I don’t know about you, but coming up with ideas for stories is easy for me. I do so daily, sometimes hourly, and while many of my ideas are fleeting, or not something I would ever flush out, several are good enough that I have to stop and jot them down. I keep so many Word documents filled with story ideas, it would probably be intimidating to most people, but while I’m working on my next book, I want the ideas for the one after that, and the one after that, ready and waiting to be explored.
Currently, you can get my new book, Life as a Teenage Vampire, on Amazon, and while it’s enjoying its launch, I’ve already written the first draft for my next series, and I have the beginnings of the book after that started as well. Several potential story ideas for after that have their bare-bones notes written out, and when the time comes it’ll just depend on where my muse directs me.
But the hardest part when working on a new story is going from concept to chapter 1—the beginning words, paragraphs, and even the first few later chapters of the story that have to be powerful enough to capture your audience so they want to read more. The answer is different for every story, other than ‘be engaging’, because not every story needs to start the same way.
My previous trilogy, The Incubus Saga, starts in the middle to some extent, after Nathan has lost his brother and is willing to make a deal with a dark fae in order to save him, which kicks off the rest of the tale without beginning like David Copperfield ‘I am born’. It throws readers right into the trilogy’s world from the first few words.
Life as a Teenage Vampire starts with some entertaining action, but not really anything pertinent to the plot, other than it helps introduce readers to these hapless, normal teenagers who are about to enter an adventure of very not normal circumstances.
If you’re a writer, you know that world-building needs to be organic, and it can be the hardest part of starting a new story, especially if your world has elements that drastically differs from the real world. You want readers to understand everything without lengthy exposition. The crux to getting them invested in your story is finding the most resonating way to tell it from the very beginning.
There
isn’t an easy way to stumble upon what opening is best for your story, but chances are, if something nags at you or feels off
about what you’ve written so far, you’re probably right.
My solution? Share it with as many of your close friends, writers, editors, etc., as you can before you’re officially editing the story. See what people’s reactions are, talk things out, voice your concerns about what isn’t working to you, and eventually you’ll discover how to fix things and make your first chapter one that your readers will remember for a long time.
My solution? Share it with as many of your close friends, writers, editors, etc., as you can before you’re officially editing the story. See what people’s reactions are, talk things out, voice your concerns about what isn’t working to you, and eventually you’ll discover how to fix things and make your first chapter one that your readers will remember for a long time.
Life as a Teenage Vampire
Amanda Meuwissen
Genre: YA M/M Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: 10/3/16
ISBN-13: 978-1-943619-32-0
ISBN-10: 1-943619-32-8
Number of pages: 300
Word Count: 82,500
Cover Artist: Alexandra Ishchenko
Book Description:
Emery Mavus just wants to survive his senior year of high school.
Becoming a vampire complicates things. So does a bizarre mentor, a group of vampire hunters, and an unexpected, new attraction for his openly gay best friend, Connor.
Excerpt:
“Mr. Leonard—”
“Hush, Emery.”
I made to push him away, but in that same moment, the fear that had crept under my skin feeling like it might burst out my pores, lessened. Everything about Mr. Leonard seemed different. He didn’t move. His expression didn’t change. It was the air around him, the atoms buzzing, something intangible that shifted. His eyes were mesmerizing, and as I returned his stare, all the anxiety in my stomach washed away. I felt warm, but not uncomfortably so, more like I was snuggling up for an afternoon nap.
My hand dropped.
“I am so sorry, Emery. I have no other choice.”
I didn’t see him move. He was there, standing in front of me, and then he wasn’t. Instead, the curve of his shoulder was in front of my face, and a sharp pain in my neck tore the air from my lungs, like he’d struck me with a knife or a needle. But the pain faded almost instantly, and the tight pressure felt almost soothing.
I sagged against the wall, seeing only the dark blue of Mr. Leonard’s shoulder, the hazy background of the sofa and fireplace fading in color until there was nothing but calming darkness.
“Mr. Leonard—”
“Hush, Emery.”
I made to push him away, but in that same moment, the fear that had crept under my skin feeling like it might burst out my pores, lessened. Everything about Mr. Leonard seemed different. He didn’t move. His expression didn’t change. It was the air around him, the atoms buzzing, something intangible that shifted. His eyes were mesmerizing, and as I returned his stare, all the anxiety in my stomach washed away. I felt warm, but not uncomfortably so, more like I was snuggling up for an afternoon nap.
My hand dropped.
“I am so sorry, Emery. I have no other choice.”
I didn’t see him move. He was there, standing in front of me, and then he wasn’t. Instead, the curve of his shoulder was in front of my face, and a sharp pain in my neck tore the air from my lungs, like he’d struck me with a knife or a needle. But the pain faded almost instantly, and the tight pressure felt almost soothing.
I sagged against the wall, seeing only the dark blue of Mr. Leonard’s shoulder, the hazy background of the sofa and fireplace fading in color until there was nothing but calming darkness.
About the Author:
Amanda has a Bachelor of Arts in a personally designed major from St. Olaf College in Creative Writing, and has been posting content online for many years, including maintaining the blog for the digital marketing company Outsell. She spent a summer writing screenplay script coverages for a company in L.A., and is an avid consumer of fiction through film, prose, and video games. Amanda lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her husband, John, and their cats, Helga and Sasha (no connection to the incubus of the same name).
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1 comment:
Thank you so much for this amazing stop, and the chance to share an article one something dear to me as part of the promotion for my new book. Readers, please take this advice to heart, and consider checking out my new title. Thanks again!
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