Now there’s a complicated question! I
guess if I could only have one place in my college memoir where something
magical could help me write it, it would be the first chapter. Since wishes are
magical to me, that would mean someone who knows more than I or possibly could
see into the future would help me be sure I was starting the story in the
correct place. Beginnings are so important in story.
Beginnings to novels or memoirs are
different from what they were in past eras. No longer can writers indulgingly describe
settings or characters. Today, the story must jump right into the action or
problems of a story. Every scene must drive the story plot forward, even if
only a tiny bit. There is too much other stuff competing for a reader’s time. A
writer needs to show the possibilities of problems to come on that first page,
almost, in order to keep a reader reading the novel.
Not only do writers need to hook
readers with juicy plots, but also wow them with real characters to care about.
You could open with an exciting plot; aliens invading earth or two boys
barreling down a raging river. But if you don’t connect the plot to a sentient
being, no one will care about it. Our stories need to be about someone in
particular; some vulnerable, flawed person the readers can connect to. And the
story should begin in scene. We need to be someplace, even if we are just
thinking. We need to ground the reader in time and place.
Is my college memoir starting in the
right place? Gosh, I hope so. This is where that magical wish could show me for
sure.
I begin my story with a scene. And
through that scene, I hope to connect readers to a person, a particular person
with hopes and dreams and problems.
The memoir opens with my special-needs
daughter signing up for high school classes. She wants to go to college, just like
I did all those years before. And just like what happened to me, someone
important tells her she shouldn’t go to college. Within this guidance counselor
scene, Victoria’s backstory begins to unfold, showing [I hope] why this particular
situation is pivotal. With this initial scene, I want to demonstrate Victoria’s
struggles as a mother, what she feels about a college education and the reasons
for her feelings. This initial counselor meeting forces Victoria to revisit her
own dreams of a college education in order to help her children. This initial
scene also allows for Victoria to revisit her feelings about being educated
toward the end of the memoir once she finishes her own college journey.
That’s a lot for one
opening scene to carry. How important do you feel beginnings
are to novels or memoirs? I would truly appreciate your insight into the
beginning of my college memoir.
I can’t wait to see where you would
use your special wish in story writing. Thanks for visiting! Please follow
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This post was written for the
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