Issue:

"All of my paragraphs start with 'The', 'She' or the MC's name. HELP."

Solution:

Spend some time analyzing books you like. Examine how their paragraphs start. Examine each sentence- how it starts, the overall structure, the first word, the first clause. Do this across a handful of pages for several books, preferably by different authors.

Let's look at a few variations on a theme, beginning with a couple based on the questioner's writing style:

• The rabid aardvark appeared just past her shoulder.

• He saw the rabid aardvark just past her shoulder.

• Just past her shoulder, he saw the rabid aardvark

• Just past her shoulder, the rabid aardvark bounded into view.

• "Rabid aardvark!" he yelled, as the beast leapt into view just past Helen's shoulder.

• As the rabid aardvark appeared just past Helen's shoulder, Fred reached for his whip.

• Bounding into view just past Helen's shoulder, the rabid aardvark snarled at Fred, drool covering its snout like so much poisoned whipped cream.

This is what writing practice is for. Spend a few minutes every day for a week or a month putting the day's sentence (culled from your writing, your mind, or other material) down in various ways.

Reading and practice are your friends!

Note: This also hints at "show vs tell", another upcoming topic.

Copyright 2018, Miles O'Neal, Round Rock, TX.