by Peggy Bechko
I think as writers we pretty much get the concept that if we want a reader to continue reading we have to hook ‘em good. And that means we need to interest them, fascinate them, confuse them with questions, whatever it takes, right from the very beginning.
In the ‘olden’ days of writing the writer could get away with setting the stage, of going on at length with backstory and set up. But, as writing is an evolving thing you won’t get away with that now. It won’t work for novels and it especially won’t work for that new-fangled media TV and movies.
One of the biggest mistakes a new writer can make is to underestimate the ability of the reader to grasp what’s going on. No, it’s not necessary for you as the writer to give minute detail on a character’s background (he was 14 when he started smoking, then joined a gang, then ended up in jail, then found redemption, then got out of jail – all to end up where he is now) so the story can proceed.
Instead, it’s imperative to jump right into the ‘action’ of the story (I don’t mean a car chase or a saber duel, I mean what’s pushing the story forward). Then, fill in necessary bits and pieces of backstory as the story moves forward.