My Best Craft Advice: Push Forward

My favorite and best piece of craft advice is informed by a deceptively brutal idiom:

Every writer in the world has a perfect first chapter.

The implication being that writers of all stripes fiddle with and obsess over and attempt to “optimize” their opening pages at the expense of developing a full-fledged story.

It’s easy to fall into this trap, especially when the words aren’t flowing and you’re questioning your ideas and doubting your capabilities and wondering why, for the love of all that’s holy, you insisted on becoming an artist in the first place.

Part of becoming a professional author—and not just a dabbler—is holding your nose and powering through these barriers.

You’re on page twenty and your protagonist feels a little flat and their key want isn’t clear? Keep writing! The little critic in your brain says your dialogue is clunky and cliched? Fix it later! You’re obviously skimping on setting and world-building because you have no idea what you’re doing? Full speed ahead!

You’ll address these readily resolvable issues as you continue to push forward and advance your story. For example, if you’re struggling to figure out what your protagonist and/or antagonist really want, give them plenty of chances to play on the page. Once they get rolling, I promise you they’ll tell you what they’re after, and you can build upon and amplify those insights.

Even better, your subconscious brain, which is way smarter than your active imagination, will help you figure out what’s amiss even though the process will feel like you’re throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something—anything—will stick.

Best of all, revising an existing story is far easier than creating from whole cloth. Once the initial words are on the page, opportunities to deepen your characters will become more apparent. Loose plot threads will tighten as you weave the beginning, middle, and end of your story together. And you’ll find myriad ways to smooth out your pacing by tweaking dialogue, setting, and interiority in scenes where those elements are over- or undercooked.

But, none of this will be possible if you don’t plow through the chaotic, infinite abyss that is the opening of your story and create forward momentum. 

FURTHER READING

Embedded are links to two additional posts by the talented novelists Andrew Boryga and Lincoln Michel.