There’s a lot of conversation among writers about the opening pages, the opening paragraph, the opening line.
You’d think the first page is the most important part of the book.
It is. At least for many people.
The first page draws in your first reader: the agent. Then the editor. It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that many agents and editors will reject a book based on the first couple pages. If they read on, you have them hooked. They may not buy the book, but they’ll be considering it.
The opening page is as much about starting the story in the right place as it is about hooking the reader as it is about authorial voice. It’s everything wrapped up in one.
Agents and editors are not the only people interested in the first page.
According to editor Sol Stein in STEIN ON WRITING:
Some years ago I was involved in an informal study of behavior of lunch-hour browsers in mid-Manhattan bookstores. In the fiction section, the most common pattern was for the browser to read the front flap of the book’s jacket and then go to page one. No browser went beyond page three before either taking the book to the cashier or putting the book down and picking up another to sample. . . . Today, first sentences and first paragraphs of any writing are increasingly important for arousing the restless reader.
Openings are tough, and not just the words we use. Where we start the story is as important as how we start the story.
A complaint I’ve heard time and again is that in an effort to start with action, some authors are jumping in full-speed . . . but losing the reader at the beginning. If it takes too long for the context or character of the story to take place, then the author also risks losing the reader.
Action, but not too fast; story, but not too much backstory; a strong voice but not too heavy-handed. All in the first page.
One of the strongest writers in the business is Nora Roberts, in particular the JD Robb “In Death” series which is one of my all-time favorite series to read. Her openings always start in the right place, are strong and commanding, and illustrate her voice.
The first page from MEMORY IN DEATH:
Death was not taking a holiday. New York may have been decked out in its glitter and glamour, madly festooned in December of 2059, but Santa Claus was dead. And a couple of his elves weren’t looking so good.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas stood on the sidewalk with the insanity of Times Square screaming around her and studied what was left of St. Nick. A couple of kids, still young enough to believe that a fat guy in a red suit would wiggle down the chimney to bring them presents instead of murdering them in their sleep, where shrieking at a decibel designed to puncture eardrums. She wondered why whoever was in charge of them didn’t haul them away.
Not her job, she thought. Thank God. She preferred the bloody mess at her feet.
She looked up, way up. Dropped down from the thirty-sixth floor of the Broadway View Hotel. So the first officer on-scene had reported. Shouting, “Ho, ho, ho”—according to witnesses—until he’d gone splat, and had taken out some hapless son of a bitch who’d been strolling through the endless party.
In four paragraphs of less than 200 words, JD Robb sets the tone, location, time period, and character. All in an engaging manner. Her voice is intense and strong and perfectly Eve Dallas in every word she thinks. I particularly love how surprised she is that kids would believe in Santa that gives them presents rather than killing them. For those of us who have read nearly every IN DEATH book it fits and brings us right back home to our favorite characters; for those who haven’t read any it opens questions about who this cop is and why she has this attitude.
Voice engages the reader, seduces them, makes them want more. Toni McGee Causey has an amazing voice that radiates off the page showing the reader exactly what they can expect from the ride.
From her second Bobbie Faye book, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE GUNS:
Bobbie Faye Sumrall was full up on crazy, thank you very much, and had a side order of cranky to spare. The bank—citing the picky little reason that it didn’t want to lend money to people who were routinely shot at—said no to a loan for a new (used) car. It wasn’t like she’d ever been hit by an actual bullet, for crying out freaking loud. Immediately after that, she couldn’t get an insurance company to give her a quote for a start-up business grant application she needed to turn in. (Three insurance giants had gotten restraining orders as soon as they heard who was calling.) (Wusses.) And then the FBI guy she’d been blistering hot and bothered about had dropped off the planet two weeks earlier, and geez, there was only so much rejection a girl could take. She needed to have one night, one measly little night, to sleep well. That wasn’t too much to ask, right?
Apparently, the Universe thought it was.
Immediately from the get-go, you know exactly what type of story you’re going to get through the strong, commanding, humorous voice.
Sometimes, I’ll stare at page one trying to envision the perfect first line (that rarely comes.) Other times, I’ll just start the story and worry about writing the first line or paragraph in revisions. Sometimes the line pops into my head.
When I originally wrote chapter one of ORIGINAL SIN—when I was calling it something else and hadn’t sold it, let alone any book—my opening line was:
The darkest hour of the night had not yet come.
Though little of that original hundred or so pages that I wrote stayed over the six years between when I conceived of the Seven Deadly Sins series to when I sold it, the opening line is almost the same:
The night’s darkest hour had arrived.
In a way, the two lines are prophetic—the first written before I was published, the second when I was contracted for this book, my thirteenth novel.
Of course, the line may change. The book is nearly done, but I’m certain to have revisions. But it still sets the tone.
Sol Stein’s experience—that readers will read up to three pages before deciding to buy or put the book down—is, ironically, not the way I read. I don’t know if avid readers are a good control group—and all of us here are avid readers, I’m sure. For me, putting aside the cover and the author for a moment, if I’m going to buy a book I’ve never heard of before, I will read the cover copy. If it’s immediately intriguing, I’ll buy it. If I’m interested, but not sold, I’ll flip through the book—not reading, but getting a sense for the rhythm based on the length of sentences and paragraphs.
Many other people DO read either the first page, or a random page, or – as some of my insane friends do – the last page. (I swear, I can not imaging reading the ending of a book first. Ever. I don’t get it. But people do it. Even authors do it. And I’m sure at least five people are going to comment here that they, too, routinely read the ending of a book first. I just don’t understand.)
Now when I’m going through my TBR shelves trying to decide what book to read next, I DO read the opening page or two (unless it’s one of my favorite author’s new books—I’m taking a Michael Connelly and a JD Robb with me on my trip east next week.) Why? Because I want to know that I’m going to like it.
What was the last book you bought or read based on the opening paragraph? If you want to share the opening paragraph, please do!
No related posts.
I’m with you on the In Death series. I’ve been buying by author for so long, I can’t remember the last book I bought based on that opening paragraph, but I do remember one of Janet Evanovich’s (which I can’t quote because they’re all packed up in the POD so my house looks less cluttered in case someone actually comes to look at it to buy it), but it was the line about her spending too much time with men who considered a stiffie a sign of personal growth.
I didn’t buy it because of the opening page, but my attention was hook from the first few paragraphs of The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley. It starts in Ian’s POV, and you immediately want to know everything about this man who sees the world in such an interesting, unusual way.
Terry, Janet Evanovich has always had terrific openings. It’s no wonder her books are a hit!
Louisa, Jennifer Ashley is very talented and capturing character in the opening page is one of the hardest things to do.
Sarah Addison Allen hooked me with the first paragraph with “Garden Spells,” and I loved it so much that she’s an auto-buy for me now…very rare.
The first paragraph captures a unique voice, a steady rhythm, and a lyrical narrative style that takes me back to the sultry South of my childhood:
“Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood. She always tried to stay awake those nights when the stars winked and the moon was just a cresting sliver smiling provocatively down at the world, the way pretty women on vintage billboards used to smile as they sold cigarettes and limeade. On those golden nights in the summer, Claire would garden by the light of the solar-powered footpath lamps, weeding and trimming the night bloomers–the moon vine and the angel’s trumpet, the night jasmine and the flowering tobacco. These weren’t a part of the Waverly legacy of edible flowers, but sleepless as she often was, Claire had added flowers to the garden to give her something to do at night when she was so wound up that frustration singed the edge of her nightgown and she set tiny fires with her fingertips.”
I am in the minority here because after I read the back cover I skip to some random page in the book and read. I figure that with all the pressure that is put on an author to have the perfect opening, perfect first page, perfect first line that it should be good. LOL However, if your in the middle of the book and you just don’t get it, than I know that it’s not for me.
“A complaint I’ve heard time and again is that in an effort to start with action, some authors are jumping in full-speed . . . but losing the reader at the beginning.”
Count me as someone who really hates books that start with the big bang action scenes. I find I really can’t care how in peril the character is if I don’t even “know” them yet. I think it’s important to start with something interesting, something with tension. But I need context and character to really care and to want to read the book.
I get most of my books from the library which makes it SO easy to put books down that aren’t hooking me. I choose books based on reviews, usually. But if the library doesn’t have it and I’m thinking of buying then I’ll read excerpts. 3 pages sounds about right, but sometimes I’ll give it longer, a chapter or two.
I only skip to read the end if I’m in the middle of a book and I’m worried about a character and/or relationship. Like “OMG! Is this person going to die?” or “Oh jeez, which guy is she going to end up with? Please don’t let her be stupid and pick the wrong one!”
But I don’t think I’ve ever, ever read the ending of a book BEFORE I bought it.
This is a great topic today, first of all because I know that my novel-in-progress will not start with its current beginning, but I have not decided yet what will be the most effective. An editor once told me that he would usually recommend to writers that they scrap the first 40-50 pages to find their beginning!
I am always pleased when I start reading a novel that draws me in with powerful images and enough information, without overload, to immediately capture my interest. However, I very seldom buy a book on the basis of the beginning, because I have a long list of authors I buy (or borrow from a library) because I know their work and want to read everything they put out. So I don’t normally “browse” for something to read.
And I NEVER read the last page when trying to pick from my TBR stack!
My favorite opening sentence is :
“The day Kevin Tucker nearly killed her, Molly Sommerville swore off unrequited love for ever.”
I knew right from the start that I’d love that book (SEP This Heart of Mine), and I did !!!
If I don’t already ‘know’ the author and it’s not a rec, or a planned purchase, I’ll read the back copy and then start reading the first few pages. I read obscenely fast so if I get sucked in enough to finish the first chapter, I’ll buy it.
I don’t judge on first lines / paragraphs unless they are truly memorable – in a good or a bad way.
Aw, damn, thank you, Allison. I am not worthy to be in the same blog as Nora, but you completely made my week.
Vicki Pettersson’s first novel, THE SCENT OF SHADOWS grabbed the hell out of me and wouldn’t let go. Urban fantasy. SJ Day’s Eve book did the same. So did Alyssa Day’s Atlantis… hmmm. ::::note to self, change last name to ‘Day’::::
I am a sucker for first paragraphs / pages. I buy a lot online, and love it when an author has an excerpt. In the store, I have been known to check the endings to see if they are predictable. (I know, I KNOW. I am terrible.)
Great post Allison!
Have fun on your packed trip. Turning 40 – you’re a puppy.
Using Toni’s book for setting the tone of the opening page is perfect.
Best,
DocPammyDC
I think you are so right on this. I read a lot of fantasy and often I sit down at the coffee shop in B&N or Borders with a stack of books by new authors and read the first few pages, no more than three, and decide if I want to buy them. Sometimes I think fantasy authors more than romance authors try to do too much world building in those first pages. I’m going to refer some of my unpubbed friends to your post.
Sorry I’ve been out of touch–I had my trainer, got my hair cut and colored, had a doctor’s appointment, and just got home!
Great post, Allison. Have a wonderful time in DC, and yay for trips to the hairdresser!
I had to think hard about what books I’ve purchased w/o having a friend recommend it to me first. When making a buying decision, I read the back cover blurb, the first page, and then I scan a random page inside. That’s how I discovered the Deb Caletti’s YA novel “Honey Baby Sweetheart,” a National Book Award Finalist. I love her voice. It’s one of my all time favorites and has an excellent hook. Here’s how it starts out:
The first thing I learned about Travis Becker was that he parked his motorcycle on the front lawn. You could see the tracks of it all the way up that rolling hill, cutting deeply into the beautiful, golf course-like grass. That should have told me all I needed to know, right there.
I’m not usually a reckless person. What happened the summer of my junior year was not about recklessness. It was about the way a moment, a single moment, could change things and make you decide to try to be someone different. I’m sure I made that decision the very moment I saw that metal, the glint of it in the sun, looking hot to the touch, looking like an invitation.
The next book I’m buying is Dead Sea by Brian Keene (ok, it’s a zombie novel).
“I didn’t shoot the bitch until she started eating Alan’s face. Before this whole thing began, I’d never shot anyone in my life. Not once. Never held a gun until a few weeks before Hamelin’s Revenge started. Hell, I never even referred to women as bitches. But that’s what she was. And I had the pistol in my hand.”
The first page ends with the line “My name is Lamar Reed and this is the way the world ended.”
It was the Hamelin’s Revenge line that made me keep reading. And that last one just sent shivers all over me.
None of my first lines are particularly interesting on their own. I write a mean first paragraph, though.
From an upcoming piece:
Chastity Millwood set her embroidery in her lap and raised the parchment shade over the brass porthole. There had been nothing to see, really, since Mars had dropped away a week ago. Aunt Prudence sat facing her on the red velvet seat, her clear pince-nez on since she was embroidering with colors, the gaslight turned up as she delicately added a French knot to the handkerchief.
So many good books get off to a slow start, that personally I don’t read first pages. I read online reader reviews, or I buy the book just based on the description (and sometimes the printed reviews on the book, depending what they say and who they’re from.)
I always read the first chapter and I’m one of those dreaded last chapter readers (but only for romance because I’ve read too many books labeled romance with no happy ending).
I speed read though so a first chapter for me is probably the equivalent of the first 3 pages.
I read back cover copy solely to have a giggle at how off it is compared to the actual book. Those crazy marketing folks!
You’d think that reading the first and last chapter would be enough but I just read a romance with historical on the spine that ended up being a paranormal (set in Regency England). No hint of that in the first or last chapter and I think that was deliberate. Great book but I felt tricked.