Want to Hook Your Reader Immediately?
There’s something so thrilling and delicious about reading a hooky first line or a couple of utterly engaging first pages - you just know you're about to settle in and be taken on a great ride.
Is there a writer on the planet who doesn’t want their first pages to delight, engage or and intrigue? I'm guessing no.
And on a practical level – your first pages are invariably the first thing judges, editors, publishers and assessors see of your project. Crazy idea I know - but let's ensure they're as awesomely shining as they can be.
Welcome to your Better First Pages Checklist.
Take a moment to mosey through the following questions. There’s no right or wrong way to answer them – they’re simply a list of provocations to help you buff up, edit and improve your first pages.
What do your first pages set up about your story? The when, the where, the who or the what? It can be any one or more of these – there’s no hard and fast rule.
How do your first pages create intrigue for the reader i.e. a reason to read on? What hooks them in?
Which words, images or scenarios have you used to establish when in time your story occurs? Is there a more evocative, original or intriguing way?
How have you established the setting i.e. the where?
How have you established who the story is about i.e. the who?
What characterisation techniques have you used to introduce them?
How do you want the reader to feel about this character?
What techniques have you used to achieve this?
What language have you used to evoke the senses or emotions?
Are there better more evocative words you could use?
How would you describe the pace of your piece?
What techniques have you used to create that sense of pace?
What does your first line do for you narratively speaking?
Once you’ve answered this last question - test it. Go try your first sentence out on somebody else and find out if it's working.
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