A strong opening is very important to a good story and a good book. Many people glance at the first few pages when thinking about reading a book; if it doesn’t grab them then, you’ve lost a potential reader.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got, was to start your book with conflict. Almost immediately. Somewhere in the first chapter, or the first scene, or the first paragraph or even the first sentence. {I often challenge myself to come up with the best first line I can, something that will totally make people want to read more.}

Creating conflict immediately is the fastest way to engage your reader in your story. It often gives you a chance to introduce characters immediately as well. But the key to a good opening, is definitely conflict.

But this goes even further than just “create conflict”. Basically your opening (scene or even chapter) should have some sort of conflict (could be between anyone) which is not only introduced immediately, but developed and resolved right away as well. But during this mini-conflict – there should also have a much bigger conflict introduced as well. Basically by the time the opening scene conflict ends, the larger conflict should have been introduced and be unfolding.

This is how you get a reader engaged and hold them. They will immediately find themselves wanting to know what happens next, what will the outcome be?

First Lines

Just focusing on your first line right now?

Your first line should be something catchy; or something funny. Make it something that grabs attention or makes the reader think or even ask their own questions. Something that lets us see their personality right off the bat is always very good.

A conversation pertinent to the story between the two main characters that might establish personality and relationships will help draw the reader into the story much quicker than just some random line, or even some random conversation.

It’s really important that whatever type of opening line or scene, you choose to open with is related to the story and sets the mood for the rest of the book. Obviously this doesn’t always work, so as long as it sets the mood for what you want to convey during that first part of your story.

How do you find your opening material? How do you start your stories? Do you struggle with this part, and if not – what part is the most challenging for you?

Sometimes I can remember where it came from; who said it or where I read it.

Other times, not so much.

The thing is, these little words of wisdom take me far in my writing {and in my every day life, but that’s another blog post}.

When I’m frustrated, I think of the words: Never give up. I’ve only heard that one a million times. But it is indeed true – I know I will never get where I need to go, if I don’t remember that phrase.

What is the best writing advice or best words of wisdom about writing you’ve ever heard and can you remember who told them to you? Or is it just one of those things you’ve heard enough that it could be anyone, including your muse screaming in your ear?

I’m looking forward to hearing what words of wisdom everyone else has to share.

I know some people write out of order, that isn’t totally uncommon. Sometimes inspiration will hit and I will find myself writing a chapter that goes later in the book, because I can see the entire scene in my head.

The book I am working on now however, while not complete, has been written almost entirely backwards. It wasn’t my intention when I set out, but the ending was what prompted me to write the book, and since the entire ending was clear in my mind, I wrote it.

I was going to go back and begin writing from the beginning, but then I started thinking about what kind of conflict would bring them to the ending – how did they get there? So I wound up writing that scene, which turned into several and before I knew it, I had the last 4 chapters of the book written.

At that point, I decided just to go ahead and try to write the rest of it backwards. No reason why, just that it seemed it was flowing naturally, so I might as well do it that way.

Have you ever done this or am I totally nuts?

I write everyday, and I even spend a huge chunk of time almost everyday editing whatever I’ve written, so it only seems natural to continue writing over here too. It’s not that hard, right?

So what is the word I chose as the topic of letter A? I didn’t. I chose three. Why? Because they all go together.

Authors use adjectives and adverbs to make their writing more exciting, more readable … to tell the story with a bit more detail. Adverbs get you wondering. Adjectives allow you to see the picture in your mind. Let’s get started.

Adverbs

Starting with a simple sentence, let’s see if we can paint a picture (adjectives) and set the mood (adverbs).

The man walked down the street.

That’s about as boring as it gets, don’t you think? Would you honestly keep reading a book if the sentences looked like that? It sounds like a child is writing that. (although in fairness, I know kids who write better than that!)

That sentence tells me nothing. It’s difficult to conjure up a picture of anything because the man could be anyone, that sentence doesn’t tell me enough to picture much.

But if we play around with some adverbs:

The man walked quickly down the street. This gives us a sense of urgency, a sense that he is in a hurry for some reason. Is he late for something? Is he being followed?

The man walked slowly down the street. This gives us a much different sense of direction. Now we begin to wonder, is he sad? Is he looking for something?

Adverbs can send a message to the reader about what you are trying to portray. Words like calmly, awkwardly, suspiciously, angrily, etc. evoke different emotions. They set a tone with a simple word.

Adjectives

Using our same sentence from above, and using one of the adverbs.

The man walked quickly down the street.

There is a mood, a tone that has been set. A sense of urgency. But I still have trouble picturing much more than a faceless person walking down a street. Let’s fix that by adding in some adjectives,

The aggravated man walked quickly down the street. 

Now we’re talking. There’s something more to that sentence, something to conjure up an image in your mind. He’s upset, he’s aggravated, there’s the urgency there – now why is he aggravated?

Let’s add another adjective.

The aggravated man walked quickly down the damp street.

Look what just happened there. More than likely, the reason he is walking quickly is because it’s raining, or it just rained. He’s possibly aggravated by this.

It gives more information, it lends a sense of description and background to the sentence, not only  making the sentence more entertaining to read, but helping to present a total picture.

I know I could keep rambling on about adjectives and adverbs and it’s such a simple grade school concept. The reason I chose to push those today is because I have been reading a lot of things lately, and the thing I am seeing a lot of, is sentences that don’t tell me anything. I wonder why the sentence is even there. It doesn’t tell me anything about what’s happening, and if it does, it’s so plain its difficult to enjoy.

Writers, watch your adjectives and adverbs. Take a sentence and give it a bit more punch by using words that help to tell the story, help to paint a picture.

Do you see this a lot? I admit I am a bit of a description junkie – I overdo adjectives a lot and have to edit, but I still feel like adjectives lend a lot to the story and the adverbs just give you a sense of mood. Do you agree?

Are you doing the challenge? Tell me in the comments so I can come read your stuff too!

I was trying to find different methods to try to see if I could race myself to write more shutting my inner editor up, because she likes to vocalize and be heard all through my writing. It’s annoying. Write or Die is great, but I haven’t really felt compelled to use it this year.

I did however find mytomatoes.com and it has been an interesting tool to use to try to get as much writing done as I can in a short amount of time. I don’t know that there is anything all that special about it, only that for some reason its fun and reminds me a little of the thrill I get when I participate in word wars. I’m notorious for missing word wars and word sprints on twitter, so this works the same way.

The idea is basically teaching you time management by using a cooking timer. Click on the link, load the page, sign in or register and start the time.  As soon as the 25 minutes appears, go write. Write and Write and Write. Don’t stop. Don’t edit. JUST WRITE. Get as many words as you can in that 25 minutes.  For me, I sometimes just need accountability. I also love that you do the task (whatever you WANT to do) for 25 minutes and then you take a 5 minute break. The alarm goes off and you start again. This gives you time for a reward, a potty break, getting coffee or food. When you hear the alarm again – its time to start a new tomato.

I have enjoyed this so far… I can usually get about 2 or 3 tomatoes in (sometimes 4 of 5) before I actually need to get up and do something else for a bit. I love that it gives me the time to do all of this. Check it out. If you need a push, this might be just the thing you need.

Another tip: Roll dice to get a word count

I don’t have time for a long blog post, but will be back later to fulfill that. In the meantime, I thought I’d give you a cool tip I’ve seen circulating around.

See this link?

This link

Yea. That one. Wait! Don’t click on it yet.

This is a GREAT tool to use if you need a little push on your writing. For example. I will sit down and write x amount of words for y minutes.

Now, the link does not have a timer. All it is, is a random number generator. It will randomly select a number between 1-1000. Yes, I have gotten one. More on that later.

You take your number and that is the amount of words you must write. No questions asked. You might only get 31. That’s great. Write your 31 words. And if you’re brave, click it again afterward. This time you might get 954. Yes, you have to write that too.

I love this when you want to get a little writing done but aren’t really feeling that motivated. Or perhaps as a… when I finish writing x amount of words, I can get on twitter/facebook/blogs/read a book…. whatever.

If you get 1, click it again and then add 1 to whatever you get. I’ve done that when I have gotten low numbers. I will click three times if I get a double digit the first two times. I got 44 the first time, 76 the second time and then I got a whopping 727 the third time. But guess what? I wrote every single one of those words.

I hope it is a nice little motivator for you. Oh, and here’s the link again.

The link

P.S. Before I found this tip, I used the dice method. I would use either 3 or 4 dice that I picked up from the dollar store. If I only had a short period of time, I only used three. If I had much longer, I would use 4. Roll the dice one at a time and write each number down in the order you roll it. (you could use the same dice, but I liked rolling them all at the same time and picking them up from left to right).  At the end, that’s your word count goal. I liked the dice because they were portable. Yes, I know I’m a nerd.

1. Make time to write. I know that this tip is probably the most commonly heard, but also the least effectively executed for some. Sometimes its darn near impossible to find time to write during our busy schedules. No matter what we have going on, it is important to set aside a little bit of writing time. Even if it is only in 15-30 minute increments. Get up 30 minutes early. Go to bed 30 minutes later. That can help, because 15 minutes of writing in one day, is more than NO writing in one day. Try to fit writing into your schedule, even if you have to take a notebook and paper with you and sit on a bus and write, or sit in a doctors office to write. There is a way to make time, you just have to be willing to make it a priority and find the time.

2. If you are a college student, you have studying, tests and exams and homework to contend with. A tip that I have heard (since I am not a college student), is that when you are bored with writing your novel, study. If you are bored of studying, write your novel. Go back and forth as often as you need to, to make sure you get time for both.

3. Trying keeping track of your time. For a couple of days, write down your schedule. Be honest and write every single thing you do down. Then, take a look at it and see what can be eliminated. For instance, did you really need to watch that show? Could you have used your DVR (if you have it) to record the show and watch it later when you have more time? What about sitting in that waiting room. Could you have taken a pen and paper (or a mini-laptop if you have it) to get some writing, note taking or brain storming done? You get the point… take a look at what you truly spend time on and see if there is a way to cut things out. Remember, it’s only for a month (if you are doing NaNoWriMo).

4. Write when others are asleep. If you have children, or a husband/wife that is not doing NaNo… sometimes the best time to write is when everyone else is asleep. When you put your child down for a nap, write. When your husband or wife goes to bed, write. Even if its in small increments, its still writing.

5. Try doing NaNo word counts backwards. In a typical month of November, your daily word count should average about 1667 words/day to end up with 50,000 at the end. What if you tried to reward yourself by only writing one word on the 30th of November? This year, on the boards – someone figured out a backwards method of doing NaNo that actually rewards your good writing days and requires you to write less each day. I absolutely love the method. I usually start out with a gusto and seem to fizzle somewhere in the middle of the month, so having to write less each day would make life so much easier. It also allows for a couple of days of no writing, because you are writing less. Doubling it up is not as difficult as trying to double up 1667 words x’s the number of days you missed writing! Check this thread out for more information or to see the mathematical break down of how the numbers were achieved. All I know, is that 1 word required on November 30th is absolutely a must for me. (plus with the holiday at the end of the month, it helps!)

6. Get your friends and family on your side. Hold yourself accountable to them, by sharing your word count with them. If you are comfortable telling them about your story, you could also share where you left off. Having supporters is one of the easiest ways to get to writing and get ‘er done (so to speak). If your family is not on board, try talking to them about how important this is to you, and how motivated you are to get through it. Let them know that you could really use their support. It really does help. With this motivator, you can find time to write, because the last thing you want is to be asked your word count goal, and have to admit you haven’t written since the last time they asked.

7. Prepare meals ahead of time. If you are responsible for feeding your family, make a meal plan up for a month (or however long you think you will need to get at least a rough draft accomplished). For NaNo, I spent two weekends in October preparing different casseroles for dinners in November and then freezing them. I am definitely blessed because my children are older and can help with dinner while I’m writing. They know how to prepare a salad, bread, veggies and whatever else we might want. They will be my biggest helpers. Preparing meals ahead of time, or at least having some kind of idea what you will be making will save loads of time which will give you extra time to write at your designated time.

8. Outline or take notes. Before you sit down to write your novel, spend some time outlining or taking notes on what you plan to write. It is especially helpful, to get your beginning, middle and end ideas down. You might also want to spend some time on character development. Get to know your characters really well, because this will make writing what they would say or do, flow much easier. Using index cards, post its or an whole sheet or several to outline will make the process go more smoothly.

9. Organize your stuff. Before you sit down to write, be sure that you have everything you need at your fingertips. Pens, pencils, fresh coffee, tea or water – snacks, paper, your notes, any books you use. Keep your writing area as neat as you can so you can find everything easily. Use a basket, box or something else to corral all your things together and keep them close at hand. The more organized you are, the less time you spend trying to find things. This of course, gives you more time for writing.

10. Remember to have fun. If at some point, writing stops being fun, you are not going to do it. You are going to find excuses to get out of it, excuses why you can’t find time to do it, etc. If this is the case, maybe now isn’t the time to get the story out just yet. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing. I love to write, and every moment I spend writing, I’m having fun – even when I am a little frustrated. I just try different things to keep me in the writing mood, which continues to be fun. Take frequent breaks if you need them, reward yourself for a word count goal or finishing a chapter. Get up and go do something else for awhile. While it seems like you are wasting time – you’re not. If you aren’t in the writing mode right then, nothing you write is going to be very brilliant, so you might as well take a break and come back later. Let inspiration take place away from the computer screen or the blank page of your notebook.
Watch for another post on ways to keep writing fun.

What do you do to balance your time for writing and real life.

How much weight do you put in your title while you are writing?

Curious to see if your title could become a best seller? For fun, try the Lulu Titlescorer to find out. http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/index.php

You can also pit two titles against each other and see which is the better title. http://www.lulu.com/titlescorer/fight.php

So I ran my title from last year – and it had a 79.6% chance of becoming a best seller. That would be nice. Pretty good odds. lol

This years only has a 22.9% chance. That’s okay – it’s a working title. I can come up with something better, I’m sure of it.

So have you run your title through Lulu’s titlescorer? What’s your score?

So, should you outline or wing it? I have done both of these and neither is the right answer. It is honestly a personal choice. I am much more creative when I am winging it, however I tend to get stuck more often. When I do get unstuck though, the writing flows and I feel free to change the story as it goes.

I have been outlining for the past year or so. Not long at all. I will say that the work I have produced in the last year, is so much better than what I had when I was winging it. I am able to sit down, plan the story, stay focused and get each chapter written. I didn’t have this luxury with winging it. Often times, I had so much revision to do at the end, that is almost didn’t make it worth it.

If you want my vote, I recommend outlining – it helps you stay on task, you can see the big picture ahead of time, you can make minor corrections as you go, and there is little chance for writers block, because you can easily transition into the next phase without getting stuck.

I won’t lie – there isn’t much room for changing though. If you outline ahead of time, and then you sit down to write, when something does change, it is more difficult to include it. You have to go back and change your whole outline in the middle of writing. Not always, but more often than not.

Which method do you prefer? Outlining or winging it? Why?

Here are two great outlining methods you can try:

Snowflake Method of Outlining
Phase Method of Outlining

One thing I did late in the 90′s, as the Internet was “catching on” was to choose an online persona and try and stick with it, regardless of where I registered/logged on.

I chose ‘simplywriting’ as my online persona, because it is defines who I am, and has always stayed consistent. No matter what I am doing on the Internet, what topic I am interested in, or what website I am joining – I am always, simply writing. Of course, I also use my name in all of my writing, which helps.

When you are choosing a handle or name to use online, you should try to come up with something that defines you, that isn’t already used by a half million other people. For instance, DogLover is probably not the best handle, since a quick Google search for it, yields 212,000 results and just glancing through page 1, it is clear that they are not all the same person. Another example, that fits more into the writing field, might be Writergirl. This one yields 170,000 results. But if I took a spin on that, and try Writergirl828 (my birthday), there are NO results.

With all of that said, using my handle that I have had since around 1996 or so, “SimplyWriting” and plugging it into Google Search comes up with 21,100 results. On page 1 alone, only two are not me. And the two that aren’t me, have not been using the handle as long as I have. Moving past page 1, to page 2 – only 1 is not me.

I realized quite some time ago, that it is important to stay consistent in not only your handle, but your name as well. I just got married, and as a writer, it is a difficult choice on whether to change your name or not. I have made a name for myself in the writing world, I have written thousands of articles under my name, and changing my last name was not something I was prepared for.

What did I do? I changed my entire name around. Kept my first name, took my former last name and made it my middle name which I use now in the writing community and then took my husbands last name. Be sure you keep to the same names, same handles/nicknames and it is a lot easier for people to find you that way.

Have you had a problem with people using a unique handle or nickname you came up with? Do you have a super common name that yields dozens of search results when you plug it in? Please, tell me about it in the comments field.