Thank you to all the health workers, scientists, reporters, and cleaners for trying to keep the country safe and healthy. Eat well, work out, get exercise, get medical care and refresh your living space while social distancing at home for COVID-19. Publishers across the world are waiting for the news from scientists world of the vaccine for a new beginning. Lets continue our series on story writing skills!
The beginning and end of a story–are significant in any storytelling. If you mess up the beginning—the reader may not continue to read.
Mess up the ending and all the beautiful things that came before, might be forgotten, and the reader may put your book down–unsatisfied.
Essential Points to ponder to write good Beginnings–
1. You have first few pages to grab the attention of your reader.
The writer’s job is to keep the reader turning the pages of the book. The first few pages are the most crucial because the reader will stop if he or she is not impressed with what’s in there. Make sure you hook that reader in and don’t let them go.
2. The beginning of your story can be active and exciting
The beginning can be slower-paced, that is fine. But there should be something that fascinates your reader quickly. The story you tell dictates– the opening you choose. Make sure the opening you choose; matches with the kind of story you are writing.
3. The audience must know what the story is all about, in the first few pages itself
The beginning must be executed with efficiency and dramatic value because it sets up everything that follows. But if by the end of those few pages, the reader has no clue what your story is about or who it’s about, it’s a problem.
Agents request the first 8-10 pages—because they want to see what your story is about, who it is about and how strong a writer you are.
Wow your readers in the beginning, and you will be well on your way.
Let’s now look at writing Endings in a story–
The author should know the ending before beginning to write.
You don’t have to know precisely. It doesn’t have to be fully formed in your mind. You should have a clear idea of where your story is going–an endpoint that feels right to you.
Never begin a new story without an idea of what the final scene will be. If you have no idea where your story is headed, you will get lost at some point.
Feel free to change the ending later—You don’t have to know every specific detail about the ending
It can be slightly vague. It can change a little as you begin the drafting process. It can change as you go about with the chapters.
You can change the ending later if you feel like the progression of the story ultimately has pulled you in a different direction. But you need to start with something if you have a problem with your ending—the answer lies in the beginning. To write a strong opening… you simply need to know your end.
The truth is: beginnings are difficult, and endings are even more difficult
Conclusions are so hard to get right as they have to be satisfactory, make an emotional impact, not be predictable, not be fabricated and resolve all the points of the story in a way that makes sense.
Do not end your story with the main character committing suicide, nor end it with everybody dying in a shoot-out. Think of something original. Think of something that will leave your reader grinning from ear to ear when he or she puts the book down.
There is a lot that goes into great storytelling, so many things you need to think about. But beginnings and endings should be at the forefront of your mind as and when you draft them.
