The first five pages of a novel are critical.
Editors make quick judgments. They don't like to admit it, but they do. Somewhere an editor is sitting in an airless room staring at a pile of manuscripts hoping to strike gold, but doubtful. She wants to get through the toppling pile as quickly as possible. Therefore she is going to look at your manuscript and search for one thing: A reason to say 'no'.
Your goal is not to give her that reason. There are many factors you can't control (whether an editor has had a bad day, or has already accepted a manuscript similar to yours) but there are a few things that may get an editor or agent to stop and read your work. Please understand that these are merely guidelines, don't substitute my judgment for your own. Writing is an art after all.
1. Get the action started. Start your story on the day when something is different. The beginning of your manuscript is not the place for back story. You don't need to explain how the protagonist came to be where he is. You can pepper that information in later on. You only have a few seconds to capture the reader's interest. Routines are boring; change is exciting.
Think about it. If your next-door neighbor always picked up the paper at 7:30 AM, wouldn't you be curious if you still found the paper lying there at 10:30 AM? Or if your boss was always grumpy in the morning then one day came in whistling, wouldn't you want to know why? Your goal is to put a story question in the reader's mind. Intrigue them. How do you do this? Consider these beginnings from different genres:
(Fantasy) "What in the name of cold hells is this?" Sun Wolf held the scrap of unfolded paper between stubby fingers that were still slightly stained with blood. ?The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly
(Young Adult) The paperweight should have been clear, but it was not. ?Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan
(Women's Fiction) Jaine Bright woke up in a bad mood. ?Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
(General Fiction) Something was wrong with Paul and Elizabeth's cat, Charlotte. ?Publish and Perish by James Hynes
Check your bookshelves for more examples. Get into the habit of seeing what other successful writers do. Learn the tricks of how they draw you into a story.
2. Have tension. If you succeed with number one, you'll probably have tension. Tension doesn't have to be heart-pounding suspense. It could simply be a missed phone call, a strange voice message, a lunch date that should have arrived but didn't. Tension draws a reader deeper into a story. Try to have plenty of it in your first few pages (literary agent Donald Maass suggests you have it on every page, but I'm only focusing on the first five here). Make the reader wonder what will happen next.
3. Grab the reader with your characters. When a reader is sucked into a new world they want to have an idea of whom they will be traveling with. They want someone to root for or somebody to hate. Give the reader a quick sketch of who these people are.
4. Show what is at stake. In your first five pages you have to answer a vital question properly or your manuscript will be shipped back to you. The question is: 'Who cares?' The reader needs to reply 'I do' or your story has failed. Make the stakes high for your protagonist. You get bonus points if you make the stakes high on both a private and public level. For example, if a man wants to get a promotion to make more money, that's nice. We all want to make more money, but I don't really care. If that same man needs the promotion so that he can pay off a rogue hit man he'd hired to kill his wife who he's come to love again?well now that's interesting. Make the reader care by making the stakes count specifically for your protagonist.
5. Describe setting. It doesn't have to be a long, lush description. Many readers don't have the patience for that; however, try to immerse your reader into the world you've created for them. Give them clues as to where the story is set. Whether it is in a London tube station, a marketplace in Kansas or an office in a city you've invented.
6. Foreshadow what is to come. Most stories are circular, they have a beginning, middle and end that all tie together. Hint at how the character will change or won't change. It helps to give your story resonance.
7. Be conscious of pace. This depends on the genre. Lead the reader on the journey at the pace they're used to. A slow moving thriller will be a let down; a fast moving cozy mystery may be confusing. Stories are like music, a reader expects a certain beat depending on the style. Country music has a different rhythm than jazz.
You can mix genres (sci-fi detective or horror romance) but understand the rhythms of both genres so that when readers pick up your book they won't be disappointed. It's likely that one genre will be more prominent than the other. Meet their expectations or better yet exceed them.
8. Write with passion. If you don't care about the story or your characters, no one else will. Put you spirit into it. Make your language come alive on the page. Many editors and agents talk about 'voice'. Basically that means the way a writer tells a story. Stephen King's voice is different than Dean Koontz's; Jennifer Crusie doesn't sound like Jane Heller. Put your own unique spin on the story. That will make it stand out.
I know these guidelines seem like a lot to remember for the first five pages, but it is a competitive market and most successful authors include these elements. You don't have to get it right the first time, rewriting will help you polish your work. But if you want to be on someone's 'to-be-read' pile these guidelines could put you on the top of their list. Good luck!
Dara Girard is the author of How to Bounce When You Want to Shatter: Steps to Resilience in the Writing Life (http://www.howtobounce.com) and three novels. You can find more articles and links for writers on her website http://www.daragirard.com
Hands up all those who'd like to have a successful... Read More
My dad was wrong. I just discovered that I am... Read More
Often, time is an enemy of writers. Sales seem slow... Read More
How long should your chapters be?I can't resist... I have... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
Yes, you know your subject. You also need to think... Read More
Your computer is a writing machine, a word processor, a... Read More
Many of us dream of writing a book. Why not.... Read More
You've decided to write your very own Newsletter to promote... Read More
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Prolific authors write; they don't just dream about it. A... Read More
ESSAY 3Writing an autobiography involves a matching up of a... Read More
Writer's block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits... Read More
How many times have you forced yourself to sit in... Read More
Be careful when you write.Words you use, sentences you phrase... Read More
Whenever you sit down to plot a story (or even... Read More
When a writer is working on their next literary masterpiece... Read More
No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar... Read More
Our Freelance Writing Needs DefinedWe must make freelance niche types... Read More
ELICIT, ILLICITElicit means to extract or draw out; illicit means... Read More
Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
Boost Brain Power Through WritingHave you ever noticed what happens... Read More
'Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented... Read More
Or do you?Writers write. You shouldn't wait around for inspiration... Read More
Open up your favorite calendar and circle today's date.Why? Because... Read More
This is a tough question for every freelance writer. For... Read More
He ran up the steps and knocked on the door.... Read More
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
There is one key difference between reports and most other... Read More
There is a lot of confusion about recommendation letters.Recommendation letters... Read More
So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy... Read More
Every writer knows that the urge to write is not... Read More
There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More
The creativity of Jaisini is not designed to be preaching... Read More
List-making is a favorite journaling technique and is often used... Read More
I just finished to read a book. A story for... Read More
There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More
If you are reading this article then you probably have... Read More
Everybody knows writing a story is not easy. Like the... Read More
How many of you take the time to really write... Read More
At first, I noticed that I could have written many... Read More
Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More
If you want happy customers to use your service or... Read More
Complaint letters aren't always fun, but sometimes they need to... Read More
Nike's ad has taken on new meaning for me of... Read More
Choosing the wrong words can have a poor effect on... Read More
Many of us dream of writing a book. Why not.... Read More
Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More
Beginner's Blues: How to Collect Samples, Testimonials, and References as... Read More
Sometimes there is confusion about the exact meaning of the... Read More
Suspense novels are probably the easiest novels to write. Suspense... Read More
When attempting to understand Creativity and Innovation, it pays to... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep... Read More
Finding the time to write a novel is one of... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Writing is a creative process and how... Read More
Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More
[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding... Read More
1. PLAY A GAME LIKE SOLITAIRE....for half an hour or... Read More
Technology vendors often contribute bylined articles to trade journals. The... Read More
What is Sense of Place? It's the image of a... Read More
Having problems writing? I don't know why. San Francisco Chronicle... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?The writer, who doesn't have the time... Read More
I recently read a book where everything was akimbo. Arms... Read More
Writer's Block can strike like a King Cobra, paralyzing every... Read More
Writing |