tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post5328417940972489294..comments2023-09-25T02:24:22.087-07:00Comments on Anne R. Allen's Blog: TEN WAYS NOT TO START YOUR NOVELAnne R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-54123473097428351002014-08-04T10:06:15.072-07:002014-08-04T10:06:15.072-07:00Mark--Hey if there's action in the bed, you co...Mark--Hey if there's action in the bed, you could have a steamy bestseller there. And it would even be okay to have a few mirrors. LOL. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-53151212017164956562014-08-04T09:51:18.160-07:002014-08-04T09:51:18.160-07:00I have a novel where the opening action starts in ...I have a novel where the opening action starts in bed. I've had to be careful to omit any adjacent mirrors, dreams and alarm clocks to avoid red flags such as these.Mark Houlthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01799520027169950313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-84659622984204207382014-02-18T09:52:02.413-08:002014-02-18T09:52:02.413-08:00Lori--The rules are a little different for stories...Lori--The rules are a little different for stories. You certainly can open at a funeral if the story is set at a funeral. Same with transportation. The problem with these in novels is they can be used for info-dumps. <br /><br />You also make an important point: some openers are so brilliant that too many writers have used them before you. Cliches become old for a reason. They worked so well the first time. And the hundredth and the thousandth...Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-29781223283518193222014-02-18T04:21:16.535-08:002014-02-18T04:21:16.535-08:00Great list, although it left me checking off which...Great list, although it left me checking off which of my short stories fit in which "avoid this" category. <br />So many of the classics broke these rules and they worked because they were fresh and unique. But I get why you can't use that approach any more.<br />Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-10137374932879408172011-04-27T15:10:00.626-07:002011-04-27T15:10:00.626-07:00Lady Tam--I recently read a blogpost with the open...Lady Tam--I recently read a blogpost with the openings of some of the great classic novels. You could see immediately why they work. Can't remember which blog, of course, but you might find it googling around. <br /><br />Sasha--They do keep the bar high for us, don't they. I think it's only your protag that has to be introduced first--not the whole cast. That could get tedious. Like a curtain call before the performance.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-5611912353994851182011-04-27T08:35:42.241-07:002011-04-27T08:35:42.241-07:00That's nearly imposible! "Don't have ...That's nearly imposible! "Don't have any action till you introduce your characters!" "Don't introduce all your characters at the start or tell the readers what your character's name is!" I've probably used many of those.Sashahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02812480881969030467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-50879094653864123452011-04-27T07:11:46.252-07:002011-04-27T07:11:46.252-07:00I think it would be helpful to me personally if, a...I think it would be helpful to me personally if, along with giving bad examples, you also give examples of what works. [Not in a "so I can copy-paste" way, but in a "this worked for this book because..." way.]L. A. Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01842366700813962354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-36068053674311815022010-03-28T09:18:26.174-07:002010-03-28T09:18:26.174-07:00I think opening with action is fine - if it is per...I think opening with action is fine - if it is perfectly and immediately clear who the bad guy is.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-6481725368047921412010-03-22T10:09:58.642-07:002010-03-22T10:09:58.642-07:00Teebore, that's exactly what I always used to ...Teebore, that's exactly what I always used to do. In short fiction too. "De-naming" is an important editorial tool. Painful, but essential for clarity and pace. <br /><br />ReNu--that's for you, too. It is so painful to part with all those carefully chosen words, isn't it? Think of it as thinning seedlings in a garden. But maybe you can plant them someplace else...Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-45929703226959060272010-03-22T09:45:22.114-07:002010-03-22T09:45:22.114-07:00I had a novel that opened with too many ancillary ...I had a novel that opened with too many ancillary characters. I ended up cutting a bunch of them and de-naming the ones that were left so only the protagonist stood out.Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-91859865820082755692010-03-19T21:39:38.938-07:002010-03-19T21:39:38.938-07:00Yikes...my short story opens with an internal musi...Yikes...my short story opens with an internal musing and novel with a dialogue (job interview, actually). I'm off to change them.ReNuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00678714340953433617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-62947436783734006062010-03-19T13:49:05.174-07:002010-03-19T13:49:05.174-07:00Anne--I liked this one so much, I included it in m...Anne--I liked this one so much, I included it in my Friday Link Love post. Thanks again.Jon Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07824815967445843124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-58425059197004705062010-03-17T11:08:50.957-07:002010-03-17T11:08:50.957-07:00Good suggestions. Of course, many of these contin...Good suggestions. Of course, many of these continue to be used successfully, but it takes craftmanship to make them work well. The banality of an opening is what puts off most readers because if it starts weak we figure the whole thing is going to be weak.Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-10139316402011646632010-03-16T12:54:25.455-07:002010-03-16T12:54:25.455-07:00You've put together a good list here. I think...You've put together a good list here. I think you hit the nail on the head: everyone tends toward the same approach, so you have to try something offbeat to really work well.<br /><br />Thanks also for stopping by my place and for the follow. I appreciate it!Jon Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07824815967445843124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-18092351057819203782010-03-15T16:48:41.935-07:002010-03-15T16:48:41.935-07:00TerryLynn and Fawn--You're right that nothing&...TerryLynn and Fawn--You're right that nothing's wrong with most of these openings. It's just that agents (or their assistants) say they're tired of them. I figure if I can avoid annoying slush readers on the first page, it's way to get my foot in the door. THEN I get to annoy them. LOL.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-25469045605641860912010-03-15T12:57:25.547-07:002010-03-15T12:57:25.547-07:007) I think if you do dialogue RIGHT, you can give ...7) I think if you do dialogue RIGHT, you can give your reader a reason to care about them by what they say. I love stories that open with dialogue.Sarah J. MacManushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03430266551248332700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-79207731386861681832010-03-15T05:11:45.541-07:002010-03-15T05:11:45.541-07:00as always an excellent and extremely useful post -...as always an excellent and extremely useful post - thank you!Emily Crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01707967073095394090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-77596263111538120302010-03-14T18:07:05.750-07:002010-03-14T18:07:05.750-07:00Okay, used a couple of them. I'm now working p...Okay, used a couple of them. I'm now working pretty frustratingly on solving exactly one of these opening problems. Come to think of it, all three of my novels start with musings. Yikes.Christine Ahernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14968409907141389324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-17688680517985280942010-03-14T13:20:44.760-07:002010-03-14T13:20:44.760-07:00So glad my novel doesn't have any of those ope...So glad my novel doesn't have any of those openings (finally doing something right!).<br /><br />Here in Germany, there is a big push to do away with daylight savings and stick with the summer time all year (Piedmont Writer's "right time"). Of course that would mean a 9am sunrise in December... eek!Alison Pearce Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00955543150406880055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-78533727301311008252010-03-14T13:18:17.920-07:002010-03-14T13:18:17.920-07:00so many rules! I actually like the my name is open...so many rules! I actually like the my name is openings when I read them (just read Percy Jackson - most awesome)TerryLynnJohnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08380207155608982319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-7962842426428920262010-03-14T11:16:57.426-07:002010-03-14T11:16:57.426-07:00Well, thankfully I have never used any of those op...Well, thankfully I have never used any of those openings for any of my stories. I don't think it has to do with being brilliant, more to do with not knowing any better, or worse.<br /><br />And as to your rant, I am in full agreement about letting time go back to its natural course. I also want to say, I only changed the clock in the kitchen last fall, all the others were kept at the "right" time.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.com