Well, that changes everything

We’ve read a lot and given much thought to the construction and execution of our book’s opening hook. Writers have one page, tops—usually one paragraph—to hook a reader into the story.
The key to launching a story that readers will remember is to begin with an inciting incident that changes everything for the character.

In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett only cares about going to attending the barbeque at Twelve Oaks where she will see her beloved Ashley Wilkes. Early on, she hears Ashley is engaged to his cousin Melanie. Well, Scarlett isn’t about to let that happen. But before she can figure out how to remedy the situation and make Ashley realize he can’t live without her, the blasted war gets in the way. Poor Scarlett has several inciting incidents that change her narrow little world forever.

The fun part for the reader is to sit back and see how our lovely heroine gets out of the predicament the writer has thrust upon her.

Think about the last 5 books you’ve read, the last 5 movies you’ve seen. What was the opening incident that changed everything for the characters? Something major was at stake or you wouldn’t have kept reading or watching.

The last movie I saw was THE TOWN with Ben Affleck. The opening scene shows Ben and a group of friends robbing a bank. I won’t spoil the movie in case you haven’t seen it, but for reasons I can’t divulge, Ben and his cohorts go against their usual modus operandi and take a hostage. This event is triggered by Ben’s reaction to said hostage. Of course taking this hostage changes everything for Ben. The robbery and its aftermath make it impossible for Ben (or Doug, as he’s known in the movie) to go back to the way things were.

How do we create a situation like Scarlett’s or Doug’s that will irrevocably change everything they have ever known or will know?

First off, you must know your character. What are they hiding from? What is their greatest fear? Doug was abandoned by his mother. Rejection, abandonment, fear of losing someone he loves has contributed to the man he became though he probably never realized it.

Scarlett is headstrong and used to having men throw themselves at her feet. The fact that Ashley Wilkes does not react the same as every other man she’s ever met might have something to do with her illogical attraction to him. It doesn’t take long for the reader to realize Ashley could never handle a woman like Scarlett. This doesn’t affect Scarlett’s determination. As we see played out over and over again throughout the story, what Scarlett wants, Scarlett gets, no matter who gets in her way.

So who is your character? What makes him tick? What’s the one thing he wants that he’s not equipped to handle? What is the worst thing that could happen to him? What incident will change everything for him?

It doesn’t have to be a civil war in his backyard. He doesn’t have to get shot during a holdup. It can be something as simple as seeing the girl who got away just as he walks into the church alongside his best man. It can be hearing a baby cry as she swallows the pain of losing a child in a car accident. It can be hammering a For Sale sign in his front yard.

An inciting incident. This incident is a turning point. There is no going back. A realization of no do-overs.

Ponder the chain of events your inciting incident will cause for the hero. There’s your story. Everything else will stem from what happens in your opening scene. It’s huge. It’s paramount to the rest of the story. It’s a jumping off point from which your character can never go back. Make it terrible. Make it magical. Make it a reason the reader must turn the page.

Happy writing.

Grand Openings

I'm in the middle of editing my latest manuscript, so the importance of wowing the reader with a grand opening is foremost on my mind. Today I am posting an article on that very subject from my good friend, author Molly Noble Bull. I hope it will help you as much as it did me.

Openings Are Invitations: by Molly Noble Bull

Remember those birthday party invitations we all got as children? One that I recall had a cowboy on the cover, signaling that the party had a cowboy theme, and I will never forget what was written on the inside of that card. I call the cowboy on the cover a sort of hook, encouraging friends to attend special events, but the meat of the invitation was found inside.

The W Rule

What do party invitations have to do with writing chapter and scene openings? More than you might think. To make my point, below is an example of a typical birthday invitation.

Who? Tom Brown

What? His tenth birthday party

When? Saturday, September 25, 2009

Where? 308 Creek Drive, Rockdale, Texas

Why? Because we want to celebrate Tom’s birthday, that’s why.

Like the cowboy on the cover of party invitations, every chapter should begin and end with a hook, and every chapter and scene should start with a problem. However, successful chapter openings and scene changes are identical in many ways to the format used in writing party invitations.

As an author, my goal is to invite the reader to a party of words, my words. In order to do that, I must send him or her an invitation answering all the who, what, when, where and why questions--henceforth known as the W rule.

Full-Bodied Sentences

A full-bodied sentence is one that answers the W rule questions, but writing full-bodied sentences at the beginning of every chapter and scene opening might not be the best way to coax readers to taste one’s work. However, I have learned that when I include the information found in the full-bodied sentence, my scene openings become more inviting to the reader.
The man went to town is a simple sentence, but it can become full-bodied. To answer the “who” question, I gave the man a first and last name, Jim Cooper. Jim Cooper went to town. Naming my character improved the quality of my sentence, but more information must be added for it to became full-bodied.

The full-bodied sentence below answers all the W rule questions. Here’s how.

(When?) “Early on an October morning, (Who?) Jim Cooper (Where?) left his small farm in rural Mississippi and (How?) drove his team of mules (Where?) to Oakton Corners (Why?) to buy medicine for (What is the problem?) his sick wife and child.”

“How” is also an emotional question and optional. The reader might also want to know “what” the weather is like? The final version of this sentence, answers the “how” question and tells about the weather. “Early on a (What is the weather?) cold, windy morning in late October and (How is his emotional state?) trembling with worry, Jim Cooper left his small farm in rural Mississippi and drove his team of mules to Oakton Corners to buy medicine for his sick wife and child.

Openings vs. Scene Changes
Every novel is divided into three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end. The beginning part of a novel ends when all the W rule questions have been answered. These questions can be answered easily in one full-bodied sentence. However, it often takes several pages for that same information to flow smoothly into the text.

Scene changes are different from chapter openings in that all the beginning questions need not be answered a second time. For example, if the reader knows all about Jim Cooper, scene two could begin with “An hour later, he finally got to town.”

All my manuscripts don’t have a cowboy on the cover to hook the reader, but I never fail to issue invitations. I have learned that when I invite the reader to choose my novels by beginning with a hook and a problem and then answering all the questions listed above, readers attend my parties and read my books.