Perfecting your first three chapters to send to an agent (or publisher) can be a long and frustrating process. You’ve probably heard that a lot rides on those first three chapters because they’re your first impression on your reader. They are, and those chapters should be your best work. But to someone reading through your submission, what matters is the first page, and more specifically, the first paragraph. Most agents and publishers won’t read past the first page. They can tell by your first page if you are going to be able to hold their interest or not. At many writing conferences, there are events where a panel of agents or publishers listen to people read the first page of a manuscript, and they raise their hand when they would stop reading. That’s a lot of pressure on your opening! Having read through hundreds of submissions myself, I can attest to the fact that I rarely read a person’s full three chapters. More often than not, I’m simply not hooked or invested in what’s happening. It’s not like I open a manuscript with the intention of not reading it. I want to read every word, but so often the writing just isn’t there. So, here are some things to keep in mind as you write your opening paragraph and page. 1. Start with Conflict I was going to say start with action, but not every story needs to start with action, but all stories should start with conflict. Or, at least, get to the conflict pretty quickly. If your story starts slow and drones on about the world, the character’s backstory, or what his morning routine is, that won’t get you far with a reader. Readers want to be brought into a situation that’s rife with tension, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual. They need something or someone to be invested in or sympathetic/empathetic toward. In other words, there needs to be an emotional connection. I’ve read too many submissions that make me feel “meh.” I don’t care about Mr. Jones’s morning walk, unless he uses his morning walk every day as a cover up to meet with criminals from the Black Market. Now that is a situation ready to explode with conflict. 2. Describe don’t Dump I’m sure you’ve heard of the infamous info dump. Please don’t do it. I’ve opened many submissions that start with long paragraphs trying to set up the story or tell about a character’s past. This is basically a writer’s way of saying, “Hey reader, I don’t think you’re smart enough to understand this wonderfully complex world and story of mine, so let me break it down for you into bite sized pieces.” No reader wants to be spoon fed. You should describe only what’s needed for immediate understanding. Backstory shouldn’t play a role until later on in the story. The beginning can give hints of the past, but it should be focused on launching into the story that’s happening now. This gets into the whole “show, don’t tell” rule. Info dumping is telling your reader everything he needs to know. You’re telling him the context. Well-crafted description shows the reader what’s happening using the five senses. He becomes a participant, not an observer in the story. Your opening should invite the reader into your world, and every word after needs to convince him to stay. “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” -Anton Chekhov 3. Stay away from Clichés Most of us know better than to start with, “It was a dark and stormy night.” However, there are plenty of clichés (tropes and phrases/expressions) that permeate the writing world, and it’s easy to fall back on them. Being unoriginal takes little effort. Coming up with something new and fresh is hard work. The “chosen one” trope is a common cliché in fantasy where the main character is chosen or destined to save the world. Yes, the entire world rests on the shoulders of this insecure teen just trying to find his way in this world. This is not to say that you can’t use tropes and clichés, just be sure to spin them in your own creative way. The goal is to not be too predictable. Readers want an adventure with lots of twists and turns, not a watered-down, average joe tale. If you want some more info on clichés to avoid check out this article on NY Book Editors. 4. First Words Matter Dialogue should come in pretty quickly in your story. It reveals a lot about your characters and how they interact with each other. What they say speaks to their personalities, beliefs, backgrounds, etc. If the first words your character says are bland and stilted, you’ve lost the reader. Dialogue should help your story come alive. It should create dynamics on the page and sound authentic to the people speaking. Bad dialogue is cringy and the fastest way to let your story fall flat. Don’t take those first words lightly. Your choices should be intentional. If a character speaks with a lisp or stutters, be sure there’s a reason for it. If another character swears, be sure it’s necessary. It’s easy to think that because we listen to people speak all the time, we know how dialogue works on the page. It’s different than real-life, and sometimes we need to break the rules to make it flow better in our fiction. There is so much more to say about openings, but if you focus on the few things I’ve mentioned here, you’re already four steps ahead of most other manuscript submissions. Hook the reader with your first sentence and keep him wanting more. Start with the real story, the story that’s happening now, and put the reader right in the middle of it as an active participant. Make sure you keep things fresh and original, and let the dialogue sing on the page. So, sink or swim? Perhaps Dory from Finding Nemo says it best: “Just keep swimming.” Or, in our case: “Just keep writing.”
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The publishing industry can be a discouraging place at times. For both new and seasoned writers, rejection is the norm. The reality is that the publishing industry is very subjective. This means that sometimes a rejection isn’t about your writing. Your manuscript simply didn’t resonate with or hit what that particular editor likes. So is there any way to win in a game of preferences? Well, that’s not really the right question because it’s not a game. It’s easy to think that if you play by all the rules and jump through all the publishing hoops, you’ll be guaranteed to get a book deal. I think the writing journey loses a lot of its joy when you look at it as a game. It’s a journey with ups and downs, straight shots and detours. There’s no one way from point A to point B. It’s a twisting, curving path that takes you places you never imagined. Bear this in mind as you look for those silver linings. 1.“Failure is not fatal.” A good Winston Churchill quote. Failure is not going to destroy you. A “no” does not translate to “never.” Being a writer is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of courage, stamina, and optimism to keep going. Failure only has as much power as you give it. It’s a learning experience that provides a stepping stone on the river to success. Too many writers put a limit on themselves saying that 100, 500, or 1,000 rejections is enough. Do we ever limit success? No! So why do we put a number on failings when we’ve actually figured out one more method that doesn’t work? 2.“There’s no expiration date on your talent.” I love this piece of advice, and it comes from an interview one of my favorite authors, Leigh Bardugo, did. She didn’t publish her first book until she was 37. Many other authors didn’t find success until their 40s or 50s. The wonderful thing about being a writer is that there’s not a timeline on our dreams like maybe a dancer or football player. Over time, athletes’ bodies can’t handle the strain of their sport anymore, and they have to do something else. As writers, this isn’t the case. Our stories live in our minds, and so long as we have sound minds, we can write. Some stories take years to develop. Maybe we need more life experience, or maybe we need to travel to a place that sparks just the right setting. You never know. Stories come. Stories are found. Stories can’t be forced or rushed. Being a young writer who finds success is wonderful. Being an older writer who finds success is wonderful too. It’s not a competition. That’s not why you started, and it’s not why you’ll finish. 3.“You date to marry.” You’ve probably heard this adage in regards to relationships, but have you ever been told that searching for an agent/editor/publisher is like looking for a spouse? Slightly creepy, yes. But the truth is that a book deal is an investment. You’re putting your “baby” out there into the world, and wouldn’t you want to do that with someone who is passionate about your project, is willing to fight for it, and believes in its message? Sounds like marriage material to me. But you may have to shop your projects around for a while and suffer through some “bad dates” before you find the right fit. Not everyone will be kind in rejecting your projects. You never let one bad date keep you from going out again, do you? This industry is all about relationships and who you know. And please don’t be creepy and send “love” letters to agents/editors/publishers. The marriage thing is a metaphor only!! 4.“Authors are works-in-progress.” Ah, yes. Perhaps a better metaphor. This quote comes from one of my other favorite authors, Victoria Schwab. I went to one of her author events recently, and she said during the Q&A, “Books can be done, but authors are works-in-progress.” She went on to talk about her writing career and how her books are each a version of her from a different stage in her life. She’s grown over the years, both personally and as a writer, and it shows in her books. We’re all growing and learning during the writing process. We get better because practice makes progress, not perfection. Don’t let any one of your works define you or your career. You still have more stories to tell and more growing to do. Feeling encouraged yet? I hope so. Writing is beyond rewarding when you stick with it. You won’t always be able to please everyone or have them love your stories, and that’s okay. It’s a subjective industry, and preferences shift just like the market does. What you can do is keep writing what you’re passionate about. You can keep honing your talent, trying and failing at times, but becoming better through it. You can refuse to give up because your dream has no limits. You can and must keep telling stories. Have any other encouragements for writers? I’d love to see them in the comments below! Until next time,
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May 2019
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