tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post4588125069663021937..comments2024-01-12T00:48:48.031-06:00Comments on Go Teen Writers: Two Ingredients for a Great First ChapterStephanie Morrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-79416474115449745402016-08-22T21:07:06.692-05:002016-08-22T21:07:06.692-05:00I know this post is from a long time ago, but oh w...I know this post is from a long time ago, but oh well. I have a minor and major inciting incident in my WIP, the minor leading to the major. Something out of the ordinary happens when the book starts, and because of that at the end of chapter one something crazier happens. Josiehttp://josieonthego.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-59419176042068413712015-11-16T18:07:19.294-06:002015-11-16T18:07:19.294-06:00My inciting incident is that my MC forgot that she...My inciting incident is that my MC forgot that she has the same birthday as her sisters, and she is not a twin or triplet Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-18719706384999981062014-02-03T22:02:32.076-06:002014-02-03T22:02:32.076-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04325471763732439260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-71951475093427937012014-02-02T21:33:24.150-06:002014-02-02T21:33:24.150-06:00Thank you all. And welcome Anonymous!
HPThank you all. And welcome Anonymous!<br /><br />HPHis Princesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05475369272547689946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-63461976251305268052014-01-31T11:12:52.255-06:002014-01-31T11:12:52.255-06:00Is it possible for the inciting incident to be &qu...Is it possible for the inciting incident to be "over the top" and too dramatic, so much so that the reader feels like the story's moving too fast? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-72297071679790126212014-01-30T21:41:59.010-06:002014-01-30T21:41:59.010-06:00Thanks Jill (if I may call you that)! Ha ha, me to...Thanks Jill (if I may call you that)! Ha ha, me too. My WIP is really fun right now, hope it lasts. Thanks again for this awesome blog!Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05181194911190748502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-15168656903542623652014-01-30T11:48:12.769-06:002014-01-30T11:48:12.769-06:00Yes, Welcome!
I'm reading Les Mis, too and I ...Yes, Welcome! <br />I'm reading Les Mis, too and I know exactly what you mean about Waterloo...<br /><br />~Robyn HoodeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-31897285666646930012014-01-30T11:17:38.385-06:002014-01-30T11:17:38.385-06:00:) You're welcome!:) You're welcome!Rachelle O'Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14414561666549371254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-30931170517797891972014-01-30T09:23:29.220-06:002014-01-30T09:23:29.220-06:00Either way works. It depends on the story you want...Either way works. It depends on the story you want to tell and how you want your character to grow over the course of the book. In Ella Enchanted, the spell Lucinda used is a situation that set up the inciting incident, which I think is the stepsister discovering that Ella always obeyed. After that, Ella got a goal. Find Lucinda and get her to reverse the spell. So that one sprung out of the inditing incident.<br /><br />In Legally Blonde, Elle wanted to marry Warner. And his dumping her only set her more on that goal. It changes it some, yes. She decides to get into Harvard. But that's only so she can stay close to Warner and get back together with him. And as she learns more about him, her goal starts to change.Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-72159384725595224712014-01-30T09:17:23.810-06:002014-01-30T09:17:23.810-06:00That's great!That's great! Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-18322206528899336362014-01-30T09:17:10.687-06:002014-01-30T09:17:10.687-06:00Eek! Well, too late, now, I guess. But you never k...Eek! Well, too late, now, I guess. But you never know that someday you'll open an old story and be totally inspired by it. That's why I never delete a story. I keep everything. Though I'm glad you were able to recognize that your story had no plot. It's important to have a plot to keep your reader's interest. :-)Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-78621270751341719562014-01-30T09:14:46.281-06:002014-01-30T09:14:46.281-06:00Sounds like you've found a good way to tell a ...Sounds like you've found a good way to tell a story, Bluebelle. Keep at it! <br /><br />And thanks for your kind words about New Recruit. :-)Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-54746621235983943222014-01-30T09:13:17.634-06:002014-01-30T09:13:17.634-06:00Nope. That sounds perfect, Robert. Good job! And I...Nope. That sounds perfect, Robert. Good job! And I'll throw out a word of caution. Many writers get stuck rewriting the first few chapters of their book for months and months and never finish the book. So I always urge writers to keep going and finish that whole book, even if it's a mess. You learn so much about your own storytelling style and the story itself that way.Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-52395514659455989892014-01-30T09:11:20.252-06:002014-01-30T09:11:20.252-06:00Sounds like a good way to do it, TW! :-)Sounds like a good way to do it, TW! :-)Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-41648484623514886982014-01-30T09:10:42.304-06:002014-01-30T09:10:42.304-06:00Good answer, Steph! That's what I would have s...Good answer, Steph! That's what I would have said too. :-)<br /><br />And I like that phrase, Parker. "In a pit of WIP." I think I live in that pit! Ha ha.Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-2265140464256605702014-01-30T09:08:47.169-06:002014-01-30T09:08:47.169-06:00Welcome to the blog! We're so glad you're ...Welcome to the blog! We're so glad you're here. Thanks for commenting too. :-)<br /><br />Yes, many classics or books published decades ago used omniscient POV or head hopped. It was simply how stories were told back then. Today most editors and agents are picky about it. That doesn't mean that no one will take a book that has omniscient POV or head hops, but some won't. And those that will consider such a book, the head hopping needs to be written very carefully. It takes practice.<br /><br />POV is a decision every writer needs to make for himself/herself. And if you're just starting out, the best thing you can do is write for fun and enjoyment. If you decide someday that you want to try and get traditionally published, that's when you will need to think more about polishing the POVs in your book, no matter which kind you've written.Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-19258798392325124192014-01-29T23:33:14.277-06:002014-01-29T23:33:14.277-06:00Dune, by Frank Herbert head-hopped quite a bit, I ...Dune, by Frank Herbert head-hopped quite a bit, I think, and it was popular. (Er, among political sci-fi geeks...) But you're right; its head hopping made me feel rather... disconnected from anyone, instead of immersed in everyone. Not to mention that it reveals the traitor before the major revealing of the betrayal...<br />Also, I believe Hugo changed POV mid-chapter sometimes, though I'm drawing a blank on any specific incidents. Les Mis is written in omniscient, though it feels more like the sort of omniscient that's narrated by the author, with the thoughts, feelings, and actions revealed through Hugo's voice. So even if though Les Mis has an enormous cast, I don't feel so much like it's head hopping since it's all Hugo's head. Without reading it, one might get the impression that I am saying this is the definition of disjointed, but quite the opposite; he fleshes out every character, makes you care about everybody. But only a master can pull this off; otherwise it can turn out a DISASTER. <br /> In today's market an editor would probably hack off Hugo's character profiles, as abridged versions have done. Like cutting out the story of the Bishop of D--. *sniffs* That's why, ultimately, I decided to read the unabridged, though I could do without the section on the Battle of Waterloo. That and the social commentaries and big words that send me to the dictionary every other paragraph makes it a slooow read for me.<br /> One final note on head hopping: It might not be good for sales, but boy is it FUN to write. I like it when my characters think funny things. In an episodical bedtime story thing I wrote for my cousin this summer, I head-hopped mercilessly, and enjoyed every minute of it. In my WIP, a) my MC likes to imagine conversations and what other people are thinking, b) my MC later has a telepathic connection with a goofy dragon. So sort of head-hopping, within the realms of third person limited. I like showing what the dragon's thinking without actually showing it or having him say it outright. <br /><br />Anyway. This was my first post on Go Teen Writers, and what a ramble it was! I'm a teen writer, and I love this site!<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-30626772466344489452014-01-29T21:16:06.614-06:002014-01-29T21:16:06.614-06:00Ok, thanks Mrs. Morrill. I'm in a pit of WIP r...Ok, thanks Mrs. Morrill. I'm in a pit of WIP right now. :)Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05181194911190748502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-21057301246315179172014-01-29T21:11:28.728-06:002014-01-29T21:11:28.728-06:00Thanks! I have thougt about it and now I have a ve...Thanks! I have thougt about it and now I have a very vague, likely to change plot. Better than nothing! :)Sofia Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03703884443937255154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-56990429666166524552014-01-29T21:01:20.505-06:002014-01-29T21:01:20.505-06:00I have a question regarding the inciting incident....I have a question regarding the inciting incident. Should the character's tangible story goal spring out of the inciting incident or should the inciting incident be the first major disturbance to the character's achieving that goal?<br /><br />Thanks!<br />SophiaSophianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-74598705134990618482014-01-29T20:34:17.763-06:002014-01-29T20:34:17.763-06:00I think it's tricky, though. Like in The Hunge...I think it's tricky, though. Like in The Hunger Games, we need to see District 12 and Katniss in her everyday life BEFORE she ends up volunteering at the reaping. Do you see how without that time with Gale and Prim, that scene wouldn't have packed as strong of a punch?<br /><br />In an effort to not bore readers, writers will try to start with the inciting incident, but often that can make the reader feel like they don't understand well enough to care.Stephanie Morrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-21600248459788673332014-01-29T19:02:58.177-06:002014-01-29T19:02:58.177-06:00Cool, that's awesome. Thanks TW! :)Cool, that's awesome. Thanks TW! :)Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05181194911190748502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-73506040017714668692014-01-29T19:02:35.029-06:002014-01-29T19:02:35.029-06:00Than kyou for advice! I think that my manuscript h...Than kyou for advice! I think that my manuscript has these in the first chapter. :) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-34115311595555991492014-01-29T18:32:36.585-06:002014-01-29T18:32:36.585-06:00Thanks for your advice, After reading some of your...Thanks for your advice, After reading some of your articles and and advice , I decided my story had no plot so i deleted the whole story cause it had not plot then i restarted and made a story that had a plot. Evan Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08143097157048316510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-8993365837601714792014-01-29T16:31:13.106-06:002014-01-29T16:31:13.106-06:00Good idea. I should be writing right nowGood idea. I should be writing right nowSamanthahttp://www.youngwriterscafe.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com