Process Post: Story Openings

Okay, so, weird thing about story openings: mostly, you won’t remember them. There are some famous story openings, but mostly what you’ll remember is the first scene with any real-time conflict in it. And that conflict won’t happen right away. Before the conflict comes the information needed to set up the rest of the story. …

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Writing Craft: Vol. 3: What is conflict?

What is the conflict? When a story starts introducing elements that directly affect the outcome of the story, that’s conflict. When characters fuss with small objects, make small talk, or think about backstory, that’s not conflict. The vital elements of character and setting are in place, and the “meat” of the story proceeds forward, leading …

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Writing Craft, Vol. 3: Story Openings

Story openings = setting + point of view There are many ways to open a story! In general, though, you don’t want to start with the conflict of the story. Until the reader is invested in the story somewhat, they really won’t care about the actual conflict. Start with setting and character: Give a setting …

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Writing Craft Vol. 3: Who’s telling the story?

We will talk more later about points of view in Writing Craft, Volume 4: Keeping the Reader Trapped In Your Story. But I do need to address a few points about creating point of view characters, because they are vital to how you write setting! You can’t write setting without a point of view character …

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Process Post: Reader Check-Ins

I’m second-guessing myself: should I include more information on how to write reader check-ins or not?  At first you have to think about writing reader check-ins. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally.  You: “I just want to tell the story!” Reader (eventually): “It’s a great story but it’s not for me…” You: [Sobbing] It seems like …

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Writing Craft Vol. 3: Where is the story set in place and time?

(This section is about the type of setting that you’re probably used to, the place and time. I didn’t put it first; I put the “reality” and “rules” of the story first. But these two types of setting usually work together inseparably, so don’t hesitate to juggle as your particular story warrants!) What’s more important, …

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