Storyline &
Introduction We are almost ready to start writing!
At this point you have many of the
elements needed to start your story… You have your idea, your theme
and your main characters. You have
also decided on the point of view from
which to tell your story… But what about the plot?
What is that? The plot is
another word to describe your
storyline. You will have briefly
sketched out your plan for your story
back when we did the story mapping.
Now is the time to start
thinking about fleshing that out. Where will the story take you?
What are your aims for the beginning,
middle and end? Will there be a plot
twist? How do you plan to surprise
your reader, if at all? The aim of every author is to attract
readers to their writing but equally as
important is retaining those
readers’ interest. Attracting readers is down to
a good introduction (more to follow)
and you can keep them interested
by ensuring that you are consistent
in your quality. Let’s look at how to keep
the reader reading, before
we write our introduction…
What are the vital elements in
achieving this? Pace – keep the prose and
the dialogue tight, no waffling.
Have your plan and stick to it.
Don’t spend too long on
unnecessary detail and use
dialogue as well as description,
to move the story along. Suspense/Mystery – do you
regularly hint at something that
the reader really wants to find out?
Romance – is there the possibility of
two characters falling in love? A rift – have two people fallen
out and the reader wants them to
sort it out?
Humour – are you funny
enough to carry the story through
to conclusion? REMEMBER that only some, not
all, of these elements are necessary
within one story. Another aspect that will retain
your readers’ interest is the
characters and the relationships
between them. Is there a significant connection
that will keep readers hooked?
A romance, a friendship or a sibling
rivalry… Make sure that your
characters interact and that they
matter to each other. Have your
reader care about your characters. This will make them want to see
where the story goes and thus
ensure they read to the end. Now it’s time to get those readers
interested by writing that
introduction and the rest will follow… So what makes a
good introduction? Setting the
scene, being descriptive and
drawing the reader in – have them
want to follow you into your world.
Grab attention with your first line
– does it shock or is it fantastical? Stick to the point and introduce
quirky/interesting characters.
Darren was convinced that he could
hear his heart beating in his chest.
Despite the fact that the wind was
howling and his sister continued to
cry in his ear, he was sure it
was booming loudly. So, you have your plan!
You know your characters;
you’ve mapped your story out.
You are ready for this.
Let’s get writing!
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