In
the fiction workshop I taught a few weeks ago, we spent a lot of time
working on first sentences. Why? Because the first sentence of a
novel is critical. Unless your novel starts with a great first
sentence - one that puts your character in serious trouble - readers
will pass it by for one that does.
If
ever a new author could take time to set the stage for her story,
that time is gone. With the threshold for publishing a book lowered
to zero (anyone can now publish a book), the world is awash in books.
How will your story stand out and get attention, especially now that
attention spans have shrunk to about the time it takes to read one
sentence?
The
only way is with a story beginning that grabs the reader's attention
in a big way. You don't want a sentence that merely beckons a
reader into your story. You want a sentence that jerks them
into your story. As Samuel Goldwyn of Metro Goldwyn Mayer said, “I
want a story that starts out with an earthquake... and then
builds to a climax!”
“Oh,
but I've read hundreds of books with leisurely beginnings,” you
say. Of course you have. Me, too. And nearly all of them were by
established authors with a reputation for telling a good yarn. Most
were books by authors you've already read. At the minimum, they were
books that were recommended by someone whose judgment you trust. You
didn't need a gripping first sentence because you came to the book
believing it would be good.
New
authors don't have that luxury.
When
was the last time you paid good money for a book you've never heard
of by an author you've never heard of?
Same
with me.
The
only exception would be a book that had an amazing professional
cover, amazing professional back copy (otherwise you would never open
the book), and a first sentence you couldn't ignore, a first sentence
that grabbed you and made you read the next sentence, and the next,
and the next.
What
this means is that the first sentence of your first novel is probably
the most important sentence you'll ever write.
I
recently printed out the first sentences of the Top 10 Kindle
bestsellers. (Most fiction is now sold in ebook format, and Kindle
has a strong majority share of ebooks, therefore the Top Kindle
bestsellers are a great - probably the best - representation of what
works at getting readers' attention.)
Most
of the Top 10 were by brand name authors who have established
readerships and who could afford to take some time getting into their
story. Nevertheless, six out of ten had first sentences that put a
character in life-or-death trouble. The first sentence!
Life-or-death!
Does
your first sentence do that? If not, how are you going to get
traction in the marketplace? To put it in starker relief, consider
this: There is now an unlimited supply of free Kindle books
available. Some estimates range from 10,000 to 20,000 every day. With
thousands of times more free books than a person could ever read, why
would a reader pay good money to buy your book?
But
if your first sentence yanks them into the story, maybe you'll have a
chance.
As
you read this, many of you are probably wondering if the first
sentence of my first book was that great. I won't claim greatness for
anything I've written. But it did put a character in life-or-death
trouble. And I believe it had a huge impact on my career. Not only
did people read Tahoe Deathfall (it still regularly cracks the Top
100 Private Investigator's bestseller list on Amazon), but the book
got great reviews and mentions. Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly,
and newspapers across the country.
What
was the first sentence of my first novel?
The
fall from the cliff was so sudden it was as if God had yanked
Melissa off her feet and hurled her into the air.
Life-or-death.
I
put life-or-death trouble into the first sentence of each of my first
four novels. By my fifth novel I was able to take a little more time
because I had a readership that believed they could count on me to
tell a good story even if the first sentence didn't begin with Sam
Goldwyn's earthquake.
Now,
after reading the first sentences of the Top 10 Kindle books and
discovering that established authors are beginning with life-or-death
trouble, I'm going to go back to the practice. The competition for a
reader's attention is simply too great.
At
every event I do, one or three people give me a copy of their book,
wanting me to read it. Many of those books are probably really good
stories. But I've yet to open one to find life-or-death trouble in
the first sentence.
Life
is short. Readers have endless books to choose from. They will
continue to pick novels that grab them from the first sentence.
If
you've written a gripping story, somewhere in there is life-of-death
trouble.
Move
it up to the first sentence.
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