Creativity

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words and writing

Dazzle Them From The Start

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

So you may have a great story. You probably do; I’m constantly amazed at how many really great stories are out there, and how many gifted storytellers. But the reality is that if you don’t have a great beginning to your great story, then you’re losing the bulk of your readers.

I do a lot of writing and advising on web content, and the number-one rule for the Internet generation is this: you have between five and seven seconds to capture someone’s attention, to keep them reading on. That’s it. And the rule doesn’t stop applying just because someone is moving from sales content to fiction—people take their selves with them, after all. So as a novelist or short story writer, you have the same challenge: grab them from the very beginning, or lose them.

Unfortunately, most writers want to follow the rules of good storytelling, which include the imperative of building to a climax, and use the beginnings of their stories to begin that building. They point to authors of the past century to show how well that method works, to the classics that are still studied in schools all over the world.

I say unfortunately, because we don’t live in that time anymore. Sure, you can write your stories however you’d like; but don’t be surprised when they don’t get the attention you believe they deserve. We’re writing for a different audience these days, and that’s the real point, isn’t it? We write for someone else, and because of that, we have to follow their rules, their preferences, their needs. Steven Spielberg’s movie Jaws was a mega-success, but he’s been quoted as saying that he couldn’t have made that film now: the beginning, he’s said, is too slow for today’s audiences.

I’m not saying to throw away everything you know about storytelling. You still need to build to that climax. But what I do want you to do is pay more attention to the beginning of your story. If it’s lackluster, potential readers will pass you by altogether.

My solution? Dazzle them from the start.

We all make fun of Bulwer-Lytton, but “it was a dark and stormy night” isn’t a bad beginning. It gives context. It gives mood. As long as the next sentence contains something riveting—either action or a surprising thought—it can work.

Sometimes we can learn from the movies. Look at the opening scenes of movies like Vertigo (featuring a rooftop chase), La Dolce Vida (a statue of Christ suspended from a helicopter), and Inglourious Basterds (a conversation about milk and rumors that quickly takes a Tarantino twist). In different ways, each one of these is a riveting beginning.

It’s a fallacy to say, as many do, that you must begin with action; but you must begin with something, give the reader a reason to keep reading. Arousing emotions in your reader is the best way to draw him or her in: fear, curiosity, joy, amazement, distress … all of these can work. It’s a matter of seeing what might work in the context of your story.

Having a lackluster beginning is a sure way to lose readers. Look at your beginning and imagine how you could turn it around, make it seize your readers’ attention, hook them into the story. Surprise them, shock them, dazzle them. Try several beginnings: how can you introduce this story with a twist at the beginning as well as the end, for example? How can you surprise the reader who thinks she or he knows what this is going to be about? Dazzle them now, and keep them for the duration! And then you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!

Tags: avoid lackluster beginnings, beginning your story, get your readers attention, lackluster beginnings
Posted in About Writing, Creativity, Fiction, fictional characters, literary fiction, mystery fiction, Storytelling, Words, Writing | 1 Comment »

It’s All In The Title

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Well, okay: it’s not exactly all in the title, is it? The rest of your nonfiction book or novel counts for something, doesn’t it?

Yes and no. That blog title caught your attention, didn’t it?

And while most writers bemoan the fact, it’s still true that many if not most readers will indeed judge a book by its cover … and its title.

I am miserably bad at finding titles for my own work. I was young and stubborn when my first novel came out and I insisted on my version of the title—years later, I learned that the publisher had been right, but it was a little late then. My best title ever, The Illusionist, was a suggestion given by a friend. So what this all means is that I think a lot about titles.

Terri Marie has this to say about finding the right title:

The title of your book is the billboard for the words and ideas you are giving to people. Those four to seven words or so are most critical of all the words you write.

A dear friend of mine, John Harricharan, author of best-selling, “When You can Walk on Water, Take the Boat,” explained to me that the real title comes from within you, like the book. I finally understood that I did not “try” to write the book. It wrote itself. So too, will the title come from within you. What John meant, is that you must love the title you choose. Be confident with it. With that confidence, the energy of the book can come through, almost like a light shining through the window.

In other words, it does not matter so much what the actual title is. What matters is the feeling you have when you read, see or say the title. That’s the key.

Wow. Just a little pressure there. I wish I could have that upwelling of feeling about a title, but it’s never happened yet.

Fortunately for most of us, she goes on to offer some very practical advice:

Write down all possible titles. Anything and everything you can think of. You never know which phrase may catch and stick.

Pay attention to how YOU feel when you tell others your title. Do you feel proud, tentative, scared, stupid? The feeling you want is like a proud mother or father of your new little baby. Give it the best name you can. It will be called that name the rest of its life.

I also researched other titles on amazon. You don’t want a title that everyone has. It will get lost. You also don’t want a title so obscure or undescriptive that nothing will come up on a search.

It needs to have intrigue and yet be clear. “Things Your Priest Doesn’t Want You To Know,” would be intriguing. So would “Things Your (fill in the blank) Doesn’t Want You To Know.” We humans like to know what others are doing, thinking feeling etc.

Does your title help the reader to become a better person? We want to strive higher, yet it has to be an achievable goal without huge effort. If your title is “How to increase your IQ by 10 points, studying an extra 5 hours a day,” I’m not interested.

Sum up your book in one sentence. Write as many as you can of these one liners. If you get just one chance to give a message from your book to others, what would you say? That’s often all you get. Use it wisely.

When it all comes down to it, go with your gut.

Obviously a couple of these suggestions apply only to nonfiction books, but novelists can extrapolate what they say into the fiction realm.

Feeling better? I’m not. I currently have a novel in search of a title. While it’s true that the future publisher may change the title (and probably will), it’s still important to present something strong and compelling to the publisher. With this in mind, I narrowed my options down to two possibilities. I sent them out to my online writing community and asked for opinions, and they came back weighing in more or less equally for each of the two titles. Damn!

Over at Writing-World, John Floyd has some things to say about choosing the “right” title: it shouldn’t be dull, it should be easy to remember, it should be appropriate. Read his entire article for sources to jog your imagination.

And for a little fun, once you’ve got a title or two in mind, head over to Lulu’s title scorer to see how it might work for you!

In the meantime, I’m stuck with my title dilemma, none of my research having given me any definitive direction. I hope your quest goes better! And if you have any secrets, methods, or ideas about finding the right title, please share it here! Then you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!

Tags: book titles, finding the right title, novel titles, titles
Posted in About Writing, Books, Creativity, Fiction, Ideas, Submissions, Tools, Words, Writing | 1 Comment »

What’s In YOUR Schedule?

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

My stepdaughter used to be one of the most disorganized people on the planet. I can remember going through binders with her in middle school, trying desperately to make some sense of them, and knowing that they were going to come back the next time with the same chaos. These days, however, she’s in all honors high school classes and is getting pretty much straight As, and you don’t do that without organization.

Her secret? It’s all in the scheduling.

These days, Anastasia charts out her free time so that blocks of it can be devoted to various projects and bring them to completion within her deadlines. Sounds a lot like the time issues that freelancers in general, and writers in particular, need to deal with every day!

Do you find yourself pulling an all-nighter when your deadlines are looming? Wasting time at the front end of a project and then scrambling to get caught up? Juggling several projects poorly so that none of them gets your full attention?

Scheduling may be your problem, too.

So let’s talk about creating a schedule that works for you … and your clients, as well!

The first step is recognizing when you work best. One of the freedoms of freelance work is the ability to choose your hours … so choose them! I’ve found that I am the most focused and the most energetic in the mornings, so I’m up early and at my desk before most people have even hit the first snooze. I have an artist friend who is starting to wind down and go to bed at about the time I’m waking up. We all have internal clocks that tell us when we’re at our bast: take advantage of that and schedule your most difficult, most intense work for when you’re at your best and brightest.

Block time out for social media. I’m serious. Facebook may keep you in touch with your virtual water cooler, but checking it all day is a time sink. On the other hand, social media is about the best marketing tool that many of us have, and using it consistently and correctly is a strong path to success. So block out some time and be armed with a list for what you want to accomplish during your social media marketing periods.

Speaking of periods, many people find it easier to work in increments, rather than all at once. There are a lot of good reasons to do this. It keeps your mind fresh and your body rested. It keeps you from developing tunnel vision around a project so that you’re less effective at it. Working in pre-determined blocks of time will allow you to step away from your work, do some stretches, drink some juice, and clear your head before continuing.

While you’re blocking time out, remember to reserve some for client interactions. Again, this can take up your whole day if you let it, so resolve to check your email once an hour, and set aside the next ten minutes for responding to those emails that need instant input. Put your telephone calls together, too, and let your clients know when you’re available to them … and, perhaps more importantly, unavailable!