Tag: chapter one

Make Your Opening Pop!

Welcome to Twitter Treasure Thursday! On Saturday, I will be attending the 2014 Colorado Writing Workshop run by Chuck Sambuchino of Writer’s Digest. Yay! And eeks! I’m a mixture of excited and nervous at this point. I’ve never attended a writing workshop before, so I’m a little out of my element. However, I’m confident I’ll learn a lot!

One of the many sessions scheduled during the workshop is the “Writers’ Got Talent” panel. If attendees wish to do so, they may submit the first page of their manuscript to have it (anonymously) read out loud and evaluated by a panel of agents and editors. As nerve wracking as this is, I plan on submitting my first page in hopes it will get chosen to be critiqued. I’d love to hear what works and what doesn’t by industry professionals.

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Ironically, I came upon this article by Margie Lawson this week: Margie’s Rule # 6: Make Your Opening Pop! In it, she discusses the do’s and don’ts of your story’s opening, as well as what turns agents and editors off. As I refine my first page before the workshop this weekend, I will be referring to this article to ensure I avoid making too many general “no-no’s” and blunders.

Margie’s Rule # 6: Make Your Opening Pop!

I’ve talked to dozens of agents and editors about what makes them stop reading submissions. We’ve chatted on planes and on yachts, in several countries, on several continents. We’ve chatted at luncheons and dinners and late nights in bars.

Some agents and editors shared general ideas regarding why they quit reading.

They said things like:

First paragraph didn’t impress me.
Story didn’t hold my interest. I wanted to skim.
Couldn’t connect with characters.
The writing was amateurish.
Many shared the dreaded, “I don’t know why, but it didn’t work for me.”

Aack! Not useful for writers.

Writers need to know what to avoid doing, and what to do. They need specifics…

To read the entire article and see all the genres, click here!

For more useful advice, follow Margie Lawson on Twitter!

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Photo credits: 

http://kristiholl.net/writers-blog/2013/10/organization-why-word-count-matters/ 

http://joshuamowll.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/first-novel-first-chapter-first-doubts-10-strategies-for-starting-your-story/

http://rebloggy.com/post/reese-witherspoon-legally-blonde-ifc-movie-elle-woods-inspired-me-to-go-to-la/26794435369

The First 250 Words of Your Manuscript

Welcome to Twitter Treasure Thursday! As many of you know, I’ve been in serious revision mode the past few weeks with the second draft of my YA manuscript. And as many of you know, those revisions have been on the slower side because I’ve been so focused on the first chapters of my story. They are so vital for so many reasons: capturing a reader’s attention, building a solid foundation, introducing characters, etc.

stock-footage-typing-chapter-to-writing-of-the-book-on-typewriter-video-clip-with-audio-a-sequence-ofTo help me along, I’ve been reading a wide assortment of articles from agents, publishers, and other industry professionals. I want to know what’s expected, what’s cliche, what’s annoying, what’s exciting, and so on. Today’s gem, courtesy of @KathyLLogan, is a perfect example of advice we should all read and learn from.

The First 250 Words of Your Manuscript

Openings are vital to getting someone to read your book, especially agents. A reader might give you some time since they paid for the book (I usually read three chapters to hook me if it starts slow, but if you haven’t grabbed me by then, it goes back on the shelf no matter how much I may love that author’s past works), but an agent has hundreds of other books on their desk that might grab from page one. Their job is to find books they can sell. Your job is to give them a book they can sell, and that means a great opening that hooks readers right away.

To read the entire article, click here!

And for more useful advice, follow Katherine L. Logan on Twitter!