3 Steps to Ground Readers in Your Story World

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Losing readers in the opening scene is a problem many novels face.

Opening scenes lead really stressful lives (metaphorically speaking). They have to hook readers, offer a compelling problem, introduce characters, show voice, and establish the world and setting by the end of the scene. No pressure, right?

I’ve been doing weekly critiques on this site since 2010, and the most common submission I get is the first page. So I’ve seen a lot of openings in a variety of genres and markets. And there’s one mistake I see writers make over and over.

Not grounding readers in the story world.

Grounded readers have the tools they need to embrace—and enjoy—the story.
Ungrounded readers feel lost and confused, and the longer that confusion lasts, the more likely it is they’ll stop reading the book. They’re too busy trying to make sense of what they’re reading to lose themselves in the story. Quite often, they can’t connect to the characters because they can’t get a bead on who they are and what they want.

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com