Body on Page 1, Meet in the First 3 Pages
Body on Page 1 is a "Mystery Genre Rule" to make sure your reader is hooked. "Meet in the First 3 Pages" is a "Romance Genre Rule." Naturally a lot of people break these rules, but the thing to keep in mind is that the readers want a mystery or romance, so that could hook them fastest in a particular genre. Like explosions in a thriller.
Heart Secret's proposal is due April 1 and I felt I needed to write only one scene to finish the first three chapters. Then I started thinking of the "meet." Sometimes I tend to delay the meet, sometimes my h/h meet then go their separate ways...
In Chapter 1 I introduce you to them individually -- Laev and Camellia, then I had a scene with Camellia, then Laev...and before I knew it I was looking at Chapter 4 to meet. This didn't feel right to me, so I've gone back and set up TWO meets that the readers will know about. Now I'm in the middle of Chapter 2 and it's time...and I began in Laev's POV and have decided that it should be in Camellia's.
Part of the problem is that I've been going back and forth about whether Camellia knows that Laev is her HeartMate. Lately the female knowing the guy is her HeartMate when he is clueless (or discovering it earlier) has happened in the books. OTOH, the conflict is deepened, I think, if she knows he's her HeartMate (and that, of course, is the answer itself. If the conflict is deepened that's what I should go for, but I'm thinking of the overall series and readers tiring of women knowing first...hmm, maybe I should make a chart).
Anyway, the meet will be in Chapter 2, so at least I am happy with that.
May your work go smoothly today.
Robin
Heart Secret's proposal is due April 1 and I felt I needed to write only one scene to finish the first three chapters. Then I started thinking of the "meet." Sometimes I tend to delay the meet, sometimes my h/h meet then go their separate ways...
In Chapter 1 I introduce you to them individually -- Laev and Camellia, then I had a scene with Camellia, then Laev...and before I knew it I was looking at Chapter 4 to meet. This didn't feel right to me, so I've gone back and set up TWO meets that the readers will know about. Now I'm in the middle of Chapter 2 and it's time...and I began in Laev's POV and have decided that it should be in Camellia's.
Part of the problem is that I've been going back and forth about whether Camellia knows that Laev is her HeartMate. Lately the female knowing the guy is her HeartMate when he is clueless (or discovering it earlier) has happened in the books. OTOH, the conflict is deepened, I think, if she knows he's her HeartMate (and that, of course, is the answer itself. If the conflict is deepened that's what I should go for, but I'm thinking of the overall series and readers tiring of women knowing first...hmm, maybe I should make a chart).
Anyway, the meet will be in Chapter 2, so at least I am happy with that.
May your work go smoothly today.
Robin
posted by FantasyAuthor RobinDOwens | 7:16 AM
3 Comments:
Robin, I have enjoyed reading your blog for some time now, but have been a bit of a lurker. This topic though has not only brought me out of lurk-mode, it's tickled something that has inspired me to start writing again! It's been about a years hiatus, but now, my H/H's have started jabbering at me once more! Thank you so much for your inspiration as well as your fantastic Heart series!
Robin...I kind of like the hero knowing first....the male perspective to knowing his heart mate (esp if he isn't READY or she's revolted by him, lol)
Nesleina, GO GIRL! What a wonderful compliment.
Thanks Lacey, this time the heroine knows but refuses to admit it even to herself. Right now I'm not sure when Laev is going to figure out that Camellia is his HeartMate.
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