Adventures in Genre-Hopping: The First Scene

The research and study is going well. I've already learned a lot and I've noticed that my style is changing. I'm still taking classes online when I get the chance, but in the meantime...

It's time to start.

Yeah. The first scene. The big one.

Okay, so it's not quite so dramatic because I can (and probably will) change it a thousand times and then delete it before the final draft. It's part of the job description. I must kill my darlings.

But the first draft is a big step. It's intimidating. I'm staring at a blank page on my computer screen. How am I going to start this? Who is my main character? Where is she?

I want to do this as a Young Adult story, so my main character should probably in high school. And when I write books from solely a male point of view, things go badly. (I haven't finished a single one yet. They just fall apart like a bad batch of brownies.) So she's a teenage girl.

My first idea is that my character needs to be dealing with mundane things until her grandmother shows up and tells her that she's special. She can travel through time and she's needed so the balance of time can be restored.

But that's been done a few times in speculative fiction. Just a few.

So maybe I could change it up a bit. Maybe she could be approached by someone else. Maybe they help her out of a nasty situation and they give her a wonderful opportunity.

Yeah. I like that better.

And it might be a little more fun if my character has some idea of her abilities before the story starts.

And she needs a name. Time to hit the baby names websites...

Adventures in Genre-Hopping: Craft

Before I dive into another series of books, I want to work on my writing craft. I'm a writer, and there's an endless amount of STUFF to learn. I spent years working on craft before I wrote The Fairy Tale Trap, and have dabbled since. Now, I want to dig deep again.

So I listened to a lecture on Science Fiction and how to write it more effectively. I'm also taking an online workshop on writing more in depth. This will take up a big chunk of my writing time, but it'll be worth it. Quality over quantity at this point.

I'd also like to go over some STUFF that I've read before, but need to review. I plan to go through Holly Lisle's massive online class: How to Think Sideways, as well as re-read some books on craft. (Dwight Swain comes to mind.)

That ought to do it for now. Let's see if I survive before moving on.