If you read this blog last week, you saw me complain about my woefully inadequate first paragraph. Then I had my own brainstorming/hair pulling contest to try to improve my paragraph. More woe - I gave up too easily.
Today, Nathan Bransford explains what is great about the six paragraphs that made the finals. Then - here's the woe part - he describes the most common losing paragraphs. Mine falls securely in class #2. Yep, I have a lot of details and too much setting. My shocking sentence is only eyebrow raising. Woe is me!
I find it very easy to write an intriguing first paragraph for novel ideas that are merely shadows and moonlight in my head. Once the novel solidifies, the first paragraph dies a dull death.
Back to the drawing board.
Critique Groups
13 hours ago
2 comments:
"I find it very easy to write an intriguing first paragraph for novel ideas that are merely shadows and moonlight in my head."
I have to start with only the shadow of an idea. Then I fill in the rest of the novel. My first pages rarely change at all. Maybe you should write the beginnings before you figure out the rest of the book?
Maybe I should go back and see what I first wrote for my first page.
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