Good Beginnings

Hello and welcome to my end-of-month newsletter blog post!

You can read last month’s newsletter here.

Following the very loose pattern I decided to set, these posts are a chance for me to update you on my writing projects and/or write about one of the things I love: Stories. Specifically for this month (if you couldn’t tell from the post’s title), good beginnings.

I love a good beginning.

There are so many different styles and story elements that authors use at their story’s beginning to make them unique, memorable, and inviting so the reader will turn the page and keep reading.

Those three traits seem to be pretty universal across the genres. A story’s beginning (arguably the whole thing, but the beginning especially) needs to be unique, memorable, and inviting.

If the story is not unique, it won’t stand out from the rest of the many stories all around it. For a story to succeed, it can’t be a carbon copy of what has come before it.

If the story is not memorable, then it doesn’t make enough of an impression on the reader for them to remember it later. They might read the book, but they won’t likely reread it or tell their friends and family about it after they’ve gotten to the end.

If the story is not inviting to the reader, there will be no real reason for them to turn the page and keep going. Oh sure, you’ll always have people who feel obligated to finish a book once they’ve started it, regardless of their interest in it (guilty as charged), but most people want to spend their time reading something they actually want to read!

Yes, there’s a lot riding on a story’s beginning—whether it’s a stand-alone novel or the start of a sprawling series. But when it’s done well, the beginning is, well, just the beginning of the many places a reader can go… Wow, that sounds awfully Dr. Suess-esque.

My personal favorite?

I won’t say no to a gripping flashback from years before the start of the story proper. Maybe it’s a scene from the aftermath of a great battle… Maybe the hero and villain from ages past locked in mortal combat or quiet conversation—hinting at the unending nature of the conflict that will carry on to the main protagonist’s time and place… Maybe an Easter egg or two for subsequent books later on in the series…

That all sounds lovely.

What’s happening here in January and February?

The beginning of 2025 has been rather productive! Writing projects have been going well, and I’m pleased with the progress so far. I’ve also updated the website’s design a bit, feel free to take a look around after reading this post.

Updates include:

• You can stay up-to-date with how my projects are coming along in their various stages of development with fancy new progress bars! I update these bad boys at the beginning of every week. (See below)
• The Reading Corner is now live! Head on over to find books you might be interested in adding to your TBR pile.
• I’ve added categories to the blog’s main page, meaning you can find past posts, short stories, and more with ease!
• I’ve created a Tales of Minz series landing page! You’ll find everything currently available from my whimsical fantasy series, including NEW short stories—keep an eye on your inbox, a new short story set in the world of Minz is coming out each month in 2025! Read the first one here.

Until next time,

Al

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Fancy New Progress Bars