tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487444177236422658.post7917530194600407631..comments2023-10-11T02:20:21.558-07:00Comments on Jessica L. Brooks -- Let Me Tell You A Story: A writing question for you, my lovely circle of friends!Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487444177236422658.post-6318807653385622232010-08-18T19:13:58.129-07:002010-08-18T19:13:58.129-07:00Oh, and I forgot to say, Well done Jessica for tak...Oh, and I forgot to say, Well done Jessica for taking the plunge and entering that competition. And congrats on the Circle of Frieds Award. I totally get what you mean about being able to lounge around in coffee-stained rags and your blogger friends wouldn't have a clue - I generally blog in pyjamas - or an unglamourous tracksuit.Robyn Bavatihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16222604295177839651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487444177236422658.post-36886629412722933852010-08-18T19:10:15.501-07:002010-08-18T19:10:15.501-07:00Unlike Lila, I won't read plotless drivel - li...Unlike Lila, I won't read plotless drivel - life's too short. I like to know where I'm headed right from the start, though I do think establishing a sympathetic character early on is crucial. The trick is to do both at once - drop little nuggets of info that get the reader wondering and wanting to read on yet maintaining the tension by not revealing too much too soon. Or, as Charles Reade said: 'Make 'em laugh; make 'em cry; make 'em wait.' Easier said than done, I know. But I think it's a matter of raising questions and delaying the answers.Robyn Bavatihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16222604295177839651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487444177236422658.post-50452383395392922542010-08-18T18:55:55.672-07:002010-08-18T18:55:55.672-07:00** So sorry to double post, but my last comment wa...** So sorry to double post, but my last comment was full of typos. It made my eyes bleed, so I'm doing y'all a favor. **<br /><br />I'm going to say this like I know what I'm talking about, but I don't. So feel free not to listen, and stuff. :)<br /><br />I started my novel the easy way - with a prologue. Of course, in retrospect, this was rather stupid. My prologue was hard to write because my MC was a baby at the time, so it couldn't be from her POV, and I didn't want to write from her mother's POV and then switch the reader once Chapter 1 arrived, so I ended up cutting the whole thing. (Which, from what I've gleaned from obsessive backreading of agent blogs, is the right thing to do.) So now, it just starts right off with my main character. <br /><br />I don't think you have to really start the action right away. I mean, the reader has (presumably) read the back cover/inside flap. At least, that's what I always do. So they know the basic plot, and I think a reader would give you a good 25-40 pages to really get things amped up. So, in my opinion, those first 250 words need to give us our main character. He or she needs to be immediately compelling and likable, someone we can sympathize with, be interested in, and want to know more about. If an author can give me an awesome character in the first 5 pages, I'll read 100 more of plotless drivel before the action starts, if need be.Lila Swannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03302548354751216190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487444177236422658.post-42148485697348137932010-08-18T18:54:01.227-07:002010-08-18T18:54:01.227-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Lila Swannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03302548354751216190noreply@blogger.com