When I start a scene, if I’m not sure what to write to start things off, I go to my default: dialogue. Then I add in some physical actions followed by interior thoughts and emotions. Then I layer in some description – I make sure the reader knows what the characters look like as close to the beginning of the scene as possible. This goes for description of the setting as well. I want the reader to know where everything is and what’s in the room. The characters aren’t going about their lives on a blank, white canvas, after all.
Oh, and a side note: when it comes to description, it’s okay to over describe characters and setting (or anything) for NaNoWriMo. This is a rough draft. I can leave in only the most important details and use the rest later.
Word count: 34049
Andrew M. Friday 