Is that REALLY necessary?

How many times have you picked up a book and it felt like the writer was trying to fill you in on all the launching steps for a shuttle?

A lot of people think they need to state a lot of information right off the bat to start their books.

"Sarah lived in the ghetto of San Antonio for six years before moving to Florida. She didn't like dogs or cats and hated eating meat. Her favorite game was..."

That's exagerating, of course, but you get the picture. We think readers HAVE to know all this stuff about our characters, but a lot of the time that information clogs up the story and doesn't move anything.

If your characters are deep enough, people will get to know them without you having to speak directly to them and explain everything. Sometimes, you will but the generally not in the beginning.

As a side note, I drove a manual car for the first time since I was rear-ended. I kept stalling the thing, and my dad and I were both getting frustrated. I finally got moving, and then my dad realized I had been in third gear! That's the gear you use when you're going near thiry-miles-an-hour.