When to begin your scene is an important decision. #writetip Have you asked yourself is there a hook? Will the reader want to go on to the second paragraph?

It’s easy to start a scene too early. Once I have a draft of a novel completed, I review the beginning of each scene and decide if I need the first line, the first paragraph and sometimes the first page.  I read the scene out loud without the first few lines and see if it sounds better. Even if I think the writing is good, I cut the lines (can be hard to hit that delete button) if they are not improving the story.

I’ve actually removed an entire scene where I couldn’t find the point of the scene. I think I just liked writing it, but it wasn’t relevant to the story. Maybe I’ll use it someday…