The opening paragraphs of the first chapter of my latest completed manuscript MOLLY MCCOOL SAVES THE SCHOOL start with daily routine, but I think they work:
Molly McCool stood at the sink, toothbrush doing its work on her back molars. She brushed as slowly as she could.
“Molly, you don’t want to be late for your first day of fifth grade,” came a shout from her Aunt Yoko in the kitchen.
But it wasn’t Molly’s first day of fifth grade. That had happened last year. This was the first day of repeating fifth grade. Molly wasn’t sure she’d get it right this year either.
See, this is a PERFECT example of how a routine moment can work because there’s something new about at—she’s about to start her SECOND first day of fifth grade! You’re introducing a conflict and her anxiety right away!
So I think writing about a character's routine is okay, as long as it's very quickly interrupted!
My current WIP opens with the main character getting her normal morning coffee when the telephone rings, which is unusual. Upon answering, she learns her fiance is missing - completely disrupting her day...in a few pages, her whole life is shattered
This is a PERFECT example of how it can work—as long as it has a disruption! As long as you get to that phone call quickly, the chapter is less about the daily routine and more about the disruption and the immediate fallout, which is going to hook readers. Well done!
Another challenge I'm facing is the variety within my body of work. Some of my writing us playful and inspiring, while other pieces are heavy and trauma-centric.
I follow an author because I loved the book I just read, and will grab the next thing with their name on it. I am anticipating this new sci fi psych book to be a surprise for existing readers who know my other voice. Thanks for the space to consider this. I appreciate you!
Of course! I enjoy making the space for authors to reflect and consider so they can intentionally produce work that aligns with their goals. I’m always here for advice, and if I don’t know something, I can always search for the answer with you!
I’m glad you recognize that you can have more than one author voice/style, too—I’m the same way! My coming-of-age romance that I’m writing is a ton more lighthearted than my fantasy/sci-fi works.
This is so helpful and well written! Question about trigger warnings in fiction: if my opening could trigger a reader, do I add a trigger warning? Hesitant to do so, as the suspense might be disrupted. I realize sm posts are different, and perhaps the genre already expects a trigger. Thoughts?
You don’t necessarily have to add a trigger warning! If your book is particularly heavy, you could consider adding a list of trigger warnings to the front matter of your book instead of the opening chapter. Fourth Wing actually lists out the graphic content you may encounter in the book in its front matter, and I think that’s sufficient to warn readers! Honestly, though, it’s not your job to “prepare” your reader for what they may encounter—it’s a choice for the reader to pick up the book, and if they don’t like/can’t handle the content, they can always put it down.
Thanks. I like the idea of offering it in the front matter, with a spoiler alert before the trigger warning list. Sigh... this is becoming a society of warnings.
I get it! I want to warn readers, but I also recognize that picking individual books to read is an individual choice. Getting triggered by the content in a book is kind of the risk we take, especially with how popular dark themes are in all genres now!
The opening paragraphs of the first chapter of my latest completed manuscript MOLLY MCCOOL SAVES THE SCHOOL start with daily routine, but I think they work:
Molly McCool stood at the sink, toothbrush doing its work on her back molars. She brushed as slowly as she could.
“Molly, you don’t want to be late for your first day of fifth grade,” came a shout from her Aunt Yoko in the kitchen.
But it wasn’t Molly’s first day of fifth grade. That had happened last year. This was the first day of repeating fifth grade. Molly wasn’t sure she’d get it right this year either.
See, this is a PERFECT example of how a routine moment can work because there’s something new about at—she’s about to start her SECOND first day of fifth grade! You’re introducing a conflict and her anxiety right away!
Thanks. That’s what I was going for, for sure!
Wow. A checklist? Surely not.
I wish I could make it something more sophisticated without looking like a pretentious fool, but alas, the checklist will do!
So I think writing about a character's routine is okay, as long as it's very quickly interrupted!
My current WIP opens with the main character getting her normal morning coffee when the telephone rings, which is unusual. Upon answering, she learns her fiance is missing - completely disrupting her day...in a few pages, her whole life is shattered
This is a PERFECT example of how it can work—as long as it has a disruption! As long as you get to that phone call quickly, the chapter is less about the daily routine and more about the disruption and the immediate fallout, which is going to hook readers. Well done!
Another challenge I'm facing is the variety within my body of work. Some of my writing us playful and inspiring, while other pieces are heavy and trauma-centric.
I follow an author because I loved the book I just read, and will grab the next thing with their name on it. I am anticipating this new sci fi psych book to be a surprise for existing readers who know my other voice. Thanks for the space to consider this. I appreciate you!
Of course! I enjoy making the space for authors to reflect and consider so they can intentionally produce work that aligns with their goals. I’m always here for advice, and if I don’t know something, I can always search for the answer with you!
I’m glad you recognize that you can have more than one author voice/style, too—I’m the same way! My coming-of-age romance that I’m writing is a ton more lighthearted than my fantasy/sci-fi works.
This is so helpful and well written! Question about trigger warnings in fiction: if my opening could trigger a reader, do I add a trigger warning? Hesitant to do so, as the suspense might be disrupted. I realize sm posts are different, and perhaps the genre already expects a trigger. Thoughts?
You don’t necessarily have to add a trigger warning! If your book is particularly heavy, you could consider adding a list of trigger warnings to the front matter of your book instead of the opening chapter. Fourth Wing actually lists out the graphic content you may encounter in the book in its front matter, and I think that’s sufficient to warn readers! Honestly, though, it’s not your job to “prepare” your reader for what they may encounter—it’s a choice for the reader to pick up the book, and if they don’t like/can’t handle the content, they can always put it down.
Thanks. I like the idea of offering it in the front matter, with a spoiler alert before the trigger warning list. Sigh... this is becoming a society of warnings.
I get it! I want to warn readers, but I also recognize that picking individual books to read is an individual choice. Getting triggered by the content in a book is kind of the risk we take, especially with how popular dark themes are in all genres now!