Tag: starting your book

Categories
Writing for YA

Writing a First Novel: Choosing A Genre

Want to write a novel, but aren’t sure what genre to pick?

Write What You Love

That’s a good place to start. 

If you devour books of certain genre (or subgenre), then you’ll be well acquainted with how the stories unfold in similar patterns. That familiarity might make writing one a natural process. However, it could be problematic if you choose to write a first book in a genre that has a complicated structure. Sometimes simpler is better.

And what if you are like me and love to read everything?

Narrow the Choices

Each genre has its familiar tropes and construction. For most of us, it would be too time consuming to try and learn how to write every genre out there. 

Pick a genre that you seem to gravitate toward. Out of those, if your goal is to learn how to write a book, it might be wise to look for the one with the simplest structure. If that prospect isn’t exciting to you, give that one a pass. The project needs to inspire the author for the long days and nights of pounding a keyboard.

If you have experience writing shorter works in one genre, why not try a longer work, even if you love a different genre?

Or maybe you have a great idea for a children’s book, and that’s where your heart is. Go for it!

Write what you are passionate about. 

What’s the Easiest Genre to Write?

I’ve heard different teachers suggest an adventure novel is easiest. Others say romance. Then again, some have sworn writing a who-done-it is the way to go to learn story structure. I love to read mysteries, but the idea of plotting one makes my brain freeze up. 

The stories I like to write, character driven contemporary, are considered by some to be the hardest of all to write! For NANOWRIMO, I tried to plot a simple romance. I ended up with a contemporary young adult novel about issues with a strong element of romance. 

There’s not a one size fits all.

Try Writing Shorter Works First, or Not

Writing a book is a huge commitment. If you’re not absolutely in love with the story idea and characters, the book may not get finished. If you’ve never written a novel length work, you could try your hand at a novella first. It depends on the writer. Do what feels the least overwhelming or frustrating. Even short stories can help writers learn basic story building.

Do I Have to Pick a Genre?

Is it required that an author label the genre of a novel? Not until it is ready to be pitched or published. It helps to know the genre, but isn’t always necessary.

My first attempt at a novel length work ended up as a historical, which was not my intention. I was just trying to get from point A to point B to point C. For me, the genre was beside the point. All I wanted was to learn how to write a novel.  

Don’t Feel Locked Into a Genre

Direction is good, but don’t feel you have to decide right away, and don’t feel you are locked into a genre if it turns out another seems to be a better pick. 

The best genre to write a first novel is the genre that gets the author putting words on the page!

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.

Categories
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Setting the Hook

mystery suspense thriller

Without a perfect bait a fisherman loses their chance in catching a fish. They must take their time and ease that wiggly worm onto the hook before lowering their line into the water. It’s just as important for a writer to do the same with a novel. Forget the worms and the book will fall flat. How can we do this? Here are some important areas we should reel in on in order for our mystery/suspense/thrillers to be noticed and not cast back into the lake.

Great first lines – Most readers will shop for a book by reading that very first line. It doesn’t matter if the next chapter is amazing. If the opening doesn’t hook, the reader will go fishing elsewhere. This is especially true for works of suspense. We want to set up the mystery right from the first sentence. Every word needs to be carefully chosen. We must edit and re-read the beginning over and over until we get it right. Think about these openings. “Once upon a time…” or “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”—Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. These are first lines we’ve remembered over the years. They stood the test of time and caught the reader’s attention. Let’s do the same.

Inciting incident – What exactly is this? It’s the event that the character is thrust into that shatters their world and changes it forever. Doesn’t necessarily have to be action-packed, but it has to be trouble for the main character. Loss of spouse, fired from their job, news of a health condition. Of course, for suspense writers it could be the character is kidnapped, witnessed a murder, found out their identity was stolen. The problem must not just scratch the surface but be a story that is sustainable as well as develop the character’s arc. It has to be resolved by the end of the book. Create an inciting incident that will sink your reader into wanting more.

Introducing characters – Just like in an interview, first impressions are extremely important. We need to give the reader reasons to like them. What should we consider to set the hook? Descriptions are important. We don’t want them to appear mousey or brazen. Give small snippets of personality and appearance. The mystery will leave the reader turning the pages to find out more. How does the character talk? What sets their dialogue apart from secondary characters? These are areas we need to think about so the hero and heroine will stand out on the page and make them believable.

Backstory – This is the character’s past. How did they grow up? What traumatic event happened that affects the way they deal with the inciting incident? Backstory is important, but we need to know the right timing of when it should appear. Not too much in the first fifty pages—just snippets to lure the reader. Then as the story progresses more backstory is given. However, do it carefully. We don’t want to take the reader out of the story. Weave it in and it will create a powerful tale.

Foreshadowing – This can be done effectively or totally fizzle in the beginning chapter. We need to be careful how we foreshadow upcoming events. Giving away too much robs the reader of the joy of figuring out the clues of the thriller. They like to be surprised. However, if we don’t give at least a hint of something to come, the reader may be disappointed and stop reading. Reel them in with the mystery!

These are just some areas to consider in writing the first chapter. Ending chapter one with an unanswered question will intrigue the reader to turn that page to find out the answer.

Baiting the reader at the beginning will ensure a great catch! Let’s get our lures right the first time by setting the hook with a powerful suspenseful opening.

How do you set the hook? Share your thoughts on what works for you.

Darlene L. Turner writes romantic suspense and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. She won the 2019 and 2016 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense contest. She was a finalist in the 2019 ACFW Genesis contest and won in 2017. She lives with her husband in the Forest City of London, Ontario. Darlene’s debut novel, Border Breach, will release in April, 2020 and is now available to pre-order. Click here to order.

Visit Darlene at her website, where she believes there’s suspense beyond borders

Social Media links:

Facebook: darlene.turner.902

Twitter: darlenelturner

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Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

The Stage for Your First Page

There’s a video floating around somewhere online (numerous, probably!) of J.K. Rowling reading her first pages to eager readers. I remember listening and thinking how naturally the words flowed, how it seemed like if she’d written the page any other way it would be wrong.

That’s how our every page needs to be, but especially our first page. So, other than impersonating J.K. Rowing, how do we do so?

Start in the middle of a scene.

For instance, in Harry Potter, readers don’t need to wait more than a few sentences to realize they’ve been thrust into something “strange or mysterious.” Rowling doesn’t start with Harry waking up (a cliché we should all avoid), but tosses us straight into learning about the boy who lived. Another term for this would be starting in media res. Dare to start in the middle of a scene, trust the reader to pick up the details you layer in, and you’ll be surprised how fast you captivate your audience.

Mesh the Unknown with the Known 

A reader is always a little disoriented when starting a new book. That’s the nature of plunging into a new setting with no warning about what’s going on. (Tip: A location tag can help lessen readers’ disorientation.) To combat this and draw a reader in, combine your unique story idea with concrete details readers can connect with.

For instance, if you’re plunging your protagonist into terrible trouble, maybe include their friend offering help in a way that’s relatable to your target audience. This will give readers an anchor point as they dive deeper into your story idea.

Even in the Harry Potter movies, the director included a scene where Harry draws himself a birthday cake and candles in the dust and blows out the candles. Birthday cake is something most readers can connect with, even in a wizarding world.

Give Your Protagonist a Distinct Voice

Readers want to connect with a character in a personal way. The faster you can make readers connect with your protagonist, the more likely they’ll hold on for the whole ride. A good way to do this this by giving your character a distinct voice.

Creating a distinct voice demands knowing your audience and what type of voice they’re most likely to connect with. This takes effort, but it’s effort well spent. One reason Harry Potter did so well is because Harry had a distinct voice. He was just a school kid put in a very unique situation. But school kids around the world connected with his voice because it was their voice.

If you want to write a gripping first page, start in the middle of the action (in media res), mesh the unknown with the known, and give your protagonist a distinct voice.

Do this, and you’re well on your way to success!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Writer, working with brands to grow their audience reach. She studied Strategic Communications at Cornerstone University and focused on writing during her time there, completing two full-length manuscripts while a full-time student. Currently she trains under best-selling author Jerry Jenkins in his Your Novel Blueprint course and is actively seeking publication for two books.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
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