That's always the hardest part, how to open a story 
and grab your readers (short) attention. I've found 
that sometimes the best thing to do is to write the 
middle andthen go back to the begining, then you'll 
know word for word what happens and will be able to 
write a better opening.

Alice: "How do I get away from here?"

Cheshire Cat: "Where are you going?"

Alice: "Oh, anywhere."

CC: "It doesn't matter, then, any road will take you 
     there."

Writing a story should be like cheating to find the 
exit to a maze: start from the end, where you want 
to be, then work your way back to the beginning 
so you know what pitfalls to avoid and where the 
twists will be.  It then is an easy task to draw 
a single line through the maze to it's finish 
without any mistakes.

You can't get there if you don't know where you're 
going.

Quick question, what does everyone thing of outlines? 
I mean really sitting down and outlining your fic 
before applying pen to paper (Or fingers to keyboard) 
I know I generly don't as my fic change drasticly from 
the mental outline I keep so I was wondering if anyone 
does and how well it works? After all, as someone 
pointed out, we are here to impove our skills.

Two words: plot holes.  When you plan out what will 
happen where, you tend to notice them.

In an earlier chapter of "Nabiki: New Horizons", 
Uncle Fester/Greg Sandborn had one of the chapters 
of his unfinished story written as an outline, and 
you could see his style: he decided all the events beforehand, who said what to whom about what, and 
who knows what details.  The sentences were short 
yet complete, and he used that as the basis for 
changing it into prose.  He didn't miss anything 
because he had prepared for it.

I haven't the discipline to do it that way myself, 
but it strikes me as a good method.  When I write, 
I don't sit in front of the computer until I know 
the complete plot, its twists, character actions, 
events and dialogue so *completely* off by heart 
that I could recite it to someone.  What Sandborn 
does on paper, I do in my head.

Shunsuke
---
"Don't kill me, I'm too old to die."
                              - Major Bloodnok, 
                                _The Goon Show_



Get your FREE, private e-mail
account at http://www.mailcity.com