Some Thoughts on Writing

You know how the start of a story can take an eternity to get right, yet the subsequent 10,000 words can flow like overpriced bottled water?

There’s just so much weight—weight and expectation—in that first scene. There’s no room for error. Lazy writing that might pass the reader’s notice in later passages won’t fly for The Beginning.



There has to be connection. A hook. Action. Dialogue. Motivation. A question. A quest. And it must be seemless. Clever. It must have movement.

I have a hard time pressing forward if the beginning doesn’t feel right. But no pressure, right? I’ve only rearranged these ~350 words a thousand times today. What’s another hundred or so?