Start with your Protagonist

Good morning Christian Writers!

It’s raining in London today, watering the gardens and fields . . . Sometimes we have to remind ourselves, here in the UK, that rain is a blessing many are longing for. 🙂

Books/stories can be rain from heaven, too, so keep writing, my friends!

And on to today’s writing tip: I’ve said this before, but I’ve seen issues with this again more than once recently – unless you have a really good reason not to, introduce us to your protagonist/s straight away. We don’t need to know everything about them at the beginning, but it’s helpful (and intriguing) if you give us a feel for who they are; a hint of character. You might like to give us a bit of a physical description, too, in a show-not-tell way, (e.g. her fair hair shone in the lamp light instead of she had fair hair) and a little bit about who they are, in action. Perhaps we might see them training their dog, being tripped up by a bully, or mending a spaceship with an alien . . . something that will give us a hint for what the book is going to be about and what the plot might hold . . .

girl with big dog

Is that helpful? Why not look back at your work in progress and see if you can find a better way to open your story? Any queries, or if you’re encouraged by this tip, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Janet Wilson, founder of Dernier Publishing and Write for a Reason
Janet Wilson, founder of Dernier Publishing and Write for a Reason

Every blessing on your writing this week,

Janet

P.S. If these writing tips help you, please do share them on facebook and other social media pages; it really does help to spread the word, and the more writers who are helped, the better. 🙂 Thank you!

 

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