Where to Start Your Novel

Writing an opening to a short story or novel is one of the things that often stumps writers.

We sit in front of the keyboard, poised, with an idea for a bookspinning in our head, and find ourselves afraid to start. After all, we are aware we have one paragraph, or three at best, to capture the attention of the reader. My friend and mentor, Elizabeth Searle, gave me a great tip to get past this initial fear: Think of your current opening as nothing more than a placemark. This keeps you from o...