Comments on: Fix Your Beginning

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:16:13 +0000

I’m glad you retweet these archived posts! Literary guide treasure troves!

By: Kidlit.com · The All-Important Beginning and a Call for Submissions

Kidlit.com · The All-Important Beginning and a Call for Submissions — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:15:32 +0000

[...] asked for any writing samples from my readers. I’ve already done a beginnings contest (and a post on beginnings), but now I want to do a beginnings workshop. Here’s how you [...]

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:33:37 +0000

My first scene shows my main character murdering a patient. In the next scene he explains to his lover that the death was heart failure. The story’s a romance.

I’d like to think I’ve got an interesting beginning with a strong hook. *hopes*

By: JJ

JJ — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:26:39 +0000

I may have the weather one holding me up but none of the others. However, my first sentence sort of starts out with weather but it is more for the character’s benefit rather than actually going into a long description of the weather. I hardly describe the weather after this and it isn’t in the first few paragraphs that I do so.

If outrunning a tornado on foot was impossible, then trying to outrun three was plain stupid.

Is that bad? I’ve gotten good feedback but now I’m second guessing it.

By: Tweets that mention Nice post on novel beginnings from agent Mary Kole ( #yalit #kidlit #amwriting -- Topsy.com

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:41:07 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by My Little Secret. My Little Secret said: RT @kelcrocker: Nice post on novel beginnings from agent Mary Kole (@Kid_Lit): http://bit.ly/gRMgt7 #yalit #kidlit #amwriting [...]

By: MaryZ

MaryZ — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:07:25 +0000

I’ve also heard the advice of needing to know the mc before her status quo is upended. It’s a struggle to know how much ground needs to be covered before it shakes. Mine shakes at the bottom of p. 2.

By: kellye

kellye — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:50:04 +0000

I love this list, Mary! And, boy, do I struggle with beginnings.

I have two really difficult scenes that happen early in my current WIP, but the feedback I’ve gotten from editors and agents at conferences is that they want to know my mc at her best before those scenes happen. This makes a lot of sense to me. (Someone recently blogged about the MC having to feel the ground before it shakes. I just goggled and can’t find it, so I can’t give proper credit.)

But it’s been a real struggle to create some conflict/action that’s not this big, dark action that I know is coming…I submitted one of my many sad attempts at this to a conference first pages workshop…and was mortified when the agent and editor pointed out that, um, having my character sit on a school bus and think wasn’t the best beginning. (I see that now, and I swear I could see that in my crit partners’ work, but it’s so embarrassingly hard to see it in my own work!)

Thanks, as always, for your posts! (I’m glad you recycle…because even if I’ve read them before, I always need reminders.)

By: true beginnings

true beginnings — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:40:00 +0000

[...] will spring forth new ideas about the true value of work, integrity, creativity and economy. …Kidlit.com · Fix Your BeginningThe same should be true for your book. Start with a scene that shows the reader, a) who … Try [...]

By: Kidlit.com · Contest Redux

Kidlit.com · Contest Redux — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:28:21 +0000

[...] So nailing a perfect beginning, while somewhat artificial, is a very specific skill. And I want to help people do this well. Of course, once you nail the beginning, you also have to nail the rest of the book. If you don’t, you’ll have what I call Conference Polish Syndrome. Since conferences pay close attention to the first 10-15 pages, writers who have been workshopped a lot usually have a really strong sample… but fall apart on pages 11-20. I’ve written about beginnings before. You can check out my other post about novel beginnings from Revision-o-Rama this past December. [...]

By: Elaine Long

Elaine Long — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:50:41 +0000

So here I was so happy that the story I entered in your contest doesn’t start out talking about the weather! Then I find this post and see the word ‘normal’….arg. There it is in my second paragraph. Does it not count if it’s in the second and not first paragraph of a story? lol Well at least now I know that it’s something I need to change or reword somehow. Thank you for this blog Mary. I have found it very helpful and will still read even though I probably blew it with this contest submission. LOL : )