Where does any story begin? Even with a good idea of the plot and where you're going, picking the starting point for any tale is tough. Does it begin with your main characters? Is the time you pick the moment the characters are first aware of the events that will form your story?
Events seldom have a single, definable starting point. There is always something that happened before, that led to the now. The author needs to know what that is, even if the reader doesn't - but chasing that can lead to an ever-backward spiral taking you away from your plot and by the time you get back the reader may have lost interest!
Storm on the Cathe opens with an event the main characters do not witness. They are unaware of it. Yet it probably does, as near as can be defined, begin the process that turns their whole lives upside down.
"The first scream broke the stillness of the dawn and brought back the vivid memory of a morning long ago. Daren turned away and stared grimly out to sea while the chosen children were roused from their sleep, torn from their tearful families and packed into the boats."
What happens next? Keep reading the blog!
You've caught my attention already... and interesting questions you pose. I would find that the most difficult about creative writing. How much do you tell the reader? How much do you hope they'll pick up? And how much do they never need to know? Interesting questions and I look forward to following your blog. Well done!!
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