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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2016 18:21:52 GMT -5
I have a character whose parents both died in a bombing when she was about 13-14, she went off to go avenge them and failed, lost her best friend and is bitter towards her uncle for never comforting her. It's been 15 years since their deaths and she's now married with three children, afraid of leaving her home. She used to be very feisty, adventurous and fun-loving before, barely worrying about death. Her children spend a lot of their time with their grand-uncle, which angers her because he wasn't there when she needed him. He doesn't talk to her either. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to begin a chapter one (without flashbacks please.)
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Post by Thunderheart57 on Aug 5, 2016 18:48:10 GMT -5
Hey, Ivorysprinkles. I am currently taking an online writers course. I asked the instructor the same question, and he told me that the reason people encounter "Writer's Block" is because they had not planned out the events or structure of the novel before beginning. I had learned quite a bit in the course on how to plan the 3 act structure and character sketches (where you describe your character's traits, personality, character flaws, etc.)
So, using the skills I learned, I noticed that your character has a few character flaws. For one, she is afraid to leave the house. The next one is a lack of trusting her uncle because he never comforted her during the situation. She also has a flaw in jealously against her grand-uncle. That is a lot of character flaws (which is not a bad thing in my opinion, it gives your characters more depth), but when you eventually reach the second act, your going to have to let your character realize one of her flaws and learn to overcome it in the end.
First, I recommend you plan out a rough outline of your first, second, and third acts and your character sketches before you start writing. That way, you won't get stuck in the middle of writing a chapter wondering what to write next. I had the same issue when writing my novel. I knew where the story was going to go, but I did not plan the chapters in advance, and I struggled a lot with trying to push through the chapters. But now, I make sure that I plan out two chapters ahead before writing (But that was not the case for the most recent chapter I finished up today).
I hope you take my suggestions in consideration and make your novel the best that it can be, because I would read it if you published it eventually.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2016 18:54:18 GMT -5
Hey, Ivorysprinkles. I am currently taking an online writers course. I asked the instructor the same question, and he told me that the reason people encounter "Writer's Block" is because they had not planned out the events or structure of the novel before beginning. I had learned quite a bit in the course on how to plan the 3 act structure and character sketches (where you describe your character's traits, personality, character flaws, etc.) So, using the skills I learned, I noticed that your character has a few character flaws. For one, she is afraid to leave the house. The next one is a lack of trusting her uncle because he never comforted her during the situation. She also has a flaw in jealously against her grand-uncle. That is a lot of character flaws (which is not a bad thing in my opinion, it gives your characters more depth), but when you eventually reach the second act, your going to have to let your character realize one of her flaws and learn to overcome it in the end. First, I recommend you plan out a rough outline of your first, second, and third acts and your character sketches before you start writing. That way, you won't get stuck in the middle of writing a chapter wondering what to write next. I had the same issue when writing my novel, Enigma. I knew where the story was going to go, but I did not plan the chapters in advance, and I struggled a lot with trying to push through the chapters. But now, I make sure that I plan out two chapters ahead before writing (But that was not the case for the most recent chapter I finished up today). I hope you take my suggestions in consideration and make your novel the best that it can be, because I would read it if you published it eventually. Thank you so much for your long and detailed response...it means a lot to me that you'd type out so much to help me. I'll try to make a rough draft like you said and plan everything out. This isn't going to be published anywhere though, it's just a story for now. I might consider putting it on this website if I think it's good enough. |
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Post by Thunderheart57 on Aug 5, 2016 18:57:36 GMT -5
Ok, no problem. I usually don't like to write very long and detailed paragraphs unless I have something passionate to say about the current subject matter, or to just voice my opinion on something.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2016 19:01:30 GMT -5
Then I feel very honored that you felt like you had something you needed to voice here  Honestly, I didn't expect a detailed suggestion from anyone. |
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Post by Thunderheart57 on Aug 5, 2016 19:06:11 GMT -5
But hey, I knew from experience, so I decided to help a fellow writer out.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2016 19:10:30 GMT -5
Aw, that's awesome. I'm so grateful for your advice and I promise I'll take it into action.
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Honestly, I didn't expect a detailed suggestion from anyone.