How To Write a Book, Part 2: The Beginning and Part 1 of the Middle

THE BEGINNING

  Welcome back! If you have no earthly clue what this is, I suggest that you read How To Write a Book, Part 1: The Very Beginning by clicking Here, or just read on, if you don't mind starting in the very middle; My favorite way to read a book! Sometime, you will catch up, but reading the first part is a pretty good idea.
  Now that you have the very beginning down, and a seedling of an idea is starting to sprout, we can continue on to the next part: The beginning. This is different from the very beginning, in that it is carrying an idea, and you are actually starting the storyline. I, personally think that this is easier, because you have a bit of what you are going to write in your mind, and you have already started the character development.
  First, you might start a "Meanwhile" paragraph. For instance, if you remember the sample about Eva's brother who was going to America, this might be the "Meanwhile" paragraph:

  Evelyn McWheedon sat on her stoop. She was waiting. Not waiting for rain, or to see her father's carriage pull up, or even for the mail. She was waiting for a pigeon. She was sitting in agonizing anticipation for her pigeon, Adéle, to show up. Six weeks ago, Evelyn had sent her to France to carry a note to her friend, Amélie. Evelyin peered into the red and purple sky, thinking of all the terrible things that could have happened, when she saw a white speck in the distance. She craned her neck to see what it was as it flew erratically over her house, and it doubled back and landed, haphazardly, next to Evelyn. It was carrying a package. What in the world?... Evelyn thought as she untied the package. Adéle flew off to her perch in the chestnut tree. 
  What Evelyn unwrapped was amazing. Terrifying, but amazing none the less. Evelyn reached gingerly in and held up a brass ring, inset with a scarlet gem the size of her knuckle. When Evelyn held it up the light, she saw a flash of green in the gem. She could feel its power surging through her fingers.
  She saw another flash of green and a twig snapped behind her. She gasped and turned around. 
  "I wondered when you would see me," A woman was standing behind her.
  "Who--"
  "I am... Someone. Names don't matter right now." 
  "But, how--"
  "That ring you're holding? Yes, that is one of the most powerful artifacts on earth, and if you let it out of your sight, you will be guilty of putting existence in danger. Do you understand?" She didn't wait for Evelyn to answer before continuing. "Either you give it to me our you hold the biggest responsibility that has ever existed."
  Evelyn stood, and looked at the ring. 
  "Good," the woman said. "Now hand it to me."
  Evelyn put the ring in her pocket and stepped backwards a few steps. "Adéle!" She called, and a white streak shot out of the tree and hovered over her. Evelyn turned and ran. She had no idea why, but she knew that this woman was bad news.


  I apologize for droning on and on there, but I was on a roll! Anyway, you see how you mostly forgot about the first story? You were wound up in this one. The ropes of curiosity bound you to your seat, moving your eyes across the page. Or maybe not. Maybe fantasy isn't your style? That's okay, but if you did like it, that is what you want your readers to do: Like it. Be bound to their seats, reading, reading, can't stop, just has to finish one more chapter, only one more chapter. Even if that didn't happen to you on my sample, there will be readers with the same style of reading as you. Maybe it is science-fiction, fantasy, or realistic fiction, but that is what you want to happen. 
  Above, I demonstrated the three rules of writing: Engagement, Thinking, and Curiosity. Engagement by telling the reader what she was waiting for. I demonstrated a thinking at the end by saying the woman was bad news, whether evil or not, we don't know yet, so you thought about why Evelyn didn't like her. Lastly, I demonstrated curiosity. What is the ring? Why does the woman want it? Who is she? 
  You might not have done a second story, but, typically, there is a second something going on, and soon they may intertwined. Something to draw the readers attention away to something else.




THE MIDDLE: Part 1


  This is where you have your idea almost fully grown, you are reaching the climax, the characters are in some sticky situations (maybe). Here is where you want to prove to your readers that they read the beginning for a reason. You shouldn't have to try too hard to keep their attention, because you will be writing and not caring if the readers are still reading (What I mean is, you are so involved in your writing, you aren't thinking about if your readers will like it. Also, if you like it, that is all that matters). 
  Maybe the characters are about to fight some evil person or monster. They are suiting up. Here is where it matters what you have written, and what genre you wrote it in. I can't tell you the directions for fantasy if you are doing scifi or realistic fiction. You need to follow your instincts here. What you want to happen, when and how you want it to happen, all that. 
  Here is a tip I learned: Show a gun in act one, show its tricks by act six. What this means is that, if you introduce something, you need to show the reason you introduced it by the middle or end of the book. Say I introduced a bartender that was blind in the beginning.    
  Maybe he is a secret agent, and blind is his way to get away with something, or maybe he was really abducted by aliens and they experimented on his eyes. Something that helps with the plot of the book, or revealing a mystery, or something like that. If you will notice, in a lot of books you read, it will show you an object that has special powers or something.   
  Nothing is introduced for no reason other than to help with the plot, and to put together a book. Anything that takes up a lot of space in the book and is meaningless to the plot should probably, depending on your book, be edited out by the time you are done with your final draft. 


Questions? Comments? I am not sure if I explained it well enough, so please tell me in the comments if there is something I left out, forgot, or didn't explain clear enough. Thank you! (It won't hurt my feelings if you tell me. I need you to tell me!)

How to Write a Book, Part 1: The Very Beginning

This week, we are learning how to write a book. Everyone has read a book. Today, we are writing fictional books. This means it isn't a true story. If might be realistic fiction, where is could have happened, but didn't, or historical fiction, where the events and maybe some of the people were real, but the main characters most usually were not. Sometimes it is a real person, but not usually.

First of all, think of an idea. It could just be the first few sentences of a book. You might to have an idea to begin with. Just write. I can almost guarantee to you that by the next couple of paragraphs, you will be incubating an idea in your head, fertilizing it. Soon, it will grow into an elaborate set p for your characters, situations, and ultimately, the climax.

"If you wait for inspiration to write, you're not a writer, you're a waiter."
--Dan Poynter

Also, once you have the faintest sliver of an idea in your head, you ned to make the beginning interest the reader. Later, once your idea is fully grown, you will almost have to go back and change it a bit to fit the story, but even before then, you need to figure out a first-draft way to get readers interested. Here is the first few paragraphs of an untitled book I am currently writing:

It was a morning much like last week’s in the city of Starna in the great land Grimfalia. Not too hot, not too cold. But is was too... Something. Dark? At least, that’s what Belva LeRenard thought as she got ready for Evening Day. Evening Day was when the people of Grimfalia celebrated the coming of night, which lasted one thousand years.

By now, Belva was ready. She was wearing the Red Shawl of Livetronte. The shawl depicted a raven holding six snakes and six swords in it claws. Belva was also wearing the official robe of Lockenesk. The robe was black with stars and had the raven embroidered on the front. She picked up her satchel.

Next, once you have written your first couple of paragraphs, you will have a hatching idea in your mind. Above, I had only barely created the essence of Belva. Later in the novel, though, she had taken a her own shape. She was fun loving, adventurous, and rushed head first into everything without a second thought (which she usually ended up regretting afterwards). Soon, your main character will take shape to, growing and changing in your mind. Pretty soon, control will be out of your hands in into theirs. At least for me, they do everything of their own accord, and I only write it down. (Yes, yes. It seems like I m trying to show off or something, but I'm not!)

Anyway, after you have written your first paragraphs, the story will start. The mystery, or the problem, or the situation will come into focus, come into play, or begin. These next paragraphs of my novel were the ones that began the story.

She went downstairs to say good bye to her grandmother.

“Minniline?” She called to her grandmother. “Minniline, are you in here?”

“Minnie weft,” Belva felt a tug at her gown and look down to see her brother Peter clinging to her, tears in his eyes.

“Petey, what did you say?”

“Minnie weft.”

“Where did she go?”

“There,” The five-year-old pointed to the ground.

“Peter,” she said, crouching down to look him in the eye. She grasped his shoulders. “Where did Minnie go?”

“She went down. She said, ‘No more of this. I will go now.' She said, 'Say bye-bye to Bevvie.’ And she went down.”

See, above, the mystery, the situation started. Now the readers are wondering. Where is Belva's grandmother? What does Peter mean by saying that she went 'down?' Also, if you want (all of this is only a suggestion), you can make it a bit tear-jerking. This wasn't really, but it is a bit of an example.

“Peter, I-” Revelation poured over her. Minniline was dead.

A better example would be: (This isn't from my novel)

  "But where are you going?"

  "I don't know."

  "Where will you live?"

  "I don't know."

  "What DO you know?"

  "I love you. Take care of everyone. America is our last hope. Wish me luck, Eva. Goodbye," He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and a hug. Eva was too shocked to say anything.

  "Goodbye," Eva said, her voice cracking. She watched her brother walk away from her, head high, shoulders back. He is so brave. She thought. Eva had grown up with her brother. She had always looked up to him, looked to him for advice. And now he was gone, and never coming back. 

  He disappeared into the sea of bodies. Is this the last time I will ever see him? She watched him board the boat, and it began the set sail. She saw him leaning over the railing, waving to her. 

  She shook her head and turned away, failing to see her brother waving to her out of distress, signaling to help her. A man grabbed him and they disappeared.

  I don't think you will have cried, and if you did, you are a sissy. ;) Anyway, you see how I started it out where it just jumps into the story? And then you kind of start reading, because you don't know what is going on. I made it a bit tear-jerking, but not so much that it was sappy. I also thought I'd just start it out where it is all, Who grabbed him? How did he know he needed help? Why didn't he ask anyone else for help? Why just her?

  That is all we are doing for now on the beginning. In the next installment of How To Write a Book, we will learn a bit more on the beginning. In the next next one, the rising actions, and then the climax, and then the falling actions. Also, in another writing workshop, we will learn about character development. 

Questions or comments? Just click on my profile and then Send Me A Message, or email my secondary email,  ItsBumpyBackHere@Gmail.com

Thanks! (I don't bite!)