Write (choose) a great opening
line:
The idea is to hook
your audience in; make them want to read on and learn what is happening. Often,
the best openers are brief. They leave readers wondering. Try writing three different openers. Don’t try to jam too
much into the first sentence! Did the one you chose to keep fit this criteria?
Set the Scene:
Spooky stories
tend to be dark and moody. Add tension to your tale by spending a few lines on
your dark, stormy, isolated setting. Avoid unnecessarily precise details, like the exact date and time, or the exact temperature, or the name of the city.
Explain your Character’s
Motive:
Your character needs
to have a reason for their presence in the story. Be sure you tell why they are
there.
Drop Hints:
Hints about trouble ahead: Early on in your story, consider putting in little
hints of what might happen later. Hints of trouble ahead might appear as a
strange noise, an unusual smell, a chill running down a character’s spine, or
some other omen of doom.
Hints about resolution: Early on in your story, consider introducing the
elements, character traits, or objects that will help lead your story to a
resolution later. If your main character needs a particular trait, or
an object to defeat a foe, your audience should to know it is there, or at
least not be surprised by its presence. Avoid “convenient weapon” solutions
(magical swords appear at just the right moments in video games, but this doesn’t
work well in stories).
Cut, snip and hack away:
First drafts are often full of unnecessary bits and pieces. Examine the "distance" between where your story begins, and its most exciting parts. Consider bringing the tense and thrilling parts closer to the beginning of your story (this might mean cutting whole paragraphs of writing: a totally acceptable and reasonable thing to do!). As you work toward your story's final version, you will need to let go of some of your work. Keep your reader engaged by getting straight to the action.
Lose the dialogue:
Does that character really need to say that? Could you tell what they talked about instead? (See the On Dialogue page here on the blog for more details.)
Check for paragraph breaks:
Whenever there is a shift in the action, a movement in place or in time, begin a new paragraph. Whenever there is a new point of view, begin a new paragraph. And if you did decide that your tale needs dialogue, please get some help punctuating and "paragraphing" the speaking parts.
Word Choice:
Words are powerful. Powerful word choices can captivate. In each paragraph, try to identify at least three words that seem to fall flat. For each, find a different word to substitute. Choose words that fit: be sure you know the meaning and usage of any new-to-you words that you'd like to try. And remember that longer words or many words don't necessarily make better meaning. You might feel "relaxed and comfortable" in your blanket on the couch, or you might feel "snug". Depending on the context, the short word might do a better job of describing how you feel.
Avoid “THE END”:
Your story ends when there is resolution to the problem. Writing “The End” after your story should not be needed.
