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Alicia Rasley

Alicia Rasley (RAYZ-lee) is a RITA-award-winning author and a popular writing instructor. She teaches writing at Indiana University at Indianapolis, online, and in workshops around the country. She also edits novellas and novels for Red Sage books.

Her writing articles can be found at http://www.rasley.com.

She has written two books about writing: The Story Within Plot Guidebook and The Power of Point of View.

She has served the Romance Writers of America in many capacities, including four years on the national board and workshop chair for one of the New York City conferences. She is surprised to find herself president of her local chapter, the Indiana Romance Writers.

In addition to her nonfiction books, Alicia has written several novels, many of them award winners.

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 Articles by this Author

Theme Thoughts

I'm going to identify a few possible problems that can come up with
theme, in no particular order:

Establishing The Ordinary World

Why is the first scene important? Well, because if the editor doesn't
like it, she'll stop reading. :)

Beyond that, the first scene should do a lot for the reader. It
should both establish the current situation and set up the need for
change. It should be intriguing, drawing the reader in and giving her
reason to keep reading. It should give a hint of the coming conflicts,
and maybe a starting point for the theme. It should introduce the main
character and the setting in a way that both explains and entices-- that
is, you want to give just enough information that the reader is intrigued
but not confused.

But too often, first scenes are either jammed full of so many details the
reader gives up.... or generic, like a dozen other opening scenes she's
read.

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