Tag: Writing Advice

January 15, 2026 / Elise Carlson / 0 Comments

I think THE most important advice for writers is ‘do what works for you.’ This is ESPECIALLY true for neurodivergent and or chronically ill writers. Standard writing advice is oblivious to the impact of brain fog, and cognitive or sensory overload. It doesn’t understand the need for things to go according to THE PLAN. Or the epic struggle to FOCUS. And in managing all of this, there’s the challenge of balancing the desire to write with the NEED to rest, pace yourself and avoid burnout. In this blog I’ll unpack things I think its important for neurodivergent and chronically ill writers to consider, when setting up a needs fulfilling writing environment and developing writing habits. With some considerations for working with beta readers, editors and writing neurodivergent characters.

Sensory & Cognitive Needs and Writing Routine

Getting Your Environment Ready to Write:
Physically Enabling Set Up

I barely recall the last time I wrote at my desk. Sitting upright, with my feet on the ground, is draining for my Fibro. I only last so long before I need to slump (and a desk chair doesn’t really let me.) So I’m writing this blog while sitting on the couch, where I can easily lean back for posture support, and lean on armrests on both sides when I want to (one folds up when not wanted). And when fatigue kicks in; it reclines so I can put my feet up.

The other advantage of a couch is it doesn’t involve the bad or strained posture of lying in bed. I tried writing in bed with long covid. But my fatigue needed me to lie back, only a little propped up by pillows. Pillow propping was haphazard for my posture. And reaching the keyboard and holding my hands over it to type became a strain, and added to my fatigue.

So the thing that really enables better back support and posture for me is a lap desk. I’m tall, so I need to raise my laptop well above lap level to not get a sore neck. I also like having my ergonomic mouse and keyboard (necessities for my carpel tunnel) on the lap desk, and can even jam a plate for food on there, so I’m good to go!

Enabling Your Body to Write

Depending on your stamina, and bearing in mind what supports good posture; where is it best for you to write? Which chair has the best back support? Do you need armrests? Or to put your feet up? Do your monitor and keyboard sit at a comfortable, good posture height?

Another thing to consider if you struggle with stamina/ fatigue is having things you will need over the next few hours within reach. Eg. a bottle of water/ large glass and a meal/ snacks near to hand. And anything you need to refer to for writing; handwritten notes, maps, diagrams etc.

When I struggle with fatigue, the worst thing is having to get up for something I forgot, because its such a relief to sit and such a strain to get up again. So try and have every physical item you may need within reach before you sit.

Getting Your Environment Ready to Write:
Sensory Needs

Do you focus better with ambient noise like an open window, to hear wind blow through trees and bird calls? How about audio of a thunder storm? If you need more stimulation, do you prefer instrumental music? Enough to get your brain producing dopamine and the creative juices flowing, but no lyrics to distract you? Or do you need noise cancelling headphones to write in silence?

Also consider computer/ desk placement. Should you write facing a blank wall? Will you get distracted sitting opposite or near a window? Or will watching the occasional person walk past keep you entertained for mini mental breaks, on which you may otherwise become side tracked?

Do you prefer a bright ceiling light when writing at night, or the soft glow of a desk lamp? Are you likely to feel otherwise under stimulated while writing or editing? (I just picked up a fidget to keep me sufficiently stimulated and help me stay focused on editing this blog.)

In other words, for audio and visual input; which kinds of sensory information distract or help you focus? Which are comfortable or don’t feel right? Take them all into account when setting up/ tweaking your writing space! And choosing a location. I know some ADHD writers who write better at cafes or in the local library than at their house, where chores and other distractions nag at them.

Getting your Brain Ready to Write: Cognitive Needs & Routine

I can sit down ‘to write’ for three to five hours, even the entire day, and not write. I have ADHD. My brain doesn’t naturally produce enough dopamine, so I struggle to focus. My ‘writing routine’ tends to begin the day before, by going out for the day, or spending too much time on social media, and exercising. All of that ‘gets my fidgets out’ and settles me. Its also best if I read a book or watch a show in my genre, to get my brain in writing mode.

On writing day, I likely mess about on social media for one to three hours. No, its not ‘procrastinating.’ Again, its getting restlessness out, stimulating my brain and getting dopamine going, so I can concentrate. I may also write a newsletter or blog first, to get properly into writing mode, (especially when I haven’t written for weeks, even months, which is often.) Hell, I may go wild and actually take my ADHD meds!

Before you sit down to write, consider; what physical or mental activities get your body settled and brain into ‘the writing zone’? What do you need to do the day before and day of, to help your brain co-operate? When do you need to schedule rest, so you’ve got the physical and mental energy to write?

Minimise Distraction & Cognitive Overload

Household Chores

Before we talk about sitting down to write; what gets in your way cognitively? I struggle to focus if the room is cluttered, and my leather couch or carpet has crumbs on it. I can’t focus on a screen and words when the floor and furniture are screaming at me. It doesn’t work. Related, that washing will stay in the machine overnight, if I don’t hand it out before writing, because I will forget! Or I won’t focus properly on writing because too much of my brain is straining to remember.

So consider; do you need your space tidy and clean before you can focus? Do you find it easier to focus after the chores are done? Or are some physical chores a good break activity when you get restless mid-writing session?

Freeing Up Cognitive Load So You Can Write

The best time for me to work on my novels is after I finish and publish my blog for the month. Every second month, its also after I’ve fully drafted -if not sent out- my author newsletter. That’s because I tend to have both partially drafted in my head, which takes up brain power I then can’t use on my novel. So getting the blog and newsletter done first frees up space/ lightens my cognitive load.

Similarly, if I need to organise a social thing, or tradies to repair something in the house or something else that isn’t part of my daily routine; that needs doing first. Either because it will distract me from writing, or because I’ll forget to do the thing, or because the sense of having forgotten something will distract me from writing.

ONE Big Project at Once

I’m also prone to monotropic thinking, meaning my brain does best tackling only ONE big thing at once. For example, I’m currently preparing to attend a book fair and I have to order stuff, and print signs and prepare my stall; so now is NOT a good time to write. I need to know all of the stuff I want to get, order things that take time to arrive, and decide which day/ date to finish preparation, so I don’t leave it until too late. When I’m feeling calmer and less under pressure from having achieved all that, then I’ll be in the right state of mind -cognitive load sufficiently freed up- to focus on writing.

What Frees Up Your Cognitive Load, and Focus?

Do you find yourself choosing between doing one thing properly, or multiple things while half paying attention, and not very well? Is it easy to make mistakes, and miss things when you multi task? Does it stress you out, or require lots of effort/ energy? Do you also lean towards monotropism? And if so, can you plan your life to not do a second big cognitive overload thing on the same day/ week as writing ? If not and you struggle to get any writing done; don’t beat yourself up! You’ve got a lot on your mind!

Be Realistic and Kind To Yourself

My writing schedule involves not working on novels for weeks, even months while I organise paperbacks, attending a book fair, do work things, promote books and attend to life stuff. I can’t multi task those things properly AND simultaneously, so I try to start some things early. They take as long as they take, and I get to one big thing when I finish the big thing before it. It’s slow, and always takes longer than I want. But it does things to the best standard and its the least stressful, least cognitive overload, least error prone method to get anything done. So I stick to it for as many things as I can.

I remind myself that while I prefer to publish my blog by the 5th of each month and today is the 14th; I’ve never committed to having my blog up by a certain date. Its not like I’m putting anyone out or confusing them. I’m just not meeting a personal deadline/ not sticking to THE PLAN. It’s not what I’d choose if I could magically make stuff be the way I want it too, but its ok.

Again, I’m saying ‘don’t beat yourself up.’ But I’m also saying, use your autistic logic to convince your autism that its OK that you didn’t stick to THE PLAN, because the plan wasn’t realistic (which I have to do A LOT!)

Write When You Can

When to Write

Common writing advice is ‘write everyday.’ I hate that advice, because its ableist. I used to teach five days a week. I could not hold all of my students learning needs, the content of sixteen curriculum areas, and effective teaching and classroom management pedagogy, and all key dates and deadlines in my head, AND my world building, characters, character arcs, plot and what just happened and what to write next in my novel. It’s TOO MUCH/ cognitive overload.

I’ve never tried to write daily. I don’t write on days I teach. I schedule writing time on days when it WON’T be cognitive overload. Sundays used to work best, after a day of rest on Saturday.

So when trying to set up a regular routine of which days of the week/ month your write; consider which days your brain will be most crowded and your cognitive load heaviest. Try to choose days when your brain is likely to be overloaded with other stuff. If consistency or habit is the key; every Sunday is fine.

When NOT to Write

Much harder can be knowing when not to write. I knew for years that teaching days were cognitive overload days, but it can be harder to know when you’re too tired, or too sick. And sometimes you just want things DONE. (This impacts both my ADHD working till stupid o’clock to be finished, and my autism wanting to achieve THE PLAN.)

But sometimes writing or editing is worse than not doing either. An extreme case in point, is when I put down my novel for around seven months in 2022. I had long covid, and my brain fog was BAD, as was my memory. I knew that all I would achieve was creating consistency errors and adding a million typos to a book that needed mostly just needed proof reading. So I spent WEEKS wanting edit, and not touching Secrets of the Sorcery War. I didn’t do the final edit until it wasn’t HARD/ EXHAUSTING or even too tired anymore.

If you feel like doing something bookish but are struggling to write, maybe just re-read and make some edit notes. Or brainstorm ideas for future scenes. Write a short tory or a poem instead.

DON’T force yourself to write. If I’m telling myself I should do x, it normally means I‘m too fatigued. I’m not on social media because I’m being lazy; I’m on social media because that’s the most cognitively taxing thing I can manage at that time. And that’s ok.

Set Realistic (and flexible!) Writing Goals

With ADHD, I might have the whole day free to ‘focus on writing.’ My goal may be to spend 3-4 hours writing. Or to write or edit one to three chapters. However you find most effective to measure your goal (by word count, chapter, time period etc), being realistic is important. We don’t want RSD types beating themself up if they fail to meet the goal and autistic writers unsettled because the goal is THE PLAN, and the THE PLAN not happening is unsettling. Or ADHDers thinking at 1am, “Oh dear! I didn’t do the plan. I’ll just stay up till 4am and binge write to finish it.” (Yes, I’ve done option 2 and 3 MANY times.)

So try and set a goal that takes into account how much brain power, focus, energy and time you have that day. Consider setting a goal for the week, fortnight or month (especially if you’re chronically ill and struggling to keep your fatigue levels down.)

With flexible goals like my goal to finish a round of edits by the end of this month *crosses fingers!*, you don’t need to beat yourself up for not writing on days other stuff came up. You don’t have to worry about forcing yourself when you’re not up to writing. You’re setting yourself up to make the most of days where your body is in good shape, your brain is on board and you can make progress. And you -ideally- have days to spare, relax/ rest. for ‘life’ to happen.

When To Take Breaks

I used to write for around three to four hours straight. I’d want to write longer, but I’d get to a point where everything I recall about the story start melts out of my ears. I now know this is ‘cognitive overload’. Its a point where my brain can neither take in nor hold onto information. It used to be my cue to take a break.

I’m guessing neurotypical writers take breaks because they feel tired, not because their capacity to cognitively function is failing. I know this is HARD if you’re an autistic person who doesn’t think to take pain killers unless someone hit you in the head with a shovel. (I exaggerate, but we can be terrible at noticing how much pain, hunger or thirst we’re experiencing.) Or if you’re so hyper focused, or ADHD distracted that you don’t have a clue what your body is feeling.

But try to notice when your eyes get tired. When your posture slumps in your hair. Be on the look out for when you want to keep re-reading, because you don’t have the energy to write or edit new things. Try and notice when your thoughts get blurred, or you’re starting to have trouble keeping track of things within the story. If you’re prone to not notice hunger or thirst; know when you last ate a meal. Keep an eye on the clock. If its been a few hours; its probably time for a break!

Cognitive Needs: Writing Process

You may likes to plan and organise and make and compare story notes. You may be terrified of a blank page and need a chapter by chapter outline to populate that page with words. Or you may need only a vague idea in your head and off you go, pantsing all the way! Or something in between.

When it comes to writing process; what does your brain need to enable it to construct a story on a page? Some character/ world building/ plot notes written down? Notes in your head? Vague ideas?

If scenes come to you at random and you want to write out of order; do it! You need to keep re-reading because you’re making it up as you go along and otherwise forget where the story is going? Do it! If you’re a perfectionist who gets hung up on word choices and who will spend hours line editing a scene you’re later going to delete; DON’T edit as you go. As with writing, when editing; find what process works for you and your brain!

Cognitive Needs: Editing

If you have autism or ADHD, or are prone to brain fog or have any cognitive challenge, I very much think editing every single aspect of your writing is a recipe for cognitive overload. I strongly discourage you from editing every aspect of your writing at once. Though which elements of the writing it works for you to edit together or separately and when will vary.

I find my first and second drafts are about fully developing the characters and plot. Draft three tends to add depth to characters and character relationships/ interactions. Details that bore me and are info overload on top of characters and plot, like scenic description, dialog tags showing character emotion etc, come in a separate round of edits. I do a separate edit for consistency errors, eg. noticing that I said Amon was from Bellaria in chapter 4, and from Terriah in chapter 15.

Proof reading (which may include sentence level edits, eg. breaking long sentences into shorter ones) is my final ‘edit’ of the whole text. Then I check chapter numbering, because my other edits tend to delete, merge or add multiple chapters and fixing chapter numbering while restructuring chapters is cognitive overload. So I leave it till last to check there’s only one chapter 16, not three, and there is in fact a chapter 15. (Yes; edits of Walking the Knife’s Edge had exactly that problem!)

Which details are info overload, or may bore you and slow you down? What can you edit as you go, which things do you need to edit for separately, and what needs editing last for you?

Neurotypical VS. Neurodivergent Betas & Editors

Once you’ve done the writing, I hope you’re seeking feedback to help you get out of your head and view your story from the perspective of a reader who knows nothing about your characters or story world. This is where, as a neurodivergent writer, you can hit some snags.

I’ve had a few beta readers tell me there’s ‘too much internalisation.’ That “real people don’t think so much”. They “talk more and show their feelings more by their actions in the scene”.

The disconnect is the beta readers in question were neurotypical and they were speaking about ‘real neurotypical people.’ Whereas my main characters tend to be neurodivergent. My ADHDers will naturally notice loads of things and make lots of connections in their heads, faster than they can talk.

My autistic characters (a few in Ruarnon Trilogy are AuDHD) do similar, and logically make additional connections. Then they’ll draw upon their observations and logical deductions, and draw conclusions. And they will rehearse conversations in their heads before saying things out loud. This is because I as a neurotypical person do all of the above, so that is the kind of autistic and ADHD person I tend to write.

Neurodivergent Presentation

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying, “Discard all advice from neurotypical betas or editors about ND character rep.” I found, with my first neurotypical beta reader, that Ruarnon could be themself a bit more with their actions and what they said in the scene. And those edits were likely more satisfying for neurotypical readers.

But in some cases your character will not say what they think, or show their feelings openly. For example, my main character in Sythe Series, Rarkin, is traumatised, autistic, emotionally repressed, untrusting, and DOES NOT want to display his feelings or discuss his worries with anyone he doesn’t trust with his life. (I love writing Rarkin; he’s got so much room for growth!)

In a lot of situations, writing Rarkin doing anything other than crossing his arms and glaring, or physically tensing would be writing him inauthentically. The only way to understand the insecurities he’d rather die than talk about, his darkest fears, deepest worries etc is to write him in first person, and narrate his thoughts. Its crucial to representing him authentically. Again, he’s not inclined to just share his observations, connections or conclusions about things that don’t add up in his work for Sythe. And those observations are plot-relevant and need narration. Narrating his thoughts is crucial.

Which thoughts won’t your main character say out loud and why? What feelings may they hesitate to show? When? In other words; when does authentic rep require you to narrate your characters thoughts?

Show Don’t Tell. Or tell?

A neurotypical writer saying, “Show your characters feelings on the page” may be the common (in my opinion too often uncritically applied) advice ‘show don’t tell.’ You may receive the advice, “Don’t tell us your main character is autistic, show it!”

I’m all for showing it. That’s part of giving neurotypical readers insight into life as an autistic, ADHD, anxious etc person. Its part of the power of empathy reading can build. But when it comes to your character’s identity; remember that ignorance, personal experience and related reader bias can come into play.

I once had a review saying Ruarnon’s nonbinary rep could be ‘more subtle.’ True, but why would I aim for subtlety when that would create enormous space for cis readers to cis-wash my nonbinary character? What’s the point of writing a diverse character if you’re going to let people deny that character’s identity? Whether because of ignorance, or they’ve never met a person like that, or they haven’t recognised meeting people with that identity, or because of bigotry; I tend to explicitly state character neurodivergent and queer identities. (Both of which have alternate world names in Sythe Series).

I’m not going to be so presumptuous as to tell you how to write identities (even if its one we share). But I mention the above as I think considering the possibility of people, out of ignorance or prejudice, erasing character identities, is something authors need to be mindful of, especially given the politicisation of some identities in politics and the media.

Showing Feelings Resource

Where it is appropriate to have your character outwardly showing how they feel, and like me you’re artistically oblivious to posture, gestures, facial expressions etc associated with that feeling; get the Emotion Thesaurus. It will help you write external showing of a range of emotions to other characters, and describe sensations inside the body that -if you’re like me- you’ll also be oblivious too. In other words, its a great tool to help you show emotions, especially your own awareness of how those emotions present is limited.

I Think I’m Neurodivergent

Engaging Readers (of your novel)

Writing Neurodivergent & Disabled Characters

Chronically Ill & Neurodiverse Guide to Protests

Low Spoons Travel With Autism & Chronic Illness

Engaging Readers (of Your Novel)

August 15, 2024 / Elise Carlson / 0 Comments

I’ve had a few reading experiences where I felt pushed out of the story. Where story ideas were interesting and I wanted to sink my teeth in, but the way the writer told the story and wrote the characters kept pushing me back to arm’s length (or further). So this blog aims to give examples of ways you can let your reader access your characters emotionally, logically, and enable the reader to properly join your characters on the journey your story takes them on. It aims to get you thinking about engaging readers more deeply in your story.

I’ll given advice on positioning your readers so they aren’t chasing after your characters asking, ‘WHAT?’ ‘WHY?’ and so your readers don’t find your characters every action unconvincing. I’ll try to help you show your reader how your characters feel, think and are developing. And to foreshadow events and build your story into a journey on which it makes and keeps satisfying promises to the reader.

Ground Zero

Characters & Status

There are a few simple ways to let the reader truly see and get to know your characters. First: show their emotions. Don’t only let the reader know what your character says to their boss. They can’t be their entirely honest, true self to the boss, they’ll be constrained by professionalism, their ambitions in their workplace, job insecurity, workplace politics etc.

So have your main character spend some time with a friend/ partner/ family member they trust, and can be completely honest with (throughout the novel –when possible). What your character shares of their thoughts and feelings, and how they express both in the presence of people they trust will show us things we cannot see when your character is at work.

Similarly, where relevant, show how your character interacts with people of higher rank, or possessing different and or greater forms of power (in any relevant setting to your story). Show when and how your character must hold their tongue, or restrain their emotions or reactions, or conform to others expectations because they lack position or power relative to others.

Who is your MC among their equals, their superiors and those less fortunate than themself?
All of those situations can reveal different aspects of your main characters to your reader.

Showing Feelings & Developing Feelings

Thoughts That Heighten Feelings

Don’t have your character make a single comment that suggests to the reader they’re angry, then have them punch someone in the face. Give us some internal thoughts (internally or via dialogue) to show the build up of emotion (unless you’re writing an emotionally unstable or extremely on edge character who goes from zero to ten on the temper scale in two seconds).

Example:

Why was it always Jorgen who got the nasty, most disgusting jobs? The ones that took the most effort and time to complete? While everyone else came in out of the cold early, put their feet up and got an extra serve of meat soup, Jorgen was shovelling shit and shivering in the cold.

The shovel in Jorgen’s hands stilled. He was falling behind in his studies. It was all the extra work. While he groomed the fine stallion nibbling straw opposite him, and mucked out its stables, his older siblings were racing ahead, towards better jobs. As each of them completed their studies and departed to jobs and lives of their choosing, who would be left behind, stuck doing extra chores in a life he increasingly resented?

The shovel fell, as Jorgen roared and charged out of the stables, headless of the horse dung flicking up in his wake.

Non-Verbal Emotion Cues

This is important. A book lacking emotion cues can also keep characters at arms length from the reader. So show characters feelings with nonverbal cues. The way the oldest sibling rolls their eyes dismissively as Jorgen makes his case. The second eldest crossing their arms as they protest that washing up the dishes and foodscraps is also yucky. The way the third sibling eyes the hem of their immaculate clothes, not even bothering to look at Jorgen as they dismiss his protests with the statement ‘everyone does chores.’

Have Jorgen pause his shovel as he realises who’s got the short end of the straw. Have him drop it when he realises everyone’s using him, right now and always. Then have him charge out of the freezing stables and into the warm kitchen, where no one really listens or seems to care about him or his point of view. Then, having emotionally engaged the reader by showing them everyone’s feelings along the way, when Jorgen’s most arrogant sibling tells him “we all do things we don’t like, suck it up” the reader will totally understand why Jorgen punches the arrogant snot in the face (and quite possibly cheers him on as he does so).

Side Character Agenda

Don’t reserve agendas for the MC and major players in the plot. While the agents of the Intergalactic Police confront a crime wave of chemical weapon sales (and potential attacks), you can still have the MC’s little brother searching for his missing cat. Why knows, maybe the cat is onto something, and in finding the cat, the little brother will lead their older agent sibling to a major clue in locating the lab that produces the illegal weapons, bringing him that much closer to said criminals and shutting down their illegal trade?

Giving your side characters goals gives them the opportunity to grow and develop independently of the role they play in helping your MC. By giving them a life outside of the MC’s bidding, and in making side character’s more fully rounded people, you make your story richer, more authentic and a more enjoyable experience for readers.

Character Internal Development

Please be very aware of the emotional and mental state in which your MC (and supporting cast) begin the story. Of the skills they possess, their social and technological and any other relevant competencies they have. Be aware of how these things and their relationships with other characters grow and change for the MC (and supporting cast) to achieve goals and solve the story problem.

Track these things throughout the story (especially when editing, if like me you’re a pantser). This isn’t just to show the reader how your character strives to change for the better or to strengthen their relationships to the solve the plot problem. Its not just about positioning the reader to share the character’s inner journey and cheer them on and provide the reader with a sense of payoff when the characters finally succeed in their goals. Showing the reader how characters and relationships develop also helps you avoid sudden, unexplained leaps in confidence and ability. Sudden changes (even inconsistencies) in character can confuse the reader, make characters seem implausible to them and ultimately pull the reader out of the story.

Story Foreshadowing & Tension

If you’re writing SFF, Thriller, Crime or Historical in particular, and don’t bother much with foreshadowing —you are killing your story’s tension. As a reader, I want to know what could happen next. My favourite authors, like Robert Jordan and Steve Erikson will suggest via world building and character interactions that two different events could unfold. Then they will lead me down a third path I never saw coming and I will love them for it.

But when a writer tells me there’s a spaceship that a side character can repair for everyone to escape in, then at the twelfth hour characters discover a secret tunnel and everyone escapes through it.. I wasn’t expecting that. I had no sense of anticipation, so I couldn’t be satisfied when my anticipation was fulfilled. I didn’t even know that was an option, so I may be initially confused, instead of satisfied by the way a story problem has suddenly and unexpectedly been solved (in a pulling-me-out-of-the-story way).

As a reader of primarily SFF, the bare minimum I want is Granny built a secret tunnel and no one has seen her for months. So when she does appear, having extended her secret tunnel into the prison cell just before everyone’s execution, her appearance doesn’t pull me out of the story. But if you want me to be really excited to see Granny, show me her struggles to dig fast enough. Let me hear her worries the tunnel exit will come out in the wrong place. If you do that alongside characters fretting as they probe a cell with no possibility of escape and the execution is at dawn and the pale grey of first light is creeping across the cell floor like the ax that’s about to chop off their heads… now I’m feeling the tension!

Tracking Foreshadowing

This is also important. Because if you mention Granny vanishing in chapter one, rumours she’s digging a mysterious tunnel no one quite know’s where in chapter six, then she breaks into the cell to save the day in chapter thirty two… by then I forgot this story had a granny. I’ve forgotten where she is and what she’s doing (unless nothing much happened in chapters seven to thirty two).

So when you’re doing a structural edit, take note of how early you show the reader story facts that will be crucial later. Notice how often you remind the reader of those facts. And check in with your critical readers if they recalled those facts, and the foreshadowing did prepare them for what was coming, and help them enjoy it, even if like Jordan and Erikson you manage to take the story down that third path, making a use of those facts beyond your readers anticipation.

Character Foreshadowing

This is something I’ve enjoyed in films in the last decade or so. I’m noticing more films where a side character has what seems to be a random hobby, and that interest or skill turns out to be crucial to assisting the MC in the finale. So again, if you have side or unlikely characters playing crucial roles in the end, track when and how often you incidentally remind the reader of their skills/ knowledge. When it helps the MC save the day, you want the reader to feel rewarded for paying attention and not pulled out of the story by a side character doing something they didn’t realise the side character could do.

Third Party Development In Stories

This might be an organisation in a contemporary or historical story, or a city, race or empire in SFF. As with your side characters, be wary of under-developing your third parties. I don’t just want to know Sarah’s Sewing repairs clothes. I’d like to know she has access to rare and expensive fabrics no other seamstress has, which may have come from the black market.

As a reader of my own book, I wouldn’t be satisfied if the book just showed the Zaldeans as toxically masculine warmongers. Given that the lead warmongers betray their peace-loving king by trying to manipulate him to war; I want to know what drives them. What does war give them other than the promise of glory? It gives them the opportunity for governorships —political power, and personal estates —wealth. It gives middle ranking men the chance to trade with new markets, where their goods are rarer, and they can charge more and make more money.

Don’t just tell me what the head of the third party/ organisation/ country wants. Show me what’s in it for everyone. Show me what lengths these contagonists or antagonists are prepared to go to, to further their own goals. Show me why its so important to them to achieve their goals.

Why? Because letting me as the reader see what drives the baddies and the characters who get in the way as well as I see the ‘goodies’ ramps up tension. It makes me get more emotionally invested in the story.

I confess, I did laugh reading one of Brandon Sanderson’s characters in the Stormlight archives answering the question, ‘How did all this start?’ with something like, “Other people had stuff and we wanted it.” Yes, in war that’s often what it boils down to. But the more layers you give the agendas of characters on all sides of any conflict, the more tension there is, the more emotionally invested the reader is; the more emotional pay off we get when the story problem is resolved!

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9 Tips For The First 5 Pages

November 15, 2020 / Elise Carlson / 0 Comments

Open old book — Photo by John-Mark Smith

Whether you intend to query, and have the first 5-10 pages by the hinge on which a manuscript request hangs, or to self publish and have them the sample chapter that persuades a reader to by; the first five pages carry a lot of weight. Yet as a critical reader, the main advice I’ve given is to delete or rewrite whole paragraphs of them. With so much to set up, it’s easy to focus on “have I covered this bit yet”? in chapter one, as opposed to, am I presenting my main character as relatable, or interesting and about to embark upon a journey on which the reader wishes to accompany them? And do I foreshadow intriguing story problems to come, without distancing my readers with chunks of telling, boring them with info dumps or confusing them with time jumps? To help you reflect upon and edit, or plan and write your opening pages in a clear and engaging way, I’ll unpack 9 reflective questions giving first five pages tips.

What do I Want the Reader to Know About my Setting?

Let’s orient the reader. Let’s show them that the main character is on another planet or it’s the year 1492. I’d try to get at least one clear thing about location and which point in time the story is taking place on the first page. I’d consider doing it while introducing the MC, by thinking about things such as: what technology is your MC using? What clothes are they wearing? If they’re traveling, what is transport like in your era/ world?

Eg. In my second trilogy, my main character has to go through a checkpoint in the stone walls of a city which, until that point, sounds like anywhere in the modern world. Until my MC gazes out the window at the massive, magically shielded fence lining a deserted highway, and expresses his hope to see the monsters it’s designed to keep off the road flying overhead. Having established that my contemporary-sounding novel actually takes place in a fantasy setting, my story moves on, elaborating on world specific details and history bit by bit, later on.

Where is the Best Location to Introduce My MC?

You’ll also want to consider: what’s most important for a reader to know about my main character at the outset? Which personal factors or relationships will impact on my character’s arc? Which factors in my world/ planet, country, government or society’s beliefs impact on my MC’s life or the lives of people they love? In other words, which location is most appropriate to show the deepest desires of my MC’s heart? To show their want or goal, the lie they believe and to hint at the truth and personal flaws they may address along the way? If your external conflict extends beyond your character, I’d consider where can I place my MC to show these things and show the external conflict?

As your MC moves through the opening scene, I’d slip in casual references to what they see, here and do to show your reader the time and place your character is living in.

What Do I Have My MC Do in the Opening Scene?

That depends on what you want to show about them and their world. For example, instead of explaining that Geoff works on a planet being mined for star fuel which powers the galactic empire’s space travel and is under constant threat of meteor strikes, you could have him stub his toe on a large rock, and comment, “Haven’t they finished clearing the meteor strike yet? If the empire doesn’t staff this mine properly soon, we’re going to get buried and they can kiss their precious star fuel goodbye.”

Whatever you have your MC doing -choose a location, action and or dialogue which shows the reader who and where they are. For example, I open my prologue with Prince Ruarnon strolling through the palace of his people’s long-time enemies. As heir to the throne, he wears a mask of calm, posing to enemy servants, officials and enemy guards he’s walking past as the grave-faced ruler he believes he needs to be. He conceals his inner tension -an act and a lie tested by his character arc. He walks, not with friends or family, but with adult body guards, showing that this teen moves in the adult world and struggles with the isolation of it.

What can I have my MC doing to show through their organic reactions in thought, feeling and behaviour, what guides their beliefs? And to foreshadow their role in my story’s external conflict?

Whatever you decide, try not to begin with logistics. If you start with an MC waking up, reader me would quickly lose interest, unless your character’s first move is to insert a re-charged power source into their arm, or let pet bats in to eat giant insects, which have swarmed around the inside ceiling overnight. Have your MC doing something interesting. If you open with them driving somewhere, have them sweating and cursing as they rehearse the conversation in which they will soon try to persuade their spouse to move somewhere the spouse hates, because your MC has a fantastic job opportunity there.

Start with character action or conversation hinting at underlying tensions (in personal relationships or the entire SFF world), or at something being wrong -hint at an interesting story to come.

What can I show through dialogue?

Who are the key people and what are the key relationships in your MC’s life? What is the nature of those relationships? Are they under strain/ impacted by past events or will they undergo change during the MC’s journey? If so, how can you use dialogue, gestures and other actions to indicate the current state of your MC’s key relationship/ relationships in an early scene? You might also like to consider how you can use dialogue to show what’s relatable to readers, or unique and interesting about your MC’s relationships. Is there tension, suspicion or lack of trust beneath the surface? Banter? Do your MC and their significant other anticipate each other’s thoughts and wishes?

What other details do I Want My Reader to Know?

Answers which may leap to mind include showing off the MC’s personality, indicating their background, life experience, education, knowledge and skills or prior learning which will help them tackle the story problem. But before you put ALL of this at once, consider: What is the minimum the reader needs to know at any one point for this scene to make sense?

If page one opens with your main character being yelled at by her office boss and thinking it’s time for a career change, do we need to know right then that she was raised by a single mother? If she meets her mother for coffee after work on page two, and this conversation is the inciting event which inspires her to turn a love of deep sea diving into a career assisting marine archaeologists -maybe. But, if any of the things you want to introduce aren’t relevant to what your MC sees, hears, thinks or feels about whatever they’re responding to in the present scene -now is not the time to mention other stuff -and a paragraph or more about other things is most likely an info dump.

How Much Info Do I Show At Once?

Ideally, as little as possible. Your character comments on a strange crack in the wall, which later turns out (like Dr Who series 6) to be a crack in the universe. Then the scene moves on. Your thieves gather after a heist, one comments that someone is missing, the others decide there’s no time to waste and get out of there. Only later do they learn of the missing member’s body being found and that they have rivals -probably the same people stalking them on their next heist.

Ice cavern in Iceland — An ice cavern in Iceland, 2016. If your MC is walking through here, give an impression of this space, but don’t try to cram the MC’s backstory or the history of the city in the heart of the ice cavern by the time your MC has walked to the far end of this space.

Each time you introduce a little piece of world building via dialogue or what your character observes in the present scene, I would move your character further into the scene or through a location. Have them take in scenery or do the next action, before slipping another piece of world building or backstory in.

Give your reader time to ingest new information.

This is especially true for bringing new characters onto the scene. If possible, stagger their arrivals. Give time and show a unique thing or two the reader can remember them by before bringing the next character/ pairing etc on stage. And don’t have multiple character names starting with the same letter, or similar sounding names- that’s highly likely to position readers to confuse characters.

What does the Reader Need to Know about Backstory?

There’s a reason this question isn’t, “what do I want the reader to know?” The answer could be “all of it” and the likely result is info-dumping -slabs of telling which become disembodied from the main character and disconnected from the present scene. That makes it very hard for a reader to get into your story or know what’s going on, let alone want to keep reading. So, I would ask, what must my reader know about my character’s past to understand my character’s actions in the present scene?

The question I asked to write my first prologue was, “how do I give the reader an idea of the state of affairs between the empire and the small kingdom it has always wanted to conquer, but never been able to hold?” I did it by getting my MC to wander through the enemy palace on a diplomatic visit. Ruarnon’s thoughts and their reactions to the presence of their long-time enemies standing all around them tell the reader a lot about how Ruarnon feels about their enemies, and gives present story context for snippets of backstory. I hope its just enough for the reader to understand the present state of uneasy peace my story begins with. Then an assassin tries to kill my MC, and my book continues to reveal more about past conflict in the context of my MC grappling with signs war will break out again -soon.

As your opening scene unfolds, continue asking: how does what my MC is seeing, doing and thinking relate to backstory?

Is it essential to the reader understanding that I tie in backstory every time it relates to my character’s thoughts? Which bits of backstory can wait until the reader is better oriented in the present story?

How often across the first 5 pages (and whole first chapter) have I slipped in references to backstory? Is there too much information across those pages for a reader to easily take in information AND follow present events?

Is the backstory ‘backstory’ -or does my present story start in the wrong place?

If the narration of your first chapter wanders back to specific past events the reader needs to know about -and narrates these in past tense- you risk confusing the reader with a past and a present story, neither of which they can properly grasp. You also risk the reader getting bored with what reads as an interruption to the present story and so skipping over the backstory. (Because if the backstory mattered, surely it would be the present scene? As a reader, I find a past event narrated in past tense has no immediacy or tension, so to be blunt, I have no interest in persevering with reading about it.

If you keep writing full paragraphs about a key event prior to the current story -that prior event might need to be your opening scene, narrated as the present story, so it neither bores, nor confuses the reader as they try to get orientated in the present story.

Are Your Characters Moving in the First Five Pages?

Elise and a friend running through snow past pines in Canada. — A memorable run in Canada 2015. There’s no movement quite like sprinting on snow ?

If your character is on the move, going somewhere and doing something, that gives the feel that your story is also going somewhere. Slip some clues in that something isn’t quite right, hinting at tension and or conflict to come, and you have an engaging first five pages. Having everyone sitting around talking may make the reader may wonder where the story is going and if it is in fact going somewhere.

It’s hard to show a character has agency if they’re sitting and chatting with friends in scene one. The first five pages need to prove your MC is an active character, who’s going to do interesting things a reader wants to read about. ‘Active’ doesn’t have to mean taking control of their life or achieving milestones -that might not be possible for them at present. If it isn’t possible, I’d show your MC’s aspirations and small steps your MC can and is taking to meet those aspirations.

Exceptions

One of my novels has my MC sit at a table with his mother and father on page 3. Mum has baked a cake to celebrate my 15 yo MC’s achievements and is trying to play proud mum (if not happy wife.) Dad is being rude, ungrateful, self-centred and domineering, while my MC’s internal monologue about his father is overtly aggressive and he’s sitting with fists clenched under the table. The characters are still because stillness amplifies the tension of the family dynamics and my MC’s inner tension.

So consider, is having my characters remain stationary at any point in the first five pages a necessary or effective way to show something about my MC, their relationships, world etc? If you don’t have a particular reason for keeping your characters immobile early on -get them moving!

Recap

Orient the reader in space and time.

Consider: Where can I place my main character and what can I have them doing to show, through their organic reactions in thought, feeling and behaviour, what guides their beliefs and thinking?

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How can I foreshadow their role in my story’s external conflict?

1. Start with character action or conversation hinting at underlying tensions (in personal relationships or the entire SFF world), or at something being wrong -hint at an interesting story to come.

2. Introduce world building and backstory in small snippets, with character movement or action in between, to give the reader time to digest information about your story and character’s world.

3. Consider: what must my reader know about my character’s past to understand my character’s actions in the present scene?

4. Make sure narration focuses on the present scene, with no more than a sentence or two of backstory or world building, to let the reader get oriented in the present story.

To get help your critical readers comment on how effectively you’ve done all of the above, see my Chapter 1 and Act 1 (links to Act 2 & 3) Critical Reader Checklists.