Kal Locksley's Blog
August 3, 2021
The first twenty pages.
Recently I started the first draft to my dark fantasy novel: Upon a murder.
As a panster, my plotting is basically is non-existent, so when the newbie writers out there finally stop gasping at the very idea of not having more in depth plans than most military strategists out there, you might ask how I know if an idea is viable without having done some sort of plotting structure.
There is nothing worse than putting heart and soul into something just to find out that it doesn't work, but as I am not one for heart break, I make my decision based on the first twenty pages of my first draft.
The elements
As with any recipe, you want to balance the ingredients. So what are the ingredients to a book?
1. Character
2. Plot
3. POV
4. Setting
5. Style
6. Theme
These are the six ingredients that make a book. And all six need to be evenly addressed in the first twenty pages. If I yank a book away from a reader as they finish reading page twenty, and demand to know what the book is about, said reader should be able to give me a clear answer, as well as confirming if they intend to finish the book.
At the beginning
The palates of agents are more even more delicate than that of the readers. The trick is not to wait until page twenty...
Impress the agent (or reader), with the very first line. That line must tell them something very important about the plot or character or both! It must make the reader want to know more, to question that one sentence enough to move onto the next one, and the next.
So know that my first twenty pages are done, I can happily say that Once a Murder will become part of the Tales of Darkwell, and I am more excited than ever to finish the first act. But more an that in another post...
As a panster, my plotting is basically is non-existent, so when the newbie writers out there finally stop gasping at the very idea of not having more in depth plans than most military strategists out there, you might ask how I know if an idea is viable without having done some sort of plotting structure.
There is nothing worse than putting heart and soul into something just to find out that it doesn't work, but as I am not one for heart break, I make my decision based on the first twenty pages of my first draft.
The elements
As with any recipe, you want to balance the ingredients. So what are the ingredients to a book?
1. Character
2. Plot
3. POV
4. Setting
5. Style
6. Theme
These are the six ingredients that make a book. And all six need to be evenly addressed in the first twenty pages. If I yank a book away from a reader as they finish reading page twenty, and demand to know what the book is about, said reader should be able to give me a clear answer, as well as confirming if they intend to finish the book.
At the beginning
The palates of agents are more even more delicate than that of the readers. The trick is not to wait until page twenty...
Impress the agent (or reader), with the very first line. That line must tell them something very important about the plot or character or both! It must make the reader want to know more, to question that one sentence enough to move onto the next one, and the next.
So know that my first twenty pages are done, I can happily say that Once a Murder will become part of the Tales of Darkwell, and I am more excited than ever to finish the first act. But more an that in another post...
July 7, 2021
Epilogue of the Prologue
Alas poor Prologue...I knew of the well. Can't think of one off the top of my head, but I'm sure that's simply because I haven't picked up a book with a Prologue in a while.
If you ask any author about it, they will discuss the death in hush tones. And someone will mention how much they actually like a good prologue.
So what happened to the good old Prologue?
First lets have a look what the traditional definition of a prologue is:
Initially, it was used in dramatic works. The term describing a speech, often said in verse, addressed to the audience by one or more of the actors at the opening of a play.
Most people know it as a preface or introduction to a literary work.
So why have most writers banished the idea of a Prologue? Simply because most are now of the opinion that it is simple bad writing.
Reason one: Info dumping.
Too many out of context details, or a backstory setup just gives a reader a lot to remember having had time to enjoy any of the story.
Two: Usually introduces one world, before jumping to the main story. Readers can find this jump between the before and Chapter one jarring.
Three: Laziness: Setting up scene? The hook? The Plot? The Style? The theme? Characters? Backstory? These are all things your reader should find in the first twenty pages, weaved into chapter one, and appropriately sprinkled throughout the book.
You don't want to prep your reader for the book, you want them to dive into it, and become swiftly intoxicated by the story.
After all, that's why readers read...
If you ask any author about it, they will discuss the death in hush tones. And someone will mention how much they actually like a good prologue.
So what happened to the good old Prologue?
First lets have a look what the traditional definition of a prologue is:
Initially, it was used in dramatic works. The term describing a speech, often said in verse, addressed to the audience by one or more of the actors at the opening of a play.
Most people know it as a preface or introduction to a literary work.
So why have most writers banished the idea of a Prologue? Simply because most are now of the opinion that it is simple bad writing.
Reason one: Info dumping.
Too many out of context details, or a backstory setup just gives a reader a lot to remember having had time to enjoy any of the story.
Two: Usually introduces one world, before jumping to the main story. Readers can find this jump between the before and Chapter one jarring.
Three: Laziness: Setting up scene? The hook? The Plot? The Style? The theme? Characters? Backstory? These are all things your reader should find in the first twenty pages, weaved into chapter one, and appropriately sprinkled throughout the book.
You don't want to prep your reader for the book, you want them to dive into it, and become swiftly intoxicated by the story.
After all, that's why readers read...
