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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

In the Beginning

I've been fighting with a new story for about a month now. I keep tossing the opening and starting over because I can't find anything I'm happy with. I probably should just keep writing and hope that getting the words out will lead to writing something that's actually worth keeping, but I haven't been able to make myself do that.

I know when the story starts--Everything gets put into motion when my heroine arrives in town. The problem is that I don't know where--exactly--it begins.

Do I open with her seeing the hero for the first time? They don't actually meet then, but she sees him and drools a little. ;-) I've trashed about 4 variations on this opening. The one that has the tone right was riddled with issues that made it unkeepable.

Do I start with her shock at how much the town has changed? I've tried this twice, but I quickly find myself bogged down in description of the differences between now and then. Who wants to read that? Not me. I always skim description in books or outright skip it depending on how much of it there is. I don't want to have readers everywhere closing the book on page one.

I contemplated backing up and starting earlier, but that's worse, I think. Although I'm still debating this one on occasion.

Coming into the story a little later than I'm thinking? That's not giving me anything to use.

This is so frustrating. Oh, well, off to trash another opening and start over. Again.