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~
