Writing link

[namasteyoga]

I've linked to the writing tips articles at the io9.com blog before. (It's science fiction based blog, but the writing tips they provide are fairly universal.)

Here's another one I thought was interesting: Seven Types of Short Story Openings, which also includes this note on why first sentences are important in short stories:

Sure, the opening

Comments

[flywoman]

I'm surprised that they didn't list "Begin with the End." Often used to provide a present day framework to reveal the consequences of the drama that will be described in the story, hopefully 1) intriguing the reader and 2) making the tale all the more poignant. Example: Annie Proulx, "Brokeback Mountain."

[namasteyoga]

Perhaps that falls under "The Mystifier:" it refers to stuff we don't know about yet. Or it throws us into a situation without giving us all the pieces right away.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" begins at the end too -- "When he was nearly 13, my brother Jem had his arm badly broken at the elbow."

I don't think that's supposed to be an all-inclusive list, obviously, just ways to think about starting a story. If I'd had time this morning (I ran across the blog while I was at work and linked it while waiting for a call) it would have been interesting to find fic examples for all of them, rather than just the one.