summary – WRITE TIME AND AGAIN

In fiction, there are 5 ways to start a scene

With Action– Hook the reader by providing something about the character. Maybe their past, choices they’ve made, their desires. It will depend on the story you’re writing. Make sure it flows with the plot.

With Summary– Not all writing within a story is showing. There are times you need to tell, too. This is where that comes in. When necessary, and when the story calls for it, begin a scene with some expository writing. Make sure it’s relevant and prepares the reader for forthcoming events.

Introduce Your Narrator– What you’re doing here is introducing your narrator to your readers. Open readers up to the narrator’s mind. What makes them interesting?

With Scene Setting– Describe a scene. I like to call this introducing what’s coming with visual flavoring particles. What you’re doing here is giving the reader a visual setup of the environment within the scene that will then lead to the action/reaction within it. It’s setting the stage, in other words. You’re just doing it with description.

With Dialogue– There is nothing like starting a scene with tense dialogue or, what I call, inviting dialogue. It’s the type of dialogue that invites the reader into it to become a part. It’s done in such a way that engrosses the reader, and they won’t put your story down.

Which of the above you choose to begin your scenes will depend upon your story and its the flow.

In my last post I mentioned that I recently published my first novel. Well, it would be unfair of me to say that and then not post specific information about it. So, below is a summary of it.

Tora arrives home in East Tawas, Michigan after a long drive from Norfolk, Virginia. Doing so reminds her of the tragedy that befell her parents a year ago, so she doesn’t want to stay too long. She wants to finish with her parents’ affairs and get back to Virginia. However, her friend and fate have different plans for her, so she stays…. for now. She starts by going through her parents’ belongings, and, while cleaning out the attic, comes across a letter her father left her; a letter with a secret that turns her world upside down.

In the meantime, she meets Kyle Stevens and John Cummings and discovers her connection to them goes beyond the here and now. Through them she soon discovers more clues that lead not only to more secrets about her family and herself but also to a whole other world and a quest to go with it. The journey won’t be easy. Her adversary, the Black Mamba, is there at every turn threatening her whole existence. It isn’t just him but the darkness he represents. she finds a calm in the darkness, and it scares her.

Will Kyle help her stay in the light and be the protector he claims to be, or will she succumb to the darkness? After all, he has his own secrets. At first, it goes well, but when Tora, Kyle, and John hit a snag, something goes very wrong. Soon they are in a race against time.

If you are interested in my book, it can be found on Amazon in kindle and paperback formats.