FIRST CHAPTER RESEARCH DONE

I must admit, I cheated a little with this research and only read the first few pages of each chapter because I only wanted to see what it was that made you as a writer want to keep reading for more and surely enough, I found what I was looking for.

I also used authors from different genre’s to get a better look at the different ways first chapters are started. The main thing I noticed was that the first paragraph of each first chapter was used as a hook for the rest of the chapter and book. The first paragraph sets you up, as the reader, for wanting to find out more, which I guess I am not doing with my own first chapter.

So here is the first chapter techniques I have picked up that could help with the writing of a better first chapter.

Using a dramatic scene in the start of the novel to lure the reader to want to know more.
Stephen King accomplished this successfully in Desperation, when a couple discovered a dead cat nailed to a road sign. So I wanted to keep reading to find out why someone would do such a thing.
Peter James also favored this kind of start to both his novels Prophecy and Sweet Heart. In Sweet Heart a woman’s dog runs into an old abandoned building, but everyone is too afraid to go anywhere near it, even the dog used to be scared of approaching it and yet today it had run into that building, which made me want to keep reading to find out why the dog suddenly got the courage to go inside.

Creating characters that you can’t help but like or even love from the beginning.
Janet Evanovich demonstrated this fantastically in both her novels Seven Up and Fearless Fourteen. She uses a wonderful sense of humor to give you a first person point of view of the leading character Stephanie Plum and you can’t help but just love her.
John Grisham also started his books The Client and The last Juror in a similar way. In The Client I am introduced to Mark, an 11 year old boy who likes to smoke and there’s just something about him that makes me want to keep reading to find out more about this boy. You can’t help but wanting to know more of his story.
Gena Showalter’s Darkest Night and Darkest Kiss made me fall in love with The Lords of the Underworld because of how she just makes each and everyone of them so tough and tortured but also so very like able at the same time. You feel their pain and she makes you want to climb into those books and sooth those men yourself.
J.R.R. Tolkien did this in the Lord of the Rings. He introduced me to Bilbo Baggins and The Shire and I fell in love with that world he created and the characters.

A wonderful piece of description
Christine Feehan, who is dubbed the queen of paranormal romance, did this in both her novels Darkest Guardian and Dark Legend. Her powerful talent of describing a scene pulled me in since word one.
Johanna Lindsay did the same thing in Fires of Winter. She takes you to that place and you can really see it in your minds eye.
J.R.R. Tolkien probably does it the best. He really had a wonderful imagination.

The leading character finds himself/herself in some kind of predicament.
Jacqueline Frank excellently demonstrated this in both her books Drink of me and Ecstasy. I kept reading to find out why and to know what happened next.
Christine Feehan also used this approach in her books Darkest Guardian and Dark Legend. So she used two different techniques in her first chapters alone. Awesome!

These are only a few authors and I am sure if I read more books and studied more authors I would have seen even more different techniques. But technique aside, I also realized that it is all about the words themselves too. Just because I am going to use a similar technique, doesn’t mean my first chapter will be awesome. There is still the odd chance that my grammar and spelling, not to mention storytelling could make my first chapter sink. Each and every one of us will find a different way of writing and thus our formulas will change from writer to writer. So no luck in using somebody else’s.

Though I didn’t get a magic formula, I definitely learned a lot and have a wonderful starting off point. I could see why my first chapter doesn’t work and am urgently going to fix it. I just have to remember that the first chapter needs to be strong and unique.

Hope some of this was useful to you.

YOU GUYS ROCK!

As many of you know I have been having a very difficult time with my writing and I have been feeling like quitting. But after reading all the comments this morning, telling me to keep going and telling me not to get disheartened, I feel so much better.

The blogging world is really a fantastic place and each and everyone of you is completely awesome. You guys are so supportive and provide so much encouragement that I was literally in tears this morning. I felt so lucky and special to be part of such a fantastic community that refuse to let me quit, no matter how sad I was. At times you guys believe more in me than I do myself and for that I am very grateful. Thank you!

So thank you everyone! You know who you are. You guys rock!! Yes, you heard me, YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!!

“You don’t know what you are talking about!” That’s a comment that came up in a discussion today, when having to answer why I haven’t gotten a request for more material. This heated discussion came up after receiving a rejection letter that simply said “Pass.”

The person, who shall remain nameless, could not have chosen a worse time to start spreading seeds of doubt in my head. I already feel as if I have no writing talent and then he even says that my work is terrible. That my grammar is totally wrong and from a writers point of view I don’t know what I am talking about.

Wouldn’t you feel bad if most agents don’t even bother to send you a rejection letter, they just ignore you? Or if they do they just give you one word, “Pass?” I mean you would feel crappy too right?

I can take constructive criticism, but someone constantly telling you everything you are doing is wrong or that you’re not talented enough to be a writer is heartbreaking. I think there is a difference between tougher skin and being emotionally numb. I am leaning more towards the numb feeling today.

Am I naïve to believe that finding a literary agent is possible? Is it really all just about luck? I hope not because I have the worst luck ever. I feel like a complete hypocrite because I always believe in other writers potential and I always encourage others to keep going. After a month of mostly silence and only 2 rejections out of 15, I am starting to think maybe I don’t have what it takes. Maybe the person above is right and I don’t have a drop of talent and is just too blind to see it.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN WAITING FOR A QUERY RESPONSE

Many of us have been at this fragile point in our writing careers while in pursuit of publication. Where is that exactly? At the point where you send out query letter after query letter to potential Literary Agents and Publishing houses, politely asking (actually almost begging) them to represent you.

I am actually busy with my second round of querying (the first one was brutal) and I thought why not share a few of my personal don’ts while waiting for a query response.

Do not check your email every 5 minutes.
This one is very hard I know. I am still guilty of doing it but truthfully, every time that inbox is empty you get depressed.

Do not go into a junk food binge.
Ooohhh! This one is really tough too, but just think of what all that junk food is going to do to your waistline. I gained a few kilos and it was not pretty…trust me.

Do not pout and walk around in your pajamas for days on end.
Yep, this is me too. It actually contributes to that low and sad feeling. Resulting in the do not point mentioned above.

Do not quit your writing.
Ding, Ding, Ding, bells of familiarity are ringing. I always consider quitting after I get a rejection or whenever I do not even get an email back at all. Everyone knows that the one’s who persevere are the one’s getting want they want in the end…or so I am told.

Do not harass or stalk the queried parties.
I know this is very tempting, but unless you want to be blacklisted or thought of as a psycho, please avoid this step entirely.

Do not get disheartened.
Ridiculous I know, but if it helps, know that all the great writers before us have gone through the same crap. When a rejection letter arrives, look at it purely as a professional letter and not like a personal “You suck” attack. I still find it hard to process at times, but I am trying really hard not to take everything to heart.

Good luck with all the queries everyone and remember not to give up.

MY FIRST TAG! (REPOSTED!)

I was tagged by the wonderful Sarah McCabe over at http://subcreator.blogspot.com, The Aspiring Sub- Creator. If you want an original approach to writing, then please check out Sarah's blog.

Do you think you're hot?

Not really…no, but I would like to be.

Upload a picture or wallpaper you are using.

This is a picture I took myself and it is just so relaxing to me. I use it as my desktop.








When was the last time you ate chicken?

A month ago, because I currently have this weird meat intolerance thing going.

What were you thinking while doing this?

What would be a cool answer for these questions?

What song/songs have you listened to recently?

Oohhh. This is a toughie. I have listened to a ton of music today. Leave Out All the Rest by Linkin Park, Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation, My Love by Sia…and many more. My music taste is very diverse so I listen to a lot of different things. Like today alone I listened to at least 10 different artists…that’s why this one is hard to explain. I might list at least 2 pages if I write everything out.

Do you have any nicknames? What are they?

Drama Queen, little baby…chicken…the list goes on.

Tag 5 Blogger friends.

I am not sure who has not done this yet…so I am going to break the rules here…Yes me, don’t look so shocked and I am going to ask, whoever feels up to it, to please complete this little questionnaire. I hate picking favorites because there is just so many of you that I just adore!

CRAPPY ATTITUDE

I have been sitting in front of my computer for days trying to get myself to write but I am stuck...yet again. I am suffering from Crappy Attitude Syndrome unfortunately and as you can see...I diagnosed myself.

I guess everyone has good days and bad days but lately I have had a lot more bad ones. Especially when it comes to my writing. Is anyone else feeling the writing blues?

It is so bad that I am asking myself repeatedly whether or not I should pursue my writing further. I know I want to keep writing but this little demon of doubt on my shoulder is playing havoc with my brain.

Anyone got the cure for Crappy Attitude Syndrome?

IT TAKES AS LONG AS IT TAKES

I am one of those crazy people who like to plan ahead so that I am never surprised by anything unexpected. But do you know what? One can never plan or foresee everything.

That is one lesson I have learned recently and yes, sometimes planning ahead helps but other times it is just impossible. Take the writing of my latest novel as an example. I can't think so far ahead with this leading character. Things just happen to her as we go along. All my other novels were planned ahead, the skeleton if you will and then I would add the meat or flesh later. But this one I got to add a toe or a limb at a time. Ok, now I sound creepy.

I can't tell you if she will get hit by a bus or when it will happen. So now I can't stop writing because I constantly want to know what will happen to her next.

I lack that kind of trust and passion in my own life. I am too afraid most times to find out what is going to happen to me. So I always want to know what will happen to me in advance or in the future. That's why I read my horoscopes regularly and read the tarot cards.

But I need more patience and trust I suppose. Which brings me to my point. Everything happens in its own time, so things will happen when it happens and I have to stop trying to figure everything out all the time. Sometimes I just have to go with the flow.