NOVEL WRITING- STUCK- HELP WANTED

DETECTIVE

DETECTIVE

Hello, I have completed a novel, but the first pages require more tension. I know there is too much description in first paragraphs, so need to change it without altering theme of novel. Can anybody please help with my Writer's Block?

Jenny

Would it work if you were to delay the appearance of the descriptive passages until a little later in the story?

DETECTIVE

Jenny, Yes, that is what I want to do. How do you put in tension at the start?

Betsie

The hardest thing in the world is to discard your precious words.  Take a long critical look at chapter one.  What happens if you cold bloodedly discard it altogether?  Let the novel begin in the middle of a dilemma and fill in the missing bits with flashback.  This would give you a good 'hook'.

Jenny

I like Robert Goddard's books because they grab you from the start. He usually puts the first hook (of several) very early on - sometimes on the first page.

And avoid giving any twists away on the last page. Hide them a few pages from the end. You don't want people finding out who did what and then not bothering to buy the book!

Evaine

In my first attempt at novel writing, I went back and threw away the first three chapters!  Then I worked in some of the events of those chapters as flashbacks, or just something that was mentioned in passing by the characters.

This may not work for Detective's problem, though.

slopey

Try telling the reader half of something that they're going to find out within the first three chapters. Normally if the first three chapters don't grab the reader, then they'll give up. Then when you actually fill in the rest of the blanks, the reader will smile, and say, "Ahh, so that's it!" Dan Brown does this, it allows the reader the freedom to get more involved with what they are reading.

Good Luck!

;-)

moira

I loved the first few pages of James Herbert's Once. On each page was a single word - once, upon, a (and the next page you know it's going have 'time' but he suprises you with 'Death' instead. Absolutely gripping all the way through from that fourth word.
I have a shooting victim seemingly murder a nurse in the first two pages of my new WIP. I read it at my writer's club and a discussion about the type of gun  used took up a long time, all the while I'm thinking , yeah, but was the writing good? It occured to me later (confirmed by a couple of club members) that if the writing had been dreadful they wouldn't have given a hoot about the gun.
I think the first few pages of a book have to dramatic or suggestive of some impending event to hook the reader in. Keep on trying, and maybe post some of it for critique on here. Good luck

moira

I loved the first few pages of James Herbert's Once. On each page was a single word - once, upon, a (and the next page you know it's going have 'time' but he suprises you with 'Death' instead. Absolutely gripping all the way through from that fourth word.
I have a shooting victim seemingly murder a nurse in the first two pages of my new WIP. I read it at my writer's club and a discussion about the type of gun  used took up a long time, all the while I'm thinking , yeah, but was the writing good? It occured to me later (confirmed by a couple of club members) that if the writing had been dreadful they wouldn't have given a hoot about the gun.
I think the first few pages of a book have to dramatic or suggestive of some impending event to hook the reader in. Keep on trying, and maybe post some of it for critique on here. Good luck

Fleur

The only advice I can give you at them moment ( I'm stuck as well...so I can relate to your problem) is that you read as many books as you can and see how other writers cope with this so called 'tension' at the beginning of their books. It can be quite surprising how certain writers tackle this 'problem'.

Betsie

Sometimes you need to ditch your precious opening chapter/s and let it start in the middle of a dilemma.