How to Write Great Fiction — Tip 7
Can your story hook a reader in 10 pages or less
It’s obvious that a good cover, blurb, and tagline are essential for catching the eye of a potential reader. But once those things have done their job and that reader actually opens to your first page, what then?
It’s been said by many good agents, If you don’t seduce them on page one and hook them by page ten, you’ve lost your reader. Have you found that premise to be true in your own reading experience?
If you’ve read the first few pages of a book only to lay it aside, what was missing? Let’s examine a few vital elements that readers don’t actually think about but are looking for in the first ten pages of a novel.
Let’s use the old movie cliche, Lights, Camera, Action to illustrate. Whether your story is character-driven or plot-driven these tips will help.
Lights
What is illuminated in those first pages connects the reader to a story that hasn’t unfolded but promises great things to come. The story premise needs to shine like a beacon. That beacon is heard through the voice of the protagonist or plot.
Camera
Focus your lens on your protagonist or plot immediately. Give your readers a reason to be invested in them…
