Young Writers Society

I've been trying to buckle down and get chapter one finished of Red Rimmed (my novel) but I can't seem to get the story to flow without giving too much away too quickly!

Any body who can help please!?

-Clarity

Just write it out and see where it takes you the first time. You'll edit it later. But in order to edit, you have to have something written down. You might surprise yourself with what comes out.

If you're working with more of a mystery plot and things really can't be given away too early, ask yourself "why doesn't this information show up earlier?" That is a key question to ask because it gives you a reason you can go against whenever key plot points you're withholding.

Normally, I advocate holding back a lot of elements about the characters, backstory, setting, ect because those things often don't need to be too early. My rule of thumb is: wait until a question comes up about whatever it is. Once a question comes up, only answer that question.

The problem with a mystery is, lots of questions show up. Which means planning out when you give your answers and when you give your clues. It can be a pretty fine balancing act and one that's incredibly frustrating (trust me. I know), but eventually you dial in to the right amount of info, when.

Hope this helps.

Thankyou!:)

I know it can also be useful if you're trying to work on holding back information is to fill up some of that space with description. If the audience is waiting for an answer to something, some extra description will only build the suspense.