Okay, now we are getting into the writing – finally!
This spread will get your creative juices flowing, give you some amazing ideas for how to start your very first scene (or in our case, the first page) and what conflict your characters are facing. Each scene or chapter needs its own conflict – which can be tricky to write (at least for me) so pulling 1-2 cards for each scene to work out the problem can help save you from getting stuck halfway through a draft.
I pulled cards to answer my 5 questions…I feel like Paige is doing something slightly secretive, it’s nighttime and her intuition is coming into play. I think her motivation is to protect itself, help her make a difficult decision – or figure out two sides of an issue. I see the overall conflict of this scene is Heidi, our love interest, but it’s also saying that Paige is overcoming some fears and dealing with unconscious desires.
The other person in this scene is her Dad. He’s feeling confident and normal – even social and is happy seeing his daughter grow up and become a woman. This all tells me that the very first scene happens before the Mom is arrested. They are in the status quo of a happy existence right now, unaware that tomorrow (?) that the world will come crashing down around them.
Exciting place to be before we get to the Muddy Middle – which is next week’s spread.
Here is my very rough, right out of my brain first draft using these cards as inspiration. Let me know what you think in the comments below or email me and this weekend let’s have a conversation on Instagram about beginnings and what I can do to make the first draft even better. Yes, that’s right – for the next three weeks you get to help me rewrite and edit what I actually put on the page.
Seriously, I’m so giddy about all of this right now, I can barely stand it. Okay, let’s get into it!!
The Beginning (1st Draft)
I could still taste her strawberry lip gloss as I walked down the boardwalk toward our house. I wasn’t in any hurry to rush home, but my curfew was just minutes away. Turning around, I searched for her, but she was long gone. She did say her car was parked just a few feet down the beach. She was probably half way home already.
I wasn’t expecting to kiss someone today, but she had been so funny. And that crooked smile.
Last year I was all about Troy, and then Devin, but Heidi was something else. For one thing, she had to be at least 5 years older than I was. She mentioned a job in the morning and seemed quite serious about it – so it couldn’t have been just some shop along the boardwalk like me.
Dad was sitting on our small porch, reading a book, the little book light on top illuminating the page he was on. He was in the rocker that we had purchased for Mom that past Christmas, slowing going back and forth as he read, finger on the page of an actual book even though his Kindle was sitting next to him on the little table. He glanced at his watch, then up at me.
“Cutting it close, huh Paige?” he asked with a smile.
“I know, sorry. Lost all track of time,” I said and sat in the small non rocking chair that was on the other end of the porch. Our house faced the beach and I could hear the waves before I saw them crashing under the moonlight.
“Anyone in particular making you lose track?” he smiled. He knew me well, but since this was so new and I still wasn’t sure what was happening I didn’t want to answer him. I had never kissed a girl before. I had found them cute before, that sensation wasn’t new but I had never acted upon those feelings before.
“Maybe,” I said bowing my head so he wouldn’t see me blush and maybe he would stop asking me questions. He was in a good mood though. “How was work?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Really good, we closed a deal to help build a new eco friendly office space downtown.”
“Nice,” I said standing up to go in for the night, “Congrats, Dad.”
“Thanks. Be quiet going in, your Mom came home in a funky mood and went right to bed,” he said and put out his hand for mine.
I held his hand and smiled. I thought about Heidi holding my hand just moments earlier, while we starred up and discussed the full moon. We talked about our sun signs and giggled while we talked about the favorite things to do at night. Dad squeezed my hand and brought me back to the present moment.
“Is she okay?” I asked, bringing it back to Mom.
“She just seemed kind of sad, but didn’t want to talk about it. I’m hoping a good night’s sleep will help.” He kissed the top of my hand and dropped it. I walked into the quiet house and made my way to my bedroom. Passing Mom and dad’s room, I could hear Mom softly snoring.
Keep reading — Stuck in the Middle With YOU can be found HERE
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