Naomi Dawn Musch

Once upon a time, stories -- big novels, really -- were written with long, winding beginnings. We were given dozens of pages, chapters even, to slowly become drawn into the story set-up, the event that changed everything for the character. I used to read lots of these kinds of books, and I enjoyed them.

But nowadays, readers are less patient, or simply have less time to commit to a novel. Thus writers learned that we have to create an almost immediate story hook which will engage readers quickly. But that doesn' t simply mean writing a scene to put readers on the edge of their seats. It means we have to establish a story question in their minds, one that they will want to follow through to the end in order to discover the answer or outcome.

Establishing a story question begins with

• a crisis situation
• the main character's reaction to it
• that same character's statement of intent to try and "fix" the situation

The Crisis

This is the opening action or primary hook. The terrible dilemma. The unquenched desire. The sudden doom. In my upcoming release, an 1890s historical romance called The Red Fury, Elaina Kade finds herself being jilted -- again. This is the third man she's lost in two years. One of them, the one who died, truly had her heart. The two that followed couldn't handle her strong-willed nature. In a fiery, opening, break-up scene, Elaina comes to the conclusion that she has really become an unmarryable shrew since her first love's death, and that the future holds only spinsterhood and local gossip about her many faults.

The Reaction

This is the outcome of the crisis. If the character merely wanders off to wallow in pity, and things begin to happen to them, then you end up with a passive character. It's hard to draw readers into a committed relationship with a passive character. If possible, avoid things happening to the character. Instead, have the character act as the catalyst for what happens next. The character's response to the crisis should come in some physical as well as emotional way. In The Red Fury, Elaina would like to dash her fiancé, Jed's, heart against the wall. Since that's not quite possible, she throws whatever is available. In her case it's a hard piece of quartz (like Jed's heart) and a mirror which shatters into shards (like her heart) -- a little symbolism there. She wants to rant, run away, crawl into a hole, freak out all over him -- something! Readers relate to her pain by seeing it. Her reaction engages readers with her strong personality and establishes more of a connection with her character.

The Statement of Intent

This is the critical turning point in the opening of the story and where the story question becomes firmly established. Once readers have seen the crisis and the character's reaction, they begin to wonder where it is leading. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! As the character states his or her intent, whether in so many words or in their actions, the reader is able to latch onto the story question -- the question that will finally be answered at the end of the story. This is an almost "ah-ha" moment for the reader as they are now on track with the story and become ready to nestle into it. As to the story question itself, readers may, perhaps, have a good idea of the answer. For instance, in the case of a romance, boy meets girl and conflict ensues, but the reader is fairly certain that their issues will resolve, and boy and girl will finally be together at the end. BUT, in such a case, the story question will be less of What will happen, and more of How it will happen.

In The Red Fury, Elaina's statement of intent comes in the form of two personal decisions. The first is to get away. When she discovers her brother is going to be sent on business to Chicago, she determines to go with him, thinking she will temporarily escape from both her heartache and the local gossip. Her second decision is a mental and emotional one. Elaina decides that since she is meant to live life on her own, she will do it her own way. So she sets off on a plan to ignore social constraints and do whatever she pleases, going from one adventure to the next without concern for consequences. Her decisions set in motion the stage for future conflict, which multiplies ten-fold when she meets a pair of disillusioned civil war veterans, brothers whose love for one another is the only thing they still cling to after the horrors of war. When the personalities of these three major characters intersect, the combination of a love triangle and living life on the edge becomes nearly combustible.

So these three elements set up the story question. In The Red Fury, Elaina is about to step off into a great unknown where readers know something is bound to happen to her. And because of the previous crisis, it is implied that she may discover whether or not she is truly as unlovable as she believes she is.  Will she figure it out? How? With whom?

Does your story's opening clearly establish a story question?

Write on!

THE RED FURY - EMPIRE IN PINE - Book Two -- Coming October, 2011!