Excerpt from DELVE, PIVOT, PROPEL: 350 Writing Secrets to Elevate Your Storytelling and Transform Your Novel
by Steven James
Your story’s opening will (1) feature a character who matters, (2) orient readers to the setting, (3) introduce a meaningful pursuit, (4) set the mood, (5) establish the narrator’s voice, and (6) hook reader’s attention—hopefully making it difficult for them to put the book down.
Strive to create openings that engender concern for the protagonist, that both surprise and satisfy readers, that help them visualize what’s happening in the scene, and that lock their expectations into the type of story this is.
Introduce a character that readers will either (1) empathize with, (2) care about, (3) aspire to be, or (4) fear. Also, readers want to believe. When they stop believing, they stop caring, and when they stop caring, they stop reading. So, establish the world of your story, and then keep it believable as you move forward.
Don’t stall the story out by dumping too much background information. Instead, press forward right off the bat, make big promises, and leave your readers hungry for more.
Steven James is the critically acclaimed, national best-selling author of 20 novels and numerous nonfiction books including the groundbreaking books Story Trumps Structure and the guidebook used by thousands of novelists, Troubleshooting Your Novel, both from Writer’s Digest Books. In 2020, he was inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame for excellence in fiction writing.
Steven will give two keynotes during the upcoming Cascade Christian Writers Spring One-Day Conference (Virtual), Saturday March 8 from 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (PT). Registration details here.
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