Happy Thanksgiving! – December “first page” Office Hours – Information vs. storytelling

Those of us in the United States are prepping our systems for turkey and stuffing, and I hope wherever you are, you have a safe and contented Thanksgiving. I’m very thankful for all of you, and appreciate

But wait, there’s more! It’s almost time for our December office hours (exclusively for newsletter subscribers!) at 6pm PT on December 4.

I’m going to change things up this month! Rather than a free-for-all Q&A, let’s talk about all things first pages. I’ll give a presentation on my philosophy about how to start novels, and I’m hoping to critique a few first pages and answer questions. Bearing in mind that this meeting will be recorded and shared, if you’re interested in having your first page critiqued, simply reply to any newsletter with your first page in a Word attachment.

Save the event to your calendar!

Lastly, for the last few months I’ve had a real bee in my bonnet while I’ve pondered a great deal about information delivery vs. storytelling. As a writer of science fiction and fantasy myself, I very much empathize with the tricky balance to strike between making sure the reader has the information they need to know to understand what’s happening vs. pushing forward with the story.

For your Thanksgiving holiday perusal, here’s a roundup of posts where I touch upon the tricky subject of storytelling vs. information delivery:

• The 8 essential elements of a story
• Don’t build scenes around the information you think you need to impart
• Six reasons you’re confusing the reader
• How to utilize exposition and context in a novel
• What is the “narrative voice?”
• 3 ways “show don’t tell” can lead you astray
• Give your protagonist a mini-quest before the main plot kicks off
• Don’t dribble out morsels of information within a scene
• How to craft a great mystery in a novel

Happy Thanksgiving!

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

For my best advice, check out my online classes, my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Art: Home to Thanksgiving by John Schutler after George Henry Durrie