There are many ways to arouse the reader’s interest at the start of a story or novel. A character can want something important, want it badly, and want it now. Or a likable character can be threatened. The reader who savors language can be aroused by the author’s language, but that arousal won’t last unless the reader also becomes involved in the life of a character who is quickly more interesting than most of the people who surround us in life. If your aim is publication, your best bet is to start with a scene that the reader can see. Where do you start that scene? As close to its climax as
...more
