On Middle Ground
Story beginnings should start in the middle. By that I mean, stories should start in the middle of an action crucial to plot and character.
When a reader/editor picks up a manuscript, they wanted to be swept up immediately into your fictional/real world. Just as the previous "Beginnings" blog shared the importance of the "first" sentence, this "Middle Ground" blog tells you where to start. In the middle.
Below are a few starters for you to work with that start in the "middle." See what you can do with these and then create your own.
"And you expect me to believe this story?"
He had grown tired of killing people.
She peered into her rearview mirror at the black cadillac that had been following her for miles.
He lifted her white veil to kiss her and she knew she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life.
As you can see, all these sentences start in the middle of the action, not at the beginning. There is no backstory, no foreshadowing, nothing. Of course, you might develop "backstory" and "foreshadowing" as your story moves on, but then again you might not, as with thrillers and mysteries that keep you guessing every step of the way. Don't give too much away and when you do give something away, do it a little at a time. Readers love mystery even if they're not actually reading a "mystery."
But then that's another blog. 
Richelle
