Today’s Challenge: The Meet
It’s the moment most readers wait for (well, one of the moments): when the hero and heroine first meet. Do they love or hate each other on sight? Is he her neighbor, her boss, her accountant? Because there are so many stories out there, think about how your “meet” will capture an editor’s attention. Here is a nice checklist for when you send us your two-page scene detailing the characters’ first encounter in your book.
Do you describe/show…
…the how, why, where of your hero and heroine’s first encounter?
…their reactions?
…the context surrounding their meeting?
…how they could be destined for each other?
…a unique take on two people coming face to face for the first time in this story?
Do you choose your setup carefully and have the best way of bringing the hero and heroine together? Most of all, does your scene grab the reader’s attention and make her want to keep turning the pages?
So, now that you’ve answered yes to all these questions, it’s time for you to send us your scene. Take us on a thrilling ride of about 2 pages (12 font, double-spaced, between 500-700 words). You can include a summary of up to 3 sentences to give us context for this meeting. Please submit to us at ucanwrite@harlequin.ca by 10:00 a.m. EST, today, September 16, 2015. Be sure to include in the subject heading: SYTYCW: The Meet Challenge. We’ll randomly pick five to critique by today at 3:00 p.m. Good luck!
Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SYTYCW15, and follow @HarlequinSYTYCW.
