Beginning the beginning...again by Leah St. James #amwriting

Several months ago I wrote about ripping up the plot of my current WIP and essentially starting over.

What was my old prologue is out, and a brand-new prologue is in. My original Chapter One was moved to later in the story, and what was Original Chapter Three is now New Chapter One.

(Did you all follow that? I’m not sure I did!)

To recap, I now have a New Chapter One—a new beginning. And we all know how important beginnings are. Yes, I have a prologue, but Chapter One is still so important. When I read a book with a prologue, I look at the first chapter as the start of the real story. To me, it still has to grab the reader right from the start, or else that reader could very well toss the book and go to the next book that he or she likely picked up for free or cheap somewhere! (Sorry, got a little off topic there.) I need, and want, something that good. (And I really loved the beginning of Original Chapter One, too....sigh.)

But we soldier on.

 

This book is a sequel to my debut novel (Surrender to Sanctuary), and New Chapter One opens with one of the main secondary characters from that book. In fact, that same character opened the first book (in the prologue), so in a rare moment of inspiration, I decided it would be clever to parrot that opening.

Here’s the original opening from Surrender to Sanctuary:

Maxwell Davies was lost.

He squinted toward the countryside behind him, down the tattered two-lane roadway he’d just traveled, empty but for the smattering of cows and sheep grazing on the hillsides and an occasional farmer’s cottage. Ahead lay the intersection of a triplet of lanes bordered by a series of hedgerows and flowering bushes that threatened to overrun the dirt-packed lanes.

Should be easy to come up with a complementary opening, right? Not so much. I hated everything I came up with. Like these...

Maxwell Davies was troubled.

UGH. Lame! Weak! Wimpy!

Maxwell Davies was desperate.

No way, totally out of character.

Maxwell Davies was enraged.

No!!! Makes him sound like a lunatic...and it's way too early in the book for that!

So here’s what I’ve come up with so far for my New Chapter One beginning. I’d love your opinion. Would you want to read more? (Remember: This is a first draft. Please be gentle!) :-)

Danger.

Maxwell Davies sensed its presence as he stood at the big picture window in his office overlooking the back lawns at Sanctuary, Virginia, a tumbler of Maker’s Mark in one hand and a lit cigar in the other. Members in tuxes and their mates in glittering gowns gathered in groups of four or six, talking, laughing, drinking, enjoying life. Others danced, their arms twined tightly around one another, on a temporary dance floor where a six-piece ensemble pumped out a steady playlist of top hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

The community was in party mode, and he was late, lost in thought over the troubled waters they’d just navigated, and the murky waters that still lay ahead. Maxwell didn’t know the source, or the timing, only that every instinct screamed warning-warning-warning like a clanging bell in the back of his head. (In my head I’m hearing "Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!" ... Might want to change this line.)

Dusk had fallen, layering the sky with streaks of oranges, pinks and blues, casting sultry shadows over the celebrants. Ahead, multicolored lights twinkled in the trees lining the mighty James River, like hundreds of rainbow fireflies lighting the evening sky. Flowers in a dozen shades lined the pathways traversing the property from the river all the way to the gated entrance.

My creation, he thought as he took a puff of the cigar and savored its rich tobacco flavor. Mine to protect. Mine to defend.

 So that's what I've got. Thoughts? 

Am I worrying too much?  Does the first line of the first chapter have the same impact on a reader when there is a prologue? 

Or maybe I just need to finish the book before spending too much time on this. I mean, who knows what might happen to Max between now and then!

.......................

Leah writes stories of mystery and romance, good and evil and the power of love. She blogs here on the 6th and 22nd of each month. Learn more at leahstjames.com.
 

Beginnings

“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” ~ Meister Eckhart

Happy 2015, peeps! Welcome to another new year full of beginnings!

I love this time of year. Nothing says “fresh start” like a brandy new set of 365 days, and I have plans for this year. BIG plans.

I finally published book three in my Maple Leaf Series and that was something new for me. I had resisted writing a series for many years, and I’m not going to lie, writing one was tough. I’m the type to enjoy a set of characters for 80,000 words worth of story then be totally and completely done with them. Having to carry characters across books was challenging. By book three, I was dying to write something else. Anything else. Even a grocery shopping list and I HATE grocery shopping.

But I made it. I started something new and saw it through to the end… well, the end of three books anyway. I’ve got three more nearly written for this series, but I changed up the cast and the setting. I had to. For my own sanity. For reader satisfaction. In the name of happily ever afters.

Check out my Maple Leaf Series today. Vermont, lumberjacky-type men. Women who unravel the threads of their quiet, in-the-woods lifestyles. Pets who scamper onto the scene left and right. Happily ever afters guaranteed. Love grows in the woods.

And here’s more about the latest in the series, More Than Rum:

Web designer Hope Stannard has watched her cousin and her sister fall madly in love. She’s waited patiently for her turn to roll around, but her last boyfriend broke up with her via text message and the new guy she’s interested in disappeared on her for months with no explanation. Perhaps it’s time to throw in the towel, be content living with her Dalmatian puppy and her mother, and accept the official title of Unmarriable Old Maid.

Ex-Marine Adam Rouse fills his days with lumberjacking and building furniture. His nights are spent wide awake as he relives a raid in Afghanistan gone wrong. He emerged as the sole survivor, but questions why. Certainly other members of this team were more worthy of living than him. Deciding that bartending at night would be a better use of his time than battling insomnia, Adam applies at Black Wolf Tavern, the only place to hang out in small-town Danton, Vermont. He couldn’t drown his own troubles in rum, but maybe he can help others do so.

When Hope is attacked just outside the tavern, Adam comes to her aid, and the frosty winter temperatures can’t cool the heat that’s always been between them. Can Hope scale Adam’s fortress walls? Can Adam believe he is worthy of a woman like Hope? Will they rescue each other?   

   

What are your plans for 2015?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Magic of Beginnings by Rolynn Anderson

"And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." ~ Meister Eckhart

How fun it is to begin 2015 with a fresh focus!  A new chapter, I call it, complete with a fun subtitle.  In fact, guessing what 2015 will bring, is one of my pleasures.  I do set general goals, but I’m always charmed by the unexpected joys that come my way.

Many of you know that we’ve sold our big trawler  Four-month cruises were an important part of our lives (my husband and me…and many guests), for more than twenty years.  Some of my friends can’t imagine the two of us boatless, but we’re feeling pretty free and easy these days.  We can travel when and where we want to, including the summer months, and we don’t have to worry any more about what’s happening to our boat in its Washington State marina, while we’re living in California.  A heavy rain/wind storm hit our marina this month, and we only heard about damage on the dock weeks later.  Now, we’re down to one house and one yard, and I love the simplicity!

Magic of beginnings?  Oh yes!  My husband just bought a lovely convertible for me for my birthday, a car I’ve wanted since we came to live in California.  I had pretty much decided I wouldn’t be checking that particular box as “accomplished,” when my DH surprised me with the gift.  I swear, the car is magic, because I already feel ten years younger driving around in it.  Her name: The Empress.  Open to smells, sounds and unlimited sight, convertibles are such fun to drive!

For the first time in my writing career, I’ll put two books on the market in 2015.  I’m hoping for that magic to boost my spirit and my sales.

What’s something new and magical you’re hoping for in 2015?  If you write it down and tell me about it, it’s likely to happen! 

Happy New Year!  Rolynn

http://www.rolynnanderson.com

Lie Catchers: http://amzn.com/B00HJDS1LG

A Silly Contest

I’m feeling silly today. In the spirit of that silliness and the theme of new beginnings, I’m making this post a contest about story beginnings!
 

Your task: Work the following three things into a 25 word or less beginning of a story…

1.       Snowflakes

2.       A red purse

3.       A yellow canary

Leave your entry in the comments below and be entered to win a free ebook of mine, winner’s choice. Winner must supply a valid email address for delivery of ebook.

Have fun!

Check out my books at www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com.

 

Toodles,

Chris

Give Me Turbulence by Brenda Whiteside

NEW BEGINNINGS! I love to write about new beginnings, and I'm currently in the middle of a new beginning. The title at the top of my web site is Discover Yourself. My blog is also called Discover Yourself. Some people prefer finding a niche and remaining there forever. I've always found myself on the move both personally and professionally - always discovering. If you've read my books, you'll see my heroines and some of my heroes are still discovering their ways, even those who are forty and fifty somethings.

Technically, all of my new beginnings started in 2012, but some starts take longer.

On a personal level, my husband retired and we moved to a small farm on a prairie in Arizona. We're city folk. Or were. By combining households with my son and his wife, we took on farming. My son is the major farmer, but Frank and I did get our hands dirty. I split my time between farming and writing. Part way into this experiment, I began blogging about our adventure and will continue to do so this year. We're expanding. We grew enough to fill our freezer and shelves with plenty leftover for the local food bank and family. This year we will go at it on a more commercial basis although still organic and natural.

Another new beginning that started last year is my first ever grandchild. Sadie Belladonna's expected Earth entry day is February 22. This is a new beginning that will impact our entire household. I'm excited beyond belief to have a grandchild. How that works out living under the same roof remains to be seen. Chuckle here.

On a professional level, I signed with an agent last year. Until now, I've been published by small houses that are approachable directly by an author. I've been very happy with The Wild Rose Press and Melange, but because of their size, certain results of being published are not readily available for my books. For one, readers cannot walk into a bookstore and buy my book because they are lured by the way it looks on the shelf. The store can order it for you, but if you don't know me...well, the obvious. By signing with an agent, the big New York publishers will give my book a look. That new beginning was stalled by Hurricane Sandy and then the holidays. Arghhhh!! So, this year could be the start of the start. Remains to be seen.

All and all, 2013 is going to be a year of changes and beginnings. Am I nervous? Nope. I love this kind of turbulence!

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.

Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2

She blogs on the 9^th and 24^th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com

She blogs about prairie life and writing at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/

Lead the Way - A Post about Beginnings

Happy 2013, Everyone!

This month’s theme is about new beginnings, so I thought I’d talk about the beginnings of stories, referred to as “leads” or “hooks.” When I teach this concept to my fifth grade writing students, I break leads up into seven categories as follows:

1.       Description of Setting: A great way to start a tale is to set the stage for the main events. A well-described setting can put your reader exactly where your characters are and that’s always a good thing. You want your readers to feel as if they have left wherever they are and have been transported to a new time and/or place.

2.       Description of Character: Your reader is going to be traveling with your character throughout the story, so showing what that main character looks like, sounds like, thinks about will help your reader connect with your hero/heroine. That connection is important to establish as soon as possible.

3.       Dialogue: Readers immediately get sucked into conversation between characters even if they aren’t sure what it’s about initially. Writing dialogue that sounds real and draws the reader in can be a wonderful way to begin a story. It helps readers feel as if they’ve been hanging around these characters for a while already and establishes a sense of familiarity. Dialogue can also arouse curiosity so readers will keep reading to see where the conversation ends up.

4.       Onomatopoeia: One of my favorite words! This refers to sound words such as crash, bang, and boom. Using onomatopoeia appeals to the reader’s sense of hearing, which can often be neglected when it comes to including sensory details in a piece of writing. I always like trying to come up with unique spellings to sounds like schlup, schlup, schlup for the noise of my dog drinking from his water bowl.

5.       Thoughts and Feelings: This is a great one especially if you like to write from first person point of view. Getting readers instantly into the heads and hearts of your characters always creates a strong lead that will carry the readers throughout the story. It’s especially fun if you have a sarcastic character who can’t always say what they are thinking aloud. With this lead style, you can provide the reader a glimpse into what the character wants to say, which can often be hilarious.

6.       Question: Beginning a story with a question automatically hooks a reader, because he/she will have to read on to see what the answer is.

7.       Interesting Fact: This is a good one for writing nonfiction, but I have seen it used in fiction too. Here, a writer chooses a relevant and true fact to begin his/her story. For example, 99% of humans cannot lick their own elbows. Interested in more? I’ll bet you are! And wouldn’t this be a great beginning for an erotic novel? Hmmm…I think my Muse just woke up.

While there is nothing overly complex or magical about these lead techniques, I think it helps to be reminded of them if you are a writer and to be aware of them if you are a reader. Writers can try to diversify their opening lines of their books, and readers can better understand the “how to” of what writers are doing in their novels.

Check out my books at www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com and see what lead techniques I use!

Toodles,
Chris

"I wrote it," he said, strumming the guitar. The Beginning of a Series by Jena Galifany

While watching my favorite 80s rock band on a television show, my favorite bass player said these three words. It got me thinking. I knew why he said it on TV but why would he say these exact words to someone else?

These are the three words that were the beginning of my writing career. These three words grew into a novel over 50,000 words in a matter of one month. Then they grew into a six book series, four of which are published by Whiskey Creek Press. Let me walk you  through  the beginning of my thought process.

1) If he were so famous, why would he have to tell someone he wrote the song? Well, apparently she (it would have to be a she) would not know who he was.

2) If he were so famous, why would she not know who he was? Um, maybe she couldn't see him.

3) Why could she not see him if he was sitting beside her, playing the guitar? She was blind.

4) That would be difficult to write. I don't know that much about blindness. It would take a lot of research to be sure that I correctly wrote about it. Do I want to take that kind of time for something I'm just scribbling out for myself? Naw.

Ty Synclair

Alexis Rivers

5) She's only temporarily blind. That works! Why is she temporarily blind? Um, car accident. She hit her head. I know about this one because it happened to me long ago. My sight came back in a few minutes but her's will take until the next morning.

6) So far, so good. How did the accident happen? Driving on a snowy hill.

7) What was he doing on the snowy hill? What was she doing there? He needed to get away from his noisy band mates and the insincere women that hung around the band. She needed to get away from an abusive husband... no not husband (too permanent). An abusive boyfriend.

All of these things had been rolling around in my mind for months. It was not until I fell in my garden one morning and damaged my arm that I was able to have time to actually begin writing it all down. Off work for a month to allow my arm to heal, I began the adventure of writing the ShadowsForge series. It began with only three words. Sometimes it doesn't take much to get the imagination rolling.

Ty Synclair was my first ShadowsForge character. He needed to find that one woman who would be sincere. Alexis Rivers needed a man who would  take care of her, never hurting her. Three Times a Hero gave Ty and Alexis the opportunity for both of their dreams to come true.

If you want to find out more about this couple and ShadowsForge, here is a chance to win an ebook copy of your choice of one of the first four books in the series: Three Times a Hero, Trials on Tour, Retaking America, or The Long Way Home.

All you need to do:
1) Go to my website at www.jenagalifany.bravehost.com
2) Locate the listing of the entire series. It is posted on only one page.
4) Send an email with the titles of ShadowsForge #5 and #6 to jena_galifany @ yahoo.com. (remove spaces)
3) Post a comment that you have sent me an email.
4) This evening, I will have my daughter pick a winner from those who email and comment. I will email the winner to find out which ebook she or he prefers and get it sent out.

Thank you for reading and playing along.

Cheers!
Jena Galifany
ShadowsForge Series
Shyanne's Secret
Her Perfect Man
Love Lifted Me

Beginning with a Bang by Jannine Gallant

We're celebrating Creative Beginnings this month, so I thought I'd talk about the beginnings of books. How many of you agonize over the opening scene in your book and rewrite it countless times? It’s the hook that catches the reader’s attention, so it has to be perfect. At least that’s the way I look at it as I revise the first page of my WIP for the 120^th time, changing one word here and one word there… You get the picture, and those of you who write can probably relate. The opening scene does more than you think. It doesn’t just introduce your characters and setting. It sets the tone for the book. It shows off your style.

The first scene in Nothing But Trouble came to me in a flash of inspiration. I could see the setting, a dusty highway in Texas in front of a honky tonk bar. My heroine is stranded by the roadside. She takes one look at the cowboy offering her a ride and knows he’s nothing but trouble. But creating a picture isn’t enough to engage potential readers. As an author, it’s your job to show them what kind of book you’ve written. Is the stranded woman frightened, sad, or spitting mad? Do you get a feeling of danger or one of humor from the situation? By the end of that first page, the reader should have a good sense of your voice.

Now, take everything you want to convey in your opening scene, and condense it into one sentence. The oh so important first line of your book. A daunting task to be certain. I’ll admit I’ve written some less than stellar first lines. But I’ve read some true beauties, both in classic books and new favorites.

From Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.

From Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts: The air was raw with February the morning Bobby Lee Fuller found the first body.

From Try Just Once More by Kat Henry Doran: Maggie McGuire didn’t have time to die.

It took me several tries, but I finally wrote a first line for Nothing But Trouble that satisfied me. Chase Paladin slammed on the brakes and prayed.

It may not be the best first line ever written, but I hope it will hook readers and make them ask, “Then what happened?” So, let’s hear your favorite first lines, one’s you’ve read or written.

Opening scene from Nothing But Trouble:

            Chase Paladin slammed on the brakes and prayed. Momentum, and the heavy livestock trailer he was towing, sent his pickup careening toward the red sports car idling in the middle of Route 66. With tires smoking, he rocked to a stop inches from its rear bumper. He peeled his fingers from the steering wheel and spared a glance for Bo, who had slid off the seat onto the floor of the truck. The hound shook himself.

            “What kind of freaking idiot stops in the middle of the road!” he shouted. Pushing his hat to the back of his head with a shaking hand, he leaned out the open window. “Hey, buddy—” The passenger door of the Porsche swung open, and the complaint lodged in his throat.

Long, long tanned legs topped by a pair of frayed denim shorts shot out. He dragged his gaze upward as the woman stood. A green ribbed tank top hugged a slim waist, and thick brown braids dangled over each shoulder. Fists clenched on her hips, she yelled something Chase couldn’t quite hear at the driver.

A pink flowered duffle bag flew through the open door and landed at her feet. She kicked the door shut and flipped the driver the bird. With squealing tires, the car tore off down the highway.

            Bending, the woman grabbed the handle of the duffle. Faded denim cupped a world class ass. Chase let out a low whistle as his pulse picked up speed. She glanced in his direction before dragging the bag toward the side of the road. He edged his pickup forward a couple of yards and lowered the passenger window.

            “Need a ride?”

            Her eyes were hidden by oversized sunglasses with leopard spotted frames. They perched atop a short, straight nose covered with a sprinkling of freckles. Color tinged high cheekbones, and a pink mouth with a full bottom lip drew into a tight line. She bared an even row of white teeth.

            “Not a chance.”

            “You sure? Mornings, there isn’t much traffic along this stretch of highway.”

            Her fist clenched around the canvas handle of the bag. “I’m not in a hurry.”

            “Look, I’m harmless, I swear.”

            She eyed him for a long minute. A warm Texas breeze ruffled tendrils of loose hair, blowing it around her face. She pushed a strand off her cheek. “You look anything but harmless. If I had to guess, I’d say trouble is your middle name.”

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