A questions for short story writers

[ksmith]

...especially if you write novels as well...

Do you sit down and start that first paragraph, that first scene, is your approach different depending on whether it's part of a novel or a shorter work?

I'm about 4-5 pages into Incident, and I find myself weighing every word and trying to fit every hint and shade into the first few paragraphs. This is going to be a longer short work, 10K or more, so I have a little room to maneuver. And I want to allude to Jani's backstory and meanwhile, the plot itself is happening.

Just wondering.

Comments

[mt-yvr.livejournal.com]

Julie's said this, and I've found I agree... just start. At some point the beginning can evolve - if you don't automatically have it. Otherwise you can get caught up in finding that right opening... for a whole novel's worth of writing.

For myself I sometimes like to think that there will be a prelude and I write from the stance that "it'll all get taken care of later". It makes it easier to get off the block.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Julie is Wise.