Word to the wise Tips and hints from established authors, teachers and others on the art of writing. 1. Leonard Bishop - author of 'Dare to be a Great Writer'
Four ways to open a story or novel: 1. an exciting character, 2. a dramatic situation, 3. an interesting backgroud, 4. a combination of all three, in one paragraph Example 1 He stood in the hallway like a boulder ready to fall. His mouth was a scar under a thick nose. His eyes were moldy green and glazed. He said, "I've come back," and his voice scraped on the walls. He laughed, "No grave can hold me." He laughed and mud shook from his suit.
Example 2 The saloon owner struck the bar, silencing the patrons. "We got a play-off tuh get started." They looked to the two pool players holding their cue sticks. They sneered at each other. The bartender said, "When I call three, it starts." The players tensed. "One." They leaned over the table. "Two." They gripped their sticks. The men began shouting bets. "Three!" The players leaped onto the pool table and begun clubbing each other. Example 3 A chain was bolted across the garage doors. A scrawny cat slept on a crumpled newspaper. A splotch of blood had dried on the concrete. The black wreath in the window was withered and cracked. Example 4 The tugboat rocked in the rough water. Jake stood on the deck, waiting for Gippy to lift the diving helmet. A slat of black rubber was taped to the patch on his right eye. Four years ago the eye had been gouged from his face by a shark. Jake looked at Gippy and asked, "You fix the air hose?" Gippy said. "All fixed." The cold wind suddenly chilled him. Could he trust Gippy? If the body below was Gippy's father, Gippy would go crazy and tear up the air hoses. Jake started to pray. © Leonard Bishop, 1992. Taken from Dare to be a Great Writer
|
