Starting a book

[scottkennedy12]

So I love writing and want to write a story or novel. Although, I always struggle on how to start it or how to open it, any tips? Also on just staying focused on the storyline I tend to drift off a lot and drag it on a bit. Thanks for any tips and advice!

[ChelseaL-25]

I would suggest the snowflake method as a starting point, and if you don't like it, at least you already have your subject outlined. I, personally, don't like the snowflake method all that much just because I rather put it all out and then work on the grammer and details. I do respect those who can use it though, and it's a great place to start no matter what style of writing you prefer.

[scottkennedy12]

I would suggest the snowflake method as a starting point, and if you don't like it, at least you already have your subject outlined. I, personally, don't like the snowflake method all that much just because I rather put it all out and then work on the grammer and details. I do respect those who can use it though, and it's a great place to start no matter what style of writing you prefer.

OK thanks, what exactly is the snowflake method?

[moderntimes]

Getting started is often a problem. First of all, your saying "I want to write story" is self defeating because per your own definition you'll never actually WRITE the thing and will instead just stand outside and peer thru the fence. Instead, tell yourself "I AM a writer!" and keep that foremost. It's all about the mental direction.

The "snowflake" is a method (you can find it online) to help newbie writers. It's a way to organize your thoughts and ideas.

Myself, I don't care much for such methods. They're all about planning on writing, and not about the actual process of writing. If any method works for you and actually gets you to really, actually writing, then that's fine. But sometimes people get so wrapped up in a technique for writing that they diddle around in the "getting ready to start to commence to begin to almost really really writing but not yet" and it can therefore be counterproductive.

How to get started? START!

Now you may say, but how? Good question.

Rather that spinning around in a planning technique and never really getting that actual writing started, perhaps you might begin your book in medias res (in the middle).

LOTS of newbie writers can have trouble getting started because after typing "Chapter 1" nothing comes. Right?

So take the advice from Monty Python & Holy Grail and "skip ahead a bit" and start your book after the beginning and maybe where, oh, chapter 4 or 5 might be. So start writing as if you'd turned to your imaginary yet unwritten book to a chapter AFTER the start.

I'll give you an example from my own new novel, soon to be published. I'm writing a series of modern American private detective novels and this is book 3...

The book starts with a very sad and awful day in June, when the private eye is called down by the police to see a horrific murder. Now I could have started the book when he's wakened by his phone, the police pal saying that he'll be at the private eye's house in 30 min and so on. And this would then lead to their meeting, talking while the cop drove, then arriving to the murder scene, and so on.

But I wanted to start the book with some flash and fury, to catch the eye of the browsing customer, and so I swapped chapter orders a bit, and the very short chapter 1 begins with the private eye first witnessing the horrific murder scene. And so:

Chapter 1

An efficiency apartment, neat and spotless, maintained by a young woman who took student life seriously and felt pride in modest surroundings. Inexpensive bookshelves lined the walls, filled to capacity with paperbacks and collegiate texts. Stacks of notebooks were cornered on a pristine desk in an office-style cubicle complete with laptop, printer, and two framed family photos. The nearby bed was made up, bedding tucked military tight. An adjoined kitchenette gleamed, with the dining counter and two bar stools clear of even a single crumb. The bathroom was next, also clean, with bright colored linens adding a spark of cheeriness to the otherwise clinical sterility.

Unfortunately the apartment was now an abattoir, every surface strewn with her body parts. (etc, graphic stuff)

A diorama in blood, meant for us to absorb, for us all to bear witness.

I stood there a moment, stunned, unthinking. Then the stench and blasphemy and evil overtook me and I turned quickly, out the apartment door, choking, spitting up anything in my stomach onto the little lawn. Acidic coffee was all I offered, but the spasms persisted.

Hunched over and dizzy, I eventually regained my balance, deep breathing until I was fairly certain I wouldn’t simply run down the street screaming, continue running and screaming until I was spent, spent of energy and spent of the sordid life in which I found myself this day.

Instead, I steeled my resolve and walked back inside where Homicide Captain Joe Duggan and Detective David Meierhoff were patiently waiting.

And then, Chapter 2 is where the private eye is awakened by Joe Duggan phoning.

Now not only does this get my book off and running with a very explicit page or two, it engages the mind of the reader (what will happen next?) far more than just reading about the detective being groggy from the waking call.

And, making my point, it also let ME get off the starting blocks by writing a graphic and intense beginning, then going back a bit to fill in the details.

Whenever I'm stuck -- let's say chapter 14 just isn't coming out of my thick head -- I don't sit there and spin cobwebs. Instead, I "skip ahead" to maybe chapter 20 where there's a funny scene, or a love scene, or a big car chase, or whatever. Then I find that I can easily go back and fill in the missing chapters.

So my recommendation to you is first of all, don't ever say "I want to be a writer" because you're already admitting that you're not a writer yet. Instead insist "I AM a writer!" and then write a particular sequence in the story or novel you're trying to get started with. It's not that your mind is a total blank. You must have SOME idea of a story that you want to tell, right? And in this, you know already of things you want to write about. So just start "in the middle" and write that segment, save it, then write another interesting segment which you'd like to write about, and save that, and slowly begin to build the story and you can then put all these segments together.

The best way to write is to write, not plan on it.

[margaretmbrooks1]

Your post help us to understand about the new concept and knowledge. Good work and expecting more from you here.

[scottkennedy12]

Getting started is often a problem. First of all, your saying "I want to write story" is self defeating because per your own definition you'll never actually WRITE the thing and will instead just stand outside and peer thru the fence. Instead, tell yourself "I AM a writer!" and keep that foremost. It's all about the mental direction.

The "snowflake" is a method (you can find it online) to help newbie writers. It's a way to organize your thoughts and ideas.

Myself, I don't care much for such methods. They're all about planning on writing, and not about the actual process of writing. If any method works for you and actually gets you to really, actually writing, then that's fine. But sometimes people get so wrapped up in a technique for writing that they diddle around in the "getting ready to start to commence to begin to almost really really writing but not yet" and it can therefore be counterproductive.

How to get started? START!

Now you may say, but how? Good question.

Rather that spinning around in a planning technique and never really getting that actual writing started, perhaps you might begin your book in medias res (in the middle).

LOTS of newbie writers can have trouble getting started because after typing "Chapter 1" nothing comes. Right?

So take the advice from Monty Python & Holy Grail and "skip ahead a bit" and start your book after the beginning and maybe where, oh, chapter 4 or 5 might be. So start writing as if you'd turned to your imaginary yet unwritten book to a chapter AFTER the start.

I'll give you an example from my own new novel, soon to be published. I'm writing a series of modern American private detective novels and this is book 3...

The book starts with a very sad and awful day in June, when the private eye is called down by the police to see a horrific murder. Now I could have started the book when he's wakened by his phone, the police pal saying that he'll be at the private eye's house in 30 min and so on. And this would then lead to their meeting, talking while the cop drove, then arriving to the murder scene, and so on.

But I wanted to start the book with some flash and fury, to catch the eye of the browsing customer, and so I swapped chapter orders a bit, and the very short chapter 1 begins with the private eye first witnessing the horrific murder scene. And so:

Chapter 1

An efficiency apartment, neat and spotless, maintained by a young woman who took student life seriously and felt pride in modest surroundings. Inexpensive bookshelves lined the walls, filled to capacity with paperbacks and collegiate texts. Stacks of notebooks were cornered on a pristine desk in an office-style cubicle complete with laptop, printer, and two framed family photos. The nearby bed was made up, bedding tucked military tight. An adjoined kitchenette gleamed, with the dining counter and two bar stools clear of even a single crumb. The bathroom was next, also clean, with bright colored linens adding a spark of cheeriness to the otherwise clinical sterility.

Unfortunately the apartment was now an abattoir, every surface strewn with her body parts. (etc, graphic stuff)

A diorama in blood, meant for us to absorb, for us all to bear witness.

I stood there a moment, stunned, unthinking. Then the stench and blasphemy and evil overtook me and I turned quickly, out the apartment door, choking, spitting up anything in my stomach onto the little lawn. Acidic coffee was all I offered, but the spasms persisted.

Hunched over and dizzy, I eventually regained my balance, deep breathing until I was fairly certain I wouldn’t simply run down the street screaming, continue running and screaming until I was spent, spent of energy and spent of the sordid life in which I found myself this day.

Instead, I steeled my resolve and walked back inside where Homicide Captain Joe Duggan and Detective David Meierhoff were patiently waiting.

And then, Chapter 2 is where the private eye is awakened by Joe Duggan phoning.

Now not only does this get my book off and running with a very explicit page or two, it engages the mind of the reader (what will happen next?) far more than just reading about the detective being groggy from the waking call.

And, making my point, it also let ME get off the starting blocks by writing a graphic and intense beginning, then going back a bit to fill in the details.

Whenever I'm stuck -- let's say chapter 14 just isn't coming out of my thick head -- I don't sit there and spin cobwebs. Instead, I "skip ahead" to maybe chapter 20 where there's a funny scene, or a love scene, or a big car chase, or whatever. Then I find that I can easily go back and fill in the missing chapters.

So my recommendation to you is first of all, don't ever say "I want to be a writer" because you're already admitting that you're not a writer yet. Instead insist "I AM a writer!" and then write a particular sequence in the story or novel you're trying to get started with. It's not that your mind is a total blank. You must have SOME idea of a story that you want to tell, right? And in this, you know already of things you want to write about. So just start "in the middle" and write that segment, save it, then write another interesting segment which you'd like to write about, and save that, and slowly begin to build the story and you can then put all these segments together.

The best way to write is to write, not plan on it.

Thanks, this was extremely helpful! I will try and just go ahead and write, rather than contemplating how I am going to write it. Thanks for the help!

[scottkennedy12]

This is a part of a prologue for a book I am writing, I would appreciate any opinions on it.

Vampire culture isn't like what you read in stories, trust me I know. Before you ask, yes vampires exist (as do most mythical creatures) we can run fast, we are stronger and very rarely some of us are born with special abilities but our culture are more wary of these people as they are seen as dangerous. I am one of those people. Also no we don't sparkle in the sun but we don't burn either it's more...uncomfortable, but before that let me explain the clans; first there is my clan - The Dragoxyl - we are also known as the dragon keepers. We are connected to the dragon species and keep them as companions, we are one of the royal clans set to rule the vampire culture. Although we have a government who keep our rules obeyed. No matter the cost. Altogether there are 5 royal clans; The Dragoxyl, The Lunaria (they are connected to the moons power), The Etherix (connected to the spirit), The Frosted (connected to water) and finally, The Dark (they are the most evil of all the clans and are connected to the darkness).

[moderntimes]

Glad to help with the starting of a novel. I am a mid-level writer, with 3 published novels (not self published), and many articles, reviews, essays, short stories, etc.

My writing experience (aside from school) was initiated by working for a large city newspaper, "stringing" (part time) but I was still under the gun for news story deadlines. When your editor is standing over your desk, hovering, and asking "When is that story on the city council gonna be done?" you understand that you must hew to a deadline, even if it's self imposed.

For newbie writers, my primary recommendation is "Don't spin around in a never-ending circle of planning and waiting till that great world shaking idea comes to your mind. Instead, WRITE!" If you actually start writing, you will improve. Understand that you cannot get better as a writer by not writing. Only by writing can you learn to write.

Now of course that's not 100% true. All writers spend time researching the subject, sketching out ideas, maybe outlining the story. But this is usually done not before, but DURING the writing process itself. For example, for my in-progress 4th novel, I have 2 files on my desktop, the story itself, and the "ideas" file. And when I'm working on the novel, I often go back and forth between the two files. What is important as a lesson to newbie writers is this: I did NOT hesitate to start my novel. I began with a free-flow incident where my private eye is an accidental witness to a gang murder. And later I added a "chapter xx" where my private eye is having lunch with his girlfriend, and a "chapter xxx" where he meets a homicide cop about the crime. The reason these chapters weren't numbered is that they are random and not in sequence.

What I did NOT do was to start with chapter 1 and finish it, then chapter 2, then 3, etc. When I start a novel I jump around all over the place, as I develop the story ideas. I write out of sequence at the beginning, and later, I arrange things nicely as I am more "into" the book's progress.

Think about it -- you folks who want to write a novel, you have SOME idea of the story, glimmers of things you want to put into the book, various "scenes" or "happenings" or whatever that are bubbling around in your mind. My point is that you should NOT wait till all those ideas are coalesced into a strict chapter-chapter-chapter sequence. Because that will never happen. Instead, write out that keen scene or conversation or maybe a love scene or a gunfight scene or whatever that's foremost in your mind, and save it as "chapter love scene" and then write "chapter sword fight" or "chapter meeting the wizard" and keep plugging away, and soon, you'll have the actual sequence of chapters formulated. It doesn't matter what you're writing -- just write!

-- 18 Mar 2016, 12:21 --

This is a part of a prologue for a book I am writing, I would appreciate any opinions on it.

Vampire culture isn't like what you read in stories, trust me I know. Before you ask, yes vampires exist (as do most mythical creatures) we can run fast, we are stronger and very rarely some of us are born with special abilities but our culture are more wary of these people as they are seen as dangerous. I am one of those people. Also no we don't sparkle in the sun but we don't burn either it's more...uncomfortable, but before that let me explain the clans; first there is my clan - The Dragoxyl - we are also known as the dragon keepers. We are connected to the dragon species and keep them as companions, we are one of the royal clans set to rule the vampire culture. Although we have a government who keep our rules obeyed. No matter the cost. Altogether there are 5 royal clans; The Dragoxyl, The Lunaria (they are connected to the moons power), The Etherix (connected to the spirit), The Frosted (connected to water) and finally, The Dark (they are the most evil of all the clans and are connected to the darkness).

Okay... There are many typos in this excerpt, and some stylistic things which could be improved upon. I'll just correct the mechanical errors for the first few lines....

Vampire culture isn't like what you read in stories. Trust me, I know. Before you ask, yes, vampires exist, as do most mythical creatures. We can run faster and stronger than humans. And very rarely, some of us are born with special abilities but our culture is more wary of these people, as they are seen as dangerous. I am one of those people. Also, no, we don't sparkle in the sun but we don't burn either. It's more... uncomfortable. But let me first explain the clans.

and so on. All these small typos and errors in sentence structure must be fixed. Now to the style... It meanders a bit more than it should and has a sort-of hesitant style. You must grab the readers' attention quickly and sharply. Break the beginning into shorter paragraphs. Shorten the sentences a little and make them more, mmm, direct and brisk. For example...

I am a vampire.

No, I don't turn into a bat, burst into flames in the sunlight, and don't wear a cape. Not being a traditionalist, I prefer a pullover shirt and blue jeans. But yes, we vampires are faster, stronger, and more dangerous than humans.

Let me tell you about our clans. I'm a.... (etc etc).

Good start, however! I was interested in the ideas you set forth and think you've got a fine story idea. Good luck!

[KS Crooks]

I tend to start a day or two before a major incident takes place. This allows the reader to get to know the character in their ordinary circumstance before the upheaval takes place. This could mean showing the person going to school or staying home with the kids. It can also mean a soldier engaged in a battle because he is in year two of his tour in a foreign country. Even if you don't include the pre-incident information in the final draft, it's still good for you to know.

[moderntimes]

KS, one problem with your technique is that the first reading should have something to catch the interest of the reader. Which also applies of course to any agent or publisher you submit to. Your intro might have too much backstory and therefore not grab the audience.

Last spring when I "thought" that I'd finished my novel, I had submitted it to several publishers and no one bit. Then I got a very nice TBNT (thanks but no thanks) from an editor who told me that I had far too much backstory, and that as soon as things got started in my story, I'd suddenly revert to a lengthy bio of the characters and the pacing would drag to a halt. So I took her advice and re-read my book with a more critical eye.

Turned out she was spot on. I then put the entire book thru a rewrite, removed a lot of the backstory and introduced a new plot element up front, in chapter 6, and therefore introduced a new and very interesting character whom I used later. The whole book was much more spirited and energetic. And I soon found myself signing a 3-book contract.

It's entirely possible that your idea of setting the tone of the book with a couple of fairly easy going intro chapters works fine for the type of novel you're writing, that the pacing is sedate and therefore your audience will be happy with this mode of expression. For me, writing a private eye thriller, not so much.

On that subject, scottkennedy, you might reconsider switching around your prologue. What if you had a fairly exciting first chapter instead, no prologue, and in "Ch 1" you have your vampire narrator, oh, walking down a dark, shabby street where he's jumped by 4 thugs who are trying to mug him? And wow are they in for a surprise! And so would be the reader, right?

Two of the men moved behind me to block my escape but I kept my eye on the two thugs facing me. The larger of the pair was easily six-two and his chest bulged with muscle. He held a wicked stiletto down by his side. The shorter man confronted me, pulled a small revolver from his belt, pointed it at me.

"Okay, dude, gimme yer wallet, your cell, your car keys. And make it fast!"

All four men closed upon me. I figured they planned to kill me even if I cooperated. So I just stood there and said, "I don't think I'll let you have my money tonight. Just let me go and we won't have any more trouble, okay?"

"What you thinkin'? You ain't in charge here. I am!" And he fired straight at my chest.

I felt the bullet penetrate a little, then my body rejected it, the bullet dropping to the ground. But then I was at his throat. I reached out, too quickly for him to even flinch, and seized his throat, ripping out the flesh. Blood spurted and I was energized from its sight. I tossed his body aside as his partner came at me with the knife. I brushed it aside and rammed my hand through his rib cage, crushing the heart.

and so on... the reader expects maybe the attack victim to fight back like kung fu James Bond, but might not expect a supernaturally powered "defense" when he kills all 4 and then has a tasty treat afterward (maybe he tests the blood and doesn't like it, because there's crack cocaine or heroin in the sample?)

Then, chapter 2, you introduce your character with the material in your prologue. Thing is, a long prologue which goes into detail might slow down the story line, and you don't want that at first. But after a lively introduction, you then take a bit of time to fill in the primary details. You might also break your intro into 2 separate chapters, so Ch 1 is the street mugging, ch 2 tells about being a vampire, then in ch 3 he meets a couple of clans pals, and therefore they discuss stuff upcoming and maybe lay out the plot of the book a bit, and then ch 4 is where you add more backstory, describing the clans. In other words, split up your backstory and mix it with chapters where something is happening. As they say, "show, don't tell"?

Just some ideas to mull over, hey?