Openings

Since my post last night, I’ve been thinking about Demon War and the opening 7 pages (the non-finaling pages ).  I think I’m going to refocus my efforts on writing this in 3rd person pov.  Looking back at the current opening I can objectively see some “mistakes”. 

For example, I started it with the main character waking up (once at a writer’s conference I heard how that was a big no-no for the opening of the book — so why do I keep doing it?).  We then head off into a lot of exposition and info dumping with very little action.

The new opening will start with the character waking up, but instead this time she’s woken up by a phone call with only a couple of minutes to prepare before she’s headed out into action. 

Then:  It was thunder that woke me only seconds before lightning illuminated my tiny studio apartment.  The light teasing rain that fell when I went to bed three hours ago now beat against the window threatening to break the glass.

Now: “We’ve had a breach along the south wall.  Be ready in ten.”  The call woke Lianna Bettis from the first good night’s sleep in three weeks.  If the team was headed south, then she was the last call and that ten minutes would be more like seven.