So now you have the opening paragraphs done, or do you never accept the first thing you write? study it, work on it, walk away from it. Leave it overnight even do all that. And when you sit down and they're on the page, I your first paragraphs, ask yourself this. Would this make me want to keep writing? is it telling me who the characters are?

Or at least introducing one side of the duo? Can I see them yet? Are they clear characters? Have I introduced one than the other? Well, no, not yet, of course. So now to proceed to build out a number of things at the same time.

We need a setting we need to be able to see at least the first of our characters clearly. That's all we need for now. Remember, we're still on the first page. The first few paragraphs in fact. So in the examples I'm using one or other of the characters is introduced first. In one case the man and in the other case, the woman.

The third example I'm using mostly in the project part is as yet unpublished, being built as we go along. We are looking at the first example, that from the welcoming where the male lead is introduced. The same is said already there is some tension evidence. He has a 38 intensity sharpens in the second paragraph, it begins right out by naming the male lead. Roman drew a cigarette out of the crumpled pack and his breast pocket and turned away from the wind to light it. A boy of about eight right along the rail of the ferry.

Cheerfully ignoring his mother's calls, Roman felt a tug of empathy for the kid. It was cold. Certainly, the biting window Peugeot sound was anything but spring like, but it was one hell of a view. Sitting in the glass wall lounge would be cozier, but it was bound to take something away from the experience. The kid was snatched by a blonde woman with pink cheeks and a rapidly reddening nose, roam and listen to them grumble at each other as she dragged the boy back inside. Families ethought rarely agreed on anything.

Turning away. He leaned over the rile lively smoking as the ferry steams by clumpy Island. They had left the Seattle skyline behind through the mountains of mainland Washington still rose up to amaze and impress the viewer. The descriptive text continues for another dozen or so sentences during which his dissatisfaction with the job is also mentioned, more attention his dissatisfaction with the job for the past year he'd been blaming it his dissatisfaction on the job. So now we know he's dissatisfied. He's restless.

Time to get out he thought as he watched a fishing boat chug by woven through the opening paragraphs, then we can see the character developing already. We can feel the tension starting to rise a little, and we're still on the first page. Now we can begin to describe the man himself. Not too much. We don't want to overload the text with anatomical descriptions. No one paid much attention to him though.

A few of the Women look twice. He was just over average height. With the taut solid build of a lightweight boxer. The slouchy jacket and worn jeans he hid well toned muscles. He wore no hat and he's thick black hair flew freely away from his tanned hollow cheek face. It was unshaven, tough featured.

The eyes are pile clear green might have softened the Go to hell appearance, but they were intense direct and at the moment board. It promised to be a slow routine assign. Notice the hint placed in the first sentence that he might be attractive to women. Then the paragraph continues into a clear description. Not ever done, and not to brief. In the second example, in the enum anchor affair, the description begins on the first part last paragraph, with much the same hinting at her attractiveness.

Rebecca was vaguely aware of the admiring glances from the men about her and she was a picture of cool unruffled elegance. That's an outline of her overall appearance. Then a more detailed description can begin. She was told and slim with regular workouts in the gym, giving her skin a healthy glow that no skin cream could enhance and continues for half a page describing her and her clouds. We need a clear picture of this woman young, attractive business like without being tough. So in both already published examples, we have the main players clearly defined for the reader.

There will be no mistaking them Just around OFF AIR examples. Let's continue to develop the lead character in the third unpublished example. long years of hard work and turned his body into a solid bulk. He was by no means a pitcher for my muscle magazine. But six foot two of lean had masculinity with a confident posture had more than one woman turning in attracts to watch him striding along a sidewalk. Only there were no sidewalks here he noted Riley, faint rise of his lips hinting at a smile.

Again, a broad brush outline of the man and a hint at his innate attractiveness. If you haven't done so already, I recommend that you drop over to Amazon and pick up copies of the two books I'm using as examples. Nora Roberts, the welcoming and Robert traumas the enemy anchor affair is having copies to hand will allow you to use your highlighter in your research. They're very inexpensive, and you'll find having them to hand to refer to will be invaluable. Now then, with your lead character have the two perfectly described, it's time to have the lead character meet the supporting character. This is another important point, you have only two main characters.

But of those two, one is the lead character. One is the secondary or supporting character. Ally by author is important as each other in the story. Again, think of a movie like Gone with the Wind. Who was the lead and who was a supporting character? What about Dr. Zhivago or the other great classic, the African Queen.

So supporting cast of characters come and go in the story and only needs fleeting introductions. Do not over populate the story with characters. I can't emphasize this strongly enough. This is a love story, a romance between two people that develops over time, making it past initial and continuing conflicts between them. The supporting cast are only there to give the story some reality and depth. They interact with the two main characters, of course, but don't have a story of their own.

Let's continue with developing our characters onto the second person in our romance. This is a project for you. If you haven't begun already, writing your own story following this line. Your Own Story, in fact, should be well into the beginning by now and your lead character male or female clearly outlined. You need to be able to see this person in your mind and read ignores him or her immediately in a crowd. You will have written between six to 12 pages bringing up the setting and introducing the first character that's around 1500 to 3000 words.

So you see you have plenty of scope to get the story going. If you're somewhere between those two word counts, you'll be doing fine