The Chance Encounter

If all stories begin with a disruption of routine, then the "chance encounter" is considered one of those potential disruptions. 

A chance encounter occurs when someone from your protagonist's past waltzes back into their world. He has not seen her for years, but, suddenly, there she is.

The chance encounter sets up a fairly deep story, automatically pulling problems from the past into the present. Not only will the reader need to know what happened before (i.e. how they met, some of their experiences together, what drove them apart, etc.), but also how they have changed in the weeks, months, and years it's been since they last saw each other. 

This feeds directly into the plot of the narrative, of course, or how the two of them will address and work through their shared history, and the baggage that may come along with this, in order to move forward. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

The Disruption of Order

All stories begin and end in the same general manner: with a disruption and restoration (or acceptance) of order.

So, as writers, one of the first things we need to establish is how things were before versus how they have been, or will be, disrupted (as well as the subsequent effects of those disruptions).

Ideally, this will take place in the first chapter (or two), where you will also introduce the story question (a variation on "what's going to happen?"). 

Why does this work?

Because when your characters have a routine that is disrupted, they are forced to restore order. 

They may eventually accept the new disruption, but not before actively working against it, which will be most apparent in the choices they make and the actions they take. 

In The Guardian, Genesis is in a car accident that spurs Seth (her guardian angel) to step out of the shadows and into her world.

In Cross My Heart, Jaden is assigned a partner for a school project, forcing her to work with (and get to know) Parker.

In All I Never Wanted, Trent is required to spend time with Summer (community service) as she serves out her own sentence in rehab.

In All I Never Needed, Harley is unexpectedly sent to live with her dad, upending both her life and River's.

The stakes build from here, of course, as the plot progressively thickens from chapter to chapter, but that first initial push--where a carefully ordered world falls into chaos--is needed to set your unique story in motion. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Eliminating the Info Dumps

It can be tempting for new writers to want to begin a novel with a resume's worth of information about the main character.

This is what we refer to as the "info dump."

First chapters from new"ish" writers tend to overly present backstory and minutiae--details like the color of a character's hair or eyes, how she feels about her brother (whether or not he's an important part of the story), and the fifth-grade teacher who made her want to pursue a degree in veterinary science. 

After all, the reader needs context--to know more about who a character is and what she's been through--to better understand what she's about to face.

The problem, though, is that these often read like a laundry list of information and experiences and rarely kick-start a story. They contain the kind of writing readers tend to gloss over and skim to get to the more "exciting" parts.

The remedy?

1. Write the first three chapters of your story, then toss out the first. Find a way to incorporate the information presented in that first chapter into later chapters.

If the action does happen to begin in chapter one, then toss every paragraph leading up to that moment. 

or. . . .

2. Keep in mind from the moment you open that blank document that it's important to begin your story as close to the action as possible, then intersperse the backstory and character details as they become relevant.

An author will *always* know more about a character than should appear in an actual novel, but just because *we* know that her fifth-grade teacher had a profound influence on a character doesn't mean the reader needs to know this (unless he does). 

And remember: rather than telling (i.e. presenting that resume or profile directly to the reader), it's always best to show the character in action.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

P.S. This strategy isn't only limited to fiction. I tell my composition and non-fiction students that any introduction they write to their essays should serve as a placeholder only. After the piece is written, they should delete the intro and start over from scratch. 

The first attempt at anything is mediocre, at best.

Good writing is good revising.   

On Changing Lives

As writers, we want our work to resonate with readers. We hope our stories will change someone's life in some small way. 

But when we think of writers both current and past, there is often THAT WORK--the one they are known for. We sometimes forget about their other works, and not necessarily because they aren't up to the same literary standard.

When we think of George Orwell, for instance, we imagine Animal Farm or Nineteen Eighty-Four.

But there was also Burmese Days and A Clergyman's Daughter and Coming up for Air.

When I think of Orwell, my mind heads straight to one of his personal essays: "Shooting an Elephant."

As writers, we should want to tell a story that changes the reader. This is something we should, in fact, strive for. It's a lofty and ambitious (and worthy) goal. 

But not every work will resonate with readers in the same way and to the same degree.

In these instances, it's enough having written the work at all, whether it eclipses your previous (or latter) efforts or languishes in the background.

It's enough (and so are you).

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~