Welcome to Twitter Treasure Thursday! So, last week I finished the first draft of my YA manuscript–yippee! This week, I’ve started revising it–ugh. And I haven’t made it past chapter two–double ugh! Believe it or not, my slow progress isn’t due to lack of motivation or energy, or worst, irksome butterflies. I’ve actually been writing more than I have in weeks.
The real problem is I’ve been struggling with hitting the right note of my first pages. They’re so, so, so important. Not only do they need to hook the reader and entice them to read on, but they need to set the tone and foundation for the rest of the novel. And I just can’t seem to get them right!
Thankfully, I came across this article via Helen Hart (@SilverWoodBooks) to help me out:
How to Write the Perfect First Page
I’ve changed the first page of my novel a lot. I can’t even tell you how many times. It happened because as I was writing, I followed a lot of writing blogs, attended a lot of author talks, and browsed a lot of guides that had a lot to say about the first page. I guess the thinking is that readers thumbing through books in the bookstore and agents alike make snap decisions based on those initial words—so you better make it good!
To read the entire article, click here!
For more great tips and advice, be sure to follow Helen Hart on Twitter!
Jen's Pen Den 
Reblogged this on ronovanwrites and commented:
What we all need to know! Right?
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The first page is really important, thanks for the post.
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thanks for sharing this, am starting out on a new genre of book entirely out of my comfort zone so hoping this gives me some added guidance on how to make the first chapter gripping!
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