We have looked at Before the Beginning and Lost Before Starting, now we move on to In the Beginning. The beginning is where we really dive into the story, where we start that carving process to open it up to the reader and invite them in to your world. It is an invitation, an invitation to follow the writer on a journey somewhere, a place hopefully so marvelous the reader stays with you for the course of the book. It is where your story first comes to life!
What will we find in the beginning?
In the beginning… You want the reader to come to know your world. This place that started somewhere in your mind and has sprung to life on the pages they are about to read. You want the reader to be comfortable here, to feel like they know the place, whether it is safe or scary, you want them to feel like they know the rules.
In the beginning… You want your read to connect to the character, on some inner level that they may not even know. The character is who the reader is going to either love or hate or maybe even become! The character allows the reader to feel the same urgency and drive and that is what will keep them coming back for more. The character will do many things through the course of the story, they will succeed, fail, be happy and sad, make mistakes and even be heroic!
In the beginning… You want to share glimpses of where the story will take the reader. The reader wants to know there is a reason for them to read your story. They want to see little bits of where this journey will take them. They also want some saved for later, things to puzzle out for themselves.
In the beginning… You want to show the motivation, what is the reason for the character to go on this journey and take the reader along for the ride. You also need to show what is at stake for the character.
The beginning is all about the pertinent information to get the reader hooked. To show them there is a story to tell, and why they should be interested. You want the reader hooked, but more important than that, you want yourself to be hooked! If you are not interested, having fun, and longing to see what happens next, then you are not writing the right story!
In the beginning… You take a leap. A leap of faith, love, hope and most of all adventure! Next time we will Break Into the Middle!
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