CRAFT: Need help with your crafting skills?

Over the years I've collected a heap of website links that I've used at various stages in my writing journey. Some I still use because they really gel with my style as a writer, others are more research or information based sites.

Maybe some of these might work for you.

How to Write Query Letters/Synopses/Proposals (a screed of helpful articles compiled by Gabrielle Luthy)
Georges Polti's 36 Dramatic Situations (a site that lists and gives great detail on the situations you find in most stories)
Great Source - grammar (a wonderful basic guide to grammar)
How to write a novel using the Snowflake Method (starting small & building on your ideas)
Kathy Carmichael's Pitch Generator (how to create the basics for a pitch)
Dictionary of Sexual Terms
Australian Military Organisation & Structure (ranks in the army, navy & airforce)
The Passionate Pen (a list of romance publishers)
Wordle (a great way to check for repetitious words in your work)
Karen Fox's Romance Deals (a year by year list of deals, a bit like Publishers Marketplace)
Author Tech Tips (some hints about what titles to avoid using in your blog)

I hope you find some of these as helpful as I did!

Did I Nail It?

OK, I'm trying to practice what I preach, seeing as I've just posted a two-parter on How good is your opening line? (part 1) & (part 2).

After a lot of agonising, four different beginnings to the WIP, and many rewrites, here's the opening line of my next WIP (draft).

Fear reeked of a pungent bitterness that lingered in the nostrils but Varian wasn’t able to detect even a whiff of it on the gentle breeze.

These are the 3 questions I asked you to consider when reflecting on an opening line.

1. Do the words chosen by the author catch your attention?
2. Does the sentence raise a heap of questions you want answered?
3. Is there any implied conflict in the information given?

Did I succeed?

CRAFT: How good is your opening line? (part 1)

No, I'm not talking about a pick up line for a date but the opening line of your latest work in progress.

When I realise my WIP has a sucky start, and I get stuck trying to create one, I like to head for my bookshelves and explore. Analysing what other authors have written can sometimes trigger my own creativeness or give me one of those infamous "lightbulb" moments.

But what makes a good opening line? The way I see it you need to ask yourself these three things...

1. Do the words chosen by the author catch your attention?
2. Does the sentence raise a heap of questions you want answered?
3. Is there any implied conflict in the information given?

If you're like me you need some practical examples so let's look at an opening sentence from one of my favourite authors.

Julie Stanford took a deep breath before shoving aside the curtain to walk into the massage room where Nathan was laid out in all his glorious, naked splendor.
(SWEET SEDUCTION by Maya Banks)

Do the words chosen by the author catch your attention?
What words jumped out at you as your read this? For me they were - deep breath, shoving, massage, glorious naked splendor. Why? I'm going to make a list.

• deep breath - this is sensory and implies nervousness or bracing oneself for something
• shoving - a strong verb
• massage - my curiousity is pique
• glorious naked splendor - adjective, adjective, noun

Does the sentence raise a heap of questions you want answered? Absolutely.

• Why is Julie Stanford feeling nervous or feel the need to steel herself?
• Who is Nathan to Julie?
• Do they share a past history?
• Why is Nathan naked and not covered with a towel or pants?
• What sort of massage parlor is this? 

These are enough to draw me on.

Is there any implied conflict in the information given?
You betcha. Just look at the questions I just asked. There's a possible shared history between Julie and Nathan, or something that makes her nervous or apprehensive about this meeting.
Despite her trepidation she's attracted to Nathan when she describes him as being "...in all his glorious, naked splendor." If he'd been butt ugly or repulsive there's no way she'd have used these words to describe that.

So, this meets my criteria for a good opening sentence. It hooks me into wanting to read more.


We'll continue looking at more examples of good opening lines next post.