Hook the Reader on the First Page

A FICTION PHARMACY PRESCRIPTION:

DX = Stuttering Start

Hook Your Readers on the First Page

Convincing your readers on the first page that they just have to continue reading to find out what happens next is a must for fiction writers. You can do this two ways: 

            1) A burning question

            2) Intense Action

Both of these story-starting techniques give readers a teaser to entice them to read further.

Here are a few examples of beginning sentences that pull readers in with either a burning question or intense action:

1) An icy finger of fear tickled the back of my neck.

2) The echo of the bomb still rung in my ears.

3) I hesitated to knock on the door; would my birth-mother accept me?

4) The castle loomed ahead, dark and dreary, with the scent of black magic thickening as we approached.

5) A shriek from the back of the room told me I'd just been spotted.

6) When I saw my former boyfriend, I veered to the opposite side of the street.

7) The king's announcement brought silence to the room.

8) John ducked under the oncoming punch.

9) If looks could kill, the daggers from her eyes would cause my death.

10) A bullet whizzed past his ear.

Are you ready to read more about any of these stories? 

Their beginnings are quite enticing, aren't they!

Backstory can wait. Scene description can come later. Even introducing the character can be put off for lines such as this. None of these will pull in a reader as much as a burning question or intense action from the very first few words of the story.

Now it's your turn. What does your novel start with? Try adding in something at the very beginning to tantalize the readers. What is the burning question you main character must find the answer to? Where can you put your protagonist that would create intense action or emotion for your character? You are the author. Make it happen! 

Showing vs. Telling - The Basics

FICTION PHARMACY

DX = Toxic Telling

Showing vs. Telling - The Basics

What is the difference between showing and telling? And why is it so important for fiction writers to show instead of tell?

Telling is flat - you narrate to your readers what your characters are doing, saying, thinking,  and where they are doing it. 

Showing is vivid - It puts your readers into the story with your characters so they see what the characters see and feel what they feel. It makes the readers feel like they are in the story, living it out right along with your characters.

What's the difference?

TELLING:

Sally went to the grocery store and bought some macaroni and cheese and a bunch of ramen noodles because that was all she could afford now that inflation was soaring.

SHOWING:

Sally grabbed a bag  of macaroni noodles and dropped it onto the selection of ramen already in her cart. With a sigh, she pushed past the packaged pasta meals, even as an image of seafood linguine popped into her head. She jerked the cart around the corner and headed for the hamburger. No shrimp or scallops this time...not with the way all the prices had gone up in the last few months. 

It makes a big difference, doesn't it?

Telling gives the readers the facts about what the character did and thought. There is no emotion, just information.

Showing puts the readers in the character's head. It sets the mood with action and vivid words that paint a picture in the mind's eye. Vivid words show the character's frustration ("dropped" instead of "set" or "placed" and "jerked" instead of "pushed" or "wheeled"), and the information about inflation is shown as a part of her thoughts. Notice that the fact that she's in a grocery store isn't even mentioned. It's not necessary, because the readers can see from her actions where she is.

Now it's your turn.

Take a look at your manuscript. Which does it resemble more, showing or telling? Do you narrate or create pictures? Is it a set of facts about what the characters are doing? Or does it show their feelings with actions and paint a vivid picture of what they are doing?

Find a bit of telling in your story and try adding some action with vivid words that let the readers know what your character is doing and feeling without the need to tell them.