Sphere of Influence

I saw Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter (who is also a writer) on the Today Show this past week promoting her new book. Two takeaways: a) she struggles with the first 50 pages of any new novel and b) she doesn't read fiction while writing a book as it 'distracts' her from giving her all in her own characters.

Interesting.

I can relate to A. So many nights, I lay awake trying to rethink my first pages. I know it is seriously flawed, but I can't figure out how to better it. Eventually, when I will submit the manuscript to agents, I will need to fix it. How am I to acquire an agent - or an audience for that matter - without an engaging beginning?

Regarding B, I've been doing the exact opposite. Perhaps it is because I'm a newbie, but I find going back to authors and novels I've loved to be very helpful. I pick up on techniques that bypassed me as a reader and see where they have succeeded and I failed.

Last night I picked up a book by Gaelen Foley: "Devil Takes a Bride." ALL of Foley's books are amazingly well written and her story lines are always unique. And this is one of my favorites. Rereading the first few chapters, she does an exceptional job of creating mood and characters and early tension between the hero and heroine. Her writing is detailed and intricate yet light enough to draw in readers. I'm still chugging along, writing to progress the forward motion of the book, but I can sense a shift in tone in my own writing already. Kind of. Sort of.