A story, however, that starts with something different in the protagonist's day, where life as he/she knows it is about to change forever and there's no going back...well, NOW, you've got my attention!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-92013225160529631242011-08-12T09:08:02.385-04:002011-08-12T09:08:02.385-04:00When I revise, I think something has to happen on ...When I revise, I think something has to happen on the first page to interest the reader and it should happen to a character that doesn't bore others. I rewrite the first few pages more often than any other part of a manuscript.Pauline Alldredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00847008019331163905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-25913450514106451622011-08-12T08:54:54.695-04:002011-08-12T08:54:54.695-04:00I love this post- it IS hard to cut the first part...I love this post- it IS hard to cut the first part when you start at the wrong place, but so necessary. I'm in the process of hacking one of my babies now and I know it will be better because I did it.Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153037458860004412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-61192535230905220482011-08-12T08:27:43.699-04:002011-08-12T08:27:43.699-04:00Label what I've got Old_manuscript, then start...Label what I've got Old_manuscript, then start anew. Depending on how far I'm into it I may rewrite completely or just remove the false start and add the new one. <br /><br />I just did that with my recently finished historical. I had it starting when the protagonists reached New York in 1887 only to realize we needed to see the voyage to understand that part of the immigrant experience.<br /><br />I must have done something right, since that book just got me an agent.Pat Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08824114343214016153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-81209476306304282652011-08-12T08:20:53.947-04:002011-08-12T08:20:53.947-04:00Very helpful post, Warren. Once I recognized my ha...Very helpful post, Warren. Once I recognized my habit of "information dump" at the beginning of my story and accepted it as merely back story for use later on, I was able to set it aside and begin the story like the first scene of a movie - showing only what's happening at that moment. What a difference it made in moving my story forward.Loraleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03642869592750484556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-57713083992121788832011-08-12T07:49:42.007-04:002011-08-12T07:49:42.007-04:00Openings are hard. I can still be writing the fir...Openings are hard. I can still be writing the first chapter when I write, "The End" on the last page. My current WIP started out with an entire short story upon which the current story was based. I cut the entire beginning and started the story from another character's POV to avoid making that mistake. It's hard to know when to start because most writers want the backstory to provide an "authentic" basis for the story.E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-39080439234413642572011-08-12T07:33:34.455-04:002011-08-12T07:33:34.455-04:00I usually cut my openings after I finish writing. ...I usually cut my openings after I finish writing. Setup and backstory get in the way, and I realize later that's what I've done. So I cut it and start later in the story. It takes many rewrites before I find what I hope is the right opening. Sigh.Ellis Vidlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918353154644739285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-78681969308822114412011-08-12T07:07:38.446-04:002011-08-12T07:07:38.446-04:00I started my first novel two years too late, and r...I started my first novel two years too late, and right in the middle on no action at all. I hope the revision, suggested by a much published author, works better. KBKB Ingleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06089951663907060127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-10905423717459731702011-08-12T04:49:20.993-04:002011-08-12T04:49:20.993-04:00Hi, Peg,
I'm having a wonderful time in NZ. ...Hi, Peg,<br /><br />I'm having a wonderful time in NZ. I agree knowing the beginning is absolutely essential, but in fiction (probably unlike journalism) the art is to start in the middle of the action and then slip the back story in without boring your readers or annoying them by too much exposition in any one place. You slip it in piece by piece.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-75392419130320197222011-08-12T04:28:32.966-04:002011-08-12T04:28:32.966-04:00Oh, but I can't start until I know what the be...Oh, but I can't start until I know what the beginning is. Maybe it's my experience as a journalist, but the beginning is the most important part. Even in fiction writing, otherwise why is so much emphasis put on the first line? This is amazing, Warren, here you are half-a-world away, and still blogging on schedule. I know you are enjoying being in New Zealand.Peg Nicholshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442026513439378111noreply@blogger.com