5 Days of Beginnings: Day Two

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the writing session yesterday! I’m excited to be doing this together and I love how people are tackling it in different ways. Some are focusing on short stories or essays, others are writing poems. Or maybe you’re playing around with novel openings— and if so, have we got a post for you today.

if this doesn’t work for a prompt, be sure to check out the song rec below!

I’m thrilled to introduce our second guest writer: Susan Scarf Merrell. She’s the author of several books, including the novel Shirley, which was made into a major motion picture. All you Shirley Jackson fans out there should definitely read this book. (Or even if you’re not.) Susan co-directs BookEnds, which is how I had the good fortune of meeting her. She’s a razor sharp reader, has killer instincts when it comes to plot and editing, and is simply a delightful person. I knew she’d have something smart and helpful to share with everyone.

Here’s what she wrote:

Openings? They’re everything and nothing. Because they teach the reader how to read the novel (note all the potential book buyers you see in stores, scanning the first five pages of a novel before deciding whether to buy), it’s critical to establish the sound of your voice and the rules of your world in those first pages. 

Openings are critical as we write our first drafts as well. They’re the structure on which the whole boat is built. So take your openings seriously. 

But also don’t. With years of experience editing others, I can assure you that the opening pages are the ones most likely to be cut as you move from the “for the writer” draft to the “for the reader” draft. So, as you embark on this first draft, have enough in place to keep the ship afloat, knowing that THIS opening is your FIRST opening. Don’t waste your valuable time there now.

Not until you find your ending will you truly discover how your novel wants to begin.

Thank you, Susan!

And her song recommendation could also work for a prompt. As she said:

Now this is a story. Fill in the blanks however you want, it’s a story.

Good luck building your boat today! <3