Skip to main content

NaNo Tip One

Here's a quick tip to get your thoughts flowing on the very first page:

Curiosity killed the cat.

Am I right? You know I am. What I mean is this: Stay away from back story on the first page.
It's boring.
It's slow.
It's unproductive.

And there are many other reasons I could list.

As a literary agent intern, this is something I read A LOT on first pages. But, it's something that should not be there! I want to be in the here and now. This isn't to say I want dropped right in the middle of action. This confuses me. I want to know what's going right now, at the very moment the MC is experiencing.

No explanations, or why's or how comes. Just show the present. There's plenty of time for explanation later.

See, if you write subtle hints and drop enticing clues as to what happens next, the reader will be turning the page to find out.

Peak the reader's curiosity to find out why, or what, or who, and you've done a fabulous job on the first page.

Happy Writing!!

Comments

  1. The Perks of Being a LibrarianNovember 2, 2013 at 5:09 AM

    http://theperks0fbeingalibrarian.blogspot.pt/

    Visit us. Tell us what's you favorite book. And if you want, join us on facebook too: https://www.facebook.com/.../429298797191371
    Maybe some day we can write a review about your own book, if you want or we can make a giveaway together! :)

    If you give us a like/follow, we you'ld do the same <3

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tonja DreckerNovember 4, 2013 at 7:48 AM

    Great advice :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GUTGAA Meet and Greet!

Hey everyone! I'm taking a quick break from vacation to introduce myself and say hi! I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone and meeting some new friends! -Where do you write? I live in a camper. My writing spot? Usually in bed. But sometimes I get a chance to write in the "living room" but that's rare. When I am at home (yay!) I have my own little office:) I love m space there and I can write during the day light hours. Oh, who am I kidding! That's rare. -Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? My husband. Yeah, he sleeps with me! -Favorite time to write? At night. When it's quite. Aaahhh. Sweet quite. -Drink of choice while writing? Depends on the time of day I get to write. In the morning, coffee, coffee and more coffee. (with Creme Brulee creamer!) Afternoon it's iced coffee. After school, it's Dr. Pepper. Night it's water. -When writin...
73 comments
Read more

Operation Agent Ink

UPDATE: PLEASE FILL OUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AFTER YOU SIGN UP. Have you ever wondered what agents were dying to find in their inbox/slush pile? There have been many times I entered a contest and not even received a comment, not even from one of the agents. Or maybe the agent was kind enough to leave a comment that simply said, "Sorry, this just isn't what I'm looking for, but I love the premise and your voice." I always walk away feeling unsatisfied. If I had known exactly what the agent wanted beyond, "YA" or "Fantasy" I might not have even entered a contest I knew I wouldn't win! Even more, I wasted a very busy agents time! Well, your time of guessing is up! OPERATION AGENT INK to the rescue! That's right! This workshop will help aspiring authors get on the list of an agent's WISH LIST! When the workshop is over, your manuscript will be ready to view by a group of AMAZING agents who are dying to see what you've wri...
111 comments
Read more

Writer in Motion Round two

Hey beautiful guys and dolls!! Welcome to my first post during WRITER IN MOTION round two. I was lucky enough to be chosen in the raffle to have my short, 1,000 word or less flash fiction chosen to be edited by a professional editor! So, follow along  my journey as I go from prompt to polished draft in for weeks. Out first post is prepping for the first draft. Given the prompt, what were my first thoughts and what did I do to prep the character, story, and plot?? HEre's the photo prompt: Honestly, it didn't speak me. At all. I was lost, and my excitement quickly deflated like a helium balloon stuffed in the back of a dark closet. Not because I didn't like the photo. I LOVED it. But because I was completely lost in ideas. So, I put the put the picture away, and ignored it. Well, that's not true. The photo haunted me for hours. Who was this girl? Why was she here? What had happened up to this point in time? That's when it hit me. Tell the story before...
1 comment
Read more