What Writers Need to Do at the Start of Each Scene to Keep Their Reader Hooked
06/02/22 • 16 min
EPISODE DESCRIPTION -Today we are diving into #7 in our series of “Aha Moments,” that I’ve had both as a writer, and as a story coach. One mistake that I see happen with a lot of writers, is that they wait too long to get into the action of their story. The story lags on and on without the reader or viewer knowing what the story is actually about.
That’s why today’s episode is about setting your scene sparingly. You must get to the pertinent details quickly so that your reader knows what is going on, and then you can reveal more things as you go.
The second key to this is making sure you introduce your main character quickly. By page 5 the reader should already know who the main character is and what they are about. There are exceptions to this of course that have been done well, as in the film Witness.
Listen now for a more detailed understanding of how to keep your reader hooked and engaged from the very beginning.
DOWNLOAD FULL TRANSCRIPTS FOR FREE on the podcast page of our website.
UP NEXT - Next week, I'll give you every trick you need on how to write clearly and avoid the ultimate kiss of death in story, confusion.
HELPFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES - The Storyteller’s Mission online platform offers one-on-one COACHING, SCRIPT and MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES, and ADVANCED CLASSES ON WRITING. Send us an email at [email protected], or if you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing on a future episode, LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL!
EPISODE DESCRIPTION -Today we are diving into #7 in our series of “Aha Moments,” that I’ve had both as a writer, and as a story coach. One mistake that I see happen with a lot of writers, is that they wait too long to get into the action of their story. The story lags on and on without the reader or viewer knowing what the story is actually about.
That’s why today’s episode is about setting your scene sparingly. You must get to the pertinent details quickly so that your reader knows what is going on, and then you can reveal more things as you go.
The second key to this is making sure you introduce your main character quickly. By page 5 the reader should already know who the main character is and what they are about. There are exceptions to this of course that have been done well, as in the film Witness.
Listen now for a more detailed understanding of how to keep your reader hooked and engaged from the very beginning.
DOWNLOAD FULL TRANSCRIPTS FOR FREE on the podcast page of our website.
UP NEXT - Next week, I'll give you every trick you need on how to write clearly and avoid the ultimate kiss of death in story, confusion.
HELPFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES - The Storyteller’s Mission online platform offers one-on-one COACHING, SCRIPT and MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES, and ADVANCED CLASSES ON WRITING. Send us an email at [email protected], or if you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing on a future episode, LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL!
Previous Episode
SPECIAL EPISODE: Zena Unpacks Critical Changes in the Marketplace that Impact the Types of Stories Being Sold as a Guest on Writer's Chat
S2_E38 This special episode replays Zena's recent presentation as a guest on Writer's Chat, where she was invited to speak on how writers can make their story ideas commercial. The answer, Zena says, is not as simple as it once was, because we've entered a new paradigm when it comes to storytelling. No longer do the old rules apply in terms of what gets published or made into a movie. Today, in order for you to have what the industry deems "a commercial story idea," you'll need a bigger story.
In other words, there's no room today for a one-off, or a stand alone story. What the powers that be want and need is for writers to create story WORLDS. You have to be able to create a universe that has the potential to host more than one kind of story, something with transmedia potential.
Given the realities of the way things are today, Zena discusses the kinds of things that writers need to take into account when they're developing their story ideas so that they can maximize their chances of success, but it's important that they don't lose sight of their own passions in the process. To this end, Zena also suggests important things for writers to consider so as to avoid letting the new paradigm stifle us, derail us or demoralize us completely.
DOWNLOAD FULL TRANSCRIPTS FOR FREE on the podcast page of our website.
UP NEXT - Next week, we will resume our series on A-ha moments, with key insights to improve your own writing.
HELPFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES - The Storyteller’s Mission online platform offers one-on-one COACHING, SCRIPT and MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES, and ADVANCED CLASSES ON WRITING. Send us an email at [email protected], or if you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing on a future episode, LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL!
Next Episode
Five Essential Dialogue Tricks to Help Clarify Your Storyline for Your Readers
S2_E41: Five Dialogue Tricks For a Clear Storyline
EPISODE DESCRIPTION - Last week, we discussed the importance of getting to your main action and character quickly. This week I give you 5 dialogue tricks to avoid ‘the kiss of death’ in your story, confusion. If you confuse your audience, you automatically take them out of the story, which is the opposite of what you want to do. The rule of thumb in story is to always keep your audience invested.
TRICK #1: You always want to prefer clarity over cleverness, always choose clarity of the words over clever or flowery written passages.
TRICK #2: Provide visual cues for your audience to interpret what is going on.
TRICK #3: Provide dialogue. Remember, when it comes to dialogue, don’t rush, slow down, and let the scene unfold naturally. You also have to ask yourself, "How will my audience know this?”
TRICK #4: Create a device that allows dialogue to be a part of what is happening in that world. An effective instance of this would be Wilson (the volleyball), in the film Castaway.
TRICK #5: Bring in a new character that wouldn’t know what was going on inside that world. This allows the protagonist to justifiably relay information out loud, that the audience needs to know.
The key takeaway to remember is to give your dialogue a purpose! We must justify the dialogue for our audience to enjoy it, regardless of how it is created.
DOWNLOAD FULL TRANSCRIPTS FOR FREE on the podcast page of our website.
UP NEXT - Next week, we discuss the importance and necessity of understanding our own sin nature when creating effective characters and storylines.
HELPFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES - The Storyteller’s Mission online platform offers one-on-one COACHING, SCRIPT and MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES, and ADVANCED CLASSES ON WRITING. Send us an email at [email protected], or if you have a question or a specific writing related topic that you would like Zena to consider addressing on a future episode, LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL!
The Storyteller’s Mission with Zena Dell Lowe - What Writers Need to Do at the Start of Each Scene to Keep Their Reader Hooked
Transcript
THE STORYTELLER’S MISSION WITH ZENA DELL LOWE
S2_E40: What Writers Need to Do at the Start of Each Scene to Keep Their Reader Hooked PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Thursday June 2, 2022
00:00
INTRO: Hello, and welcome to The Storyteller's Mission with Zena Dell Lowe, a podcast for artists and storytellers about changing the world for the better through story.
00:10
TOPIC INTRODUCTION: What I'm talking about to you today, are “Aha Moment
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