Daily Archives: March 18, 2022

Starting in the Right Place: Where Does the Story Begin?

Starting in the Right Place: Where Does the Story Begin?

Presented by: Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson, J.B. Dane, Nied Darnell

Date: April 1 – 30, 2022 (one month)

Pricing: A2P Member fee: $15

Non-A2P Member fee: $30

About the Workshop:

I have a friend who is a NYT bestselling author. Even after 70 some titles, she still says when she starts writing it is always in the wrong place. She doesn’t get to the point where her story actually begins until Chapter Two. Which means she has to not only kill Chapter One, but make sure anything of importance that did get mentioned in Chapter One shifts to a better location.

The problem is a common one. I have a story that I’ve written the opening scene to three times and it was only that final time out that the story finally started in the right spot.

However, every wrong spot I begin means I’m narrowing in on the right spot.

How do you know the right spot from the wrong spot though? Ahh, that can be tricky. But there are “flags” to look for that help distinguish the right start from the wrong start.

Help you hit the spot that will snag a reader’s attention – and editors are among the first readers you want to snag, aren’t they?

In four weeks, we’ll pin down what is the best spot to start your story and come up with a template to judge future manuscripts by as well. Under the microscope will be characters’ motivation, identifying backstory and too much backstory, action, and more!

About the Presenter:

Beth Daniels lends the expertise she gained as a professional novelist with 30+ years and over 35 published novels, plus novellas and short stories to her list of achievements. Add in a BA in History and a MA in English Composition and Rhetoric with an Emphasis in Creative Writing, over a dozen years as a composition instructor at the college level, numerous online genre fiction writing workshops at various RWA online chapters, and the stats add up. She knows her onions and can maneuver her way through nearly any genre or subgenre birthed. She is one of the founders of the writing group The Bards of Bardstown and a past president of the Louisville, KY, Sisters in Crime chapter. Currently she writes The Raven Tales, an urban fantasy PI mystery comedy series, as J.B. Dane and standalone historical romantic mysteries, contemporary romantic suspense, and cozy paranormal mystery as Beth Henderson. Find her at www.4TaleTellers.com or Facebook.com/Beth Daniels or @BethDaniels1 on Twitter.

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