Inspired Openings: Let Your Readers In On Your Plot by Tammar Stein

by Adventures in YA Publishing

Tammar Stein is the author of several books, her newest of which takes a look at how winning the lottery can change, and drastically effect your life. SPOILS comes out tomorrow and we are so happy to have Tammar here today!

Let Your Readers In On Your Plot by Tammar Stein

When I was working on my first novel, LIGHT YEARS, I remember thinking that the action and intensity really kicked into gear around page 50. I immediately had the sinking realization that most readers wouldn’t still be reading by then. At that point, the entire novel had been written, re-written, revised, and re-read until I could practically recite it verbatim. Those first 50 pages were necessary to the arc of the story, I couldn’t just cut them out. I was stumped.

I looked to the masters. Not every book starts with a bang, what did other writers do? For some reason, ROMEO AND JULIET popped into my mind. Shakespeare tells us from the beginning that something terrible will happen, that our young lovers will die. And somehow, knowing that from the start creates this excruciating tension that carriers you glued to the edge of your seat for the whole play.

Shakespeare gave me my answer. I told the readers what would happen, the terrible event that would occur about three-quarters of the way through the story. Then I had them. They now had the faith to stick with me through those necessary 50 pages, trusting me that the story would heat up.

I’ve kept that tool in my writer’s arsenal. In my latest novel, SPOILS, I let readers glimpse the Kohn family’s recent past, when following their Powerball Lottery win, the money was rolling and the spending was unhinged. (First line: My parents bought me a dolphin when I was twelve, but I made them take her back.) Then a quick punch to the present, when the money is all gone, despair and destitution have arrived and everything is about to go from bad to worse. I let readers see the troubled waters ahead before we push off in our little canoe in a placid stream. My readers know that the calm waters won’t last and they read on.

ROMEO AND JULIET

By William Shakespeare

ACT I

PROLOGUE

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.

The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,

And the continuance of their parents’ rage,

Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,

Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;

The which if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

About The Author

Tammar Stein is the award-winning author of the novels, LIGHT YEARS, HIGH DIVE, KINDRED, DEBTS, and SPOILS. Her latest release, SPOILS, was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month. In conjunction with SPOILS’ release, DEBTS is on sale for only $1.99.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

About The Book

When Leni’s family hit the lottery, life got . . . well, strange. Leni’s parents built a mansion fit for royalty; they enrolled their daughter in the fanciest, most expensive private school in Florida; and they even bought Leni a dolphin for her 12th birthday (she made them take it back). But all of that extravagant living has caught up with them and the lottery money is about to run out—except for the large trust fund Leni will inherit on her 18th birthday, now only a week away. Leni is prepared to give her parents the money until her sister, Natasha, confesses a shocking secret—one that threatens to destroy their entire family. Leni has been ordered to fix it, but how?

Amazon | IndieBound | Goodreads

Adventures in YA Publishing

This is the user name for posts from Adventures in YA Publishing that did not have a specific author.

Post © Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Dec 9, 2013

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Inspired Openings

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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