Hello Darlings!

For those of you who don't know me I am Nicolette. I have a mild obsession with exclamation points. And I can generally get over excited about everything, I'm a bit of a puppy dog.

Anyway, this week I'll be taking the reigns on the Malice Writing Workshop. If you're new to the party, be sure to check out the early chapters on how to participate. If you're joining us for another round, welcome back!

This week I want to focus on something that has plagued writers since the beginning of time: starting a novel.

First chapters can be very daunting,maybe even terrifying for some. You may stare at a blank screen for hours wonder what are words before giving up and walking away to drink away your sorrows. (Non-alchoholic if you're underage, of course.) This week I will give you some of my best tips on getting started, then you will be given a prompt to try.

Tip # 1: Start with Action

It's very tempting to start a story with your character waking up looking in the mirror, describing themselves and then giving us a short history of their life. DONT DO IT. The object of your first chapter is to hook your reader. Plop them down in the middle of something exciting. It doesn't have to be explosions and car chases. Your character could be running late for school (hey it works in anime/manga!) or they could be in the middle of their sword exercises with their weapons master. Whatever makes sense for your story.

Tip #2: Know Your Character

It's very important to have at least a basic idea of who your character is. Whether your in the plotting camp or the pantsing camp, you want to know something about your main character as a jumping off point. Now here's the key for the first chapter, know them but don't tell the reader. Just leave tantilizing hints, like your main character has a long scar on their forearm. Or they come across their former flame while getting their morning starbucks but they hide behind the coffee beans rather than talk to them. Don't tell the readers why they're avoiding them, don't explain the scar. Save that for later once you're reader is really invested in the story.

Tip #3: Don't Stress The Opening Line

You've probably joined this writing workshop because you want to learn to write better. Well here's my best advice on writing: keep writing. Even if you feel like what you're writing is garbage. You are never going to get better without practice. And that's what this is, right? If you're one of those that feels like you need to have all the perfect words strung together before you commit them to paper, you're never going to get this thing finished. Mistakes happen, but everything can be fixed in editing. If you don't know how it starts jump to the middle where you have a clear idea of what's going to happen. No one said writing had to be in chronological order. Just write and once you get that flow going, you'll be surprised how easily words start to flow.