7 Essential Elements in the First Page

As we all know, as writers we need to hook our readers into the story as fast as possible – from the first page, the first paragraph, the first sentence. In a Sydney Writers’ Festival workshop Belinda Jeffrey, an Australian author of YA fiction, broke down the important elements of the first page.

Keeping in mind it’s difficult to give absolute rules because story will often determine style, first pages should include:

1. A distinctive voice. A unique voice is essential to capture the imaginations of the readers and pull them into the story. Voice will make your novel stand out above the rest.

2. A strong character. Readers will engage with strong and interesting characters.

3. A sense of time and place. This grounds the reader into the story. They should be able to recognise the story’s genre in the first page. These should be markers only. Avoid wads of descriptions.

4. Questions. Don’t answer all the reader’s questions at once. Don’t give them everything they need to know about the characters, the history, the setting. They don’t need paragraphs of backstory. They don’t need -- or want -- everything explained too soon.

5. Intrigue. Similar to the previous point, it’s important to build intrigue to tease the reader into wanting to know more.

6. The point of change. The story should start at the point of change. This change should reflect conflict. Note: the conflict doesn’t have to be explosive.

7. No wasted words or throw-away lines. Keep it tight. Every word should have a reason for being. Try to avoid redundancies.

Can you think of other essential elements in the first page? How many times have you rewritten your first page?

The Changing Face of the Humble Chapter

Twenty plus years ago books sported long chapters by today’s standards. They were often perfect mini stories with beginnings and ends. The end of a chapter was always a great place to put the book down.

These days things are a little different. For starters, there aren’t so many epic length novels unless they are historicals or written by a popular author. Stories often have a faster pace and the best ones have short chapters with cliff-hanger chapter endings.

While it’s not an absolute rule, I know I prefer the short chapters. I love a chapter that begins with a hook as intriguing as the first line of a novel and ends with a tease that compels me to read on.

Our task as writers is to make our novels difficult for our readers to put down. To do this, we need to understand these changes and embrace them.

How long are your chapters? How do you decide where to put in a chapter break? What’s your favourite page-turner?

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY everyone!

Endings

I recently watched a skilfully animated movie called, “9”. I used to work in animation and so I could appreciate the art, colours, lighting and atmosphere of the whole film. It was no less than gorgeous.

The story hooked me from the start. I enjoyed the journey through adventure. I loved the characters. The action segments kept me guessing and gasping. But then the last segment of the movie fizzled out. It bombed. It was almost as if the writer didn’t know where to go. I felt cheated. All the good work the creators did in the beginning might as well have been tossed into the bin.

Well written endings leave the reader feeling satisfied. The reader wants to read more of your writing. This does not mean we must always write up-beat endings, but they must tie up loose threads, they must show a change in the internal workings of the main character, and they must be a comfortable fit for the story.

Avoid the cliché endings that leave the readers groaning. Avoid the twist endings that make no sense. Don’t let your endings fizzle. Make them explode with a bang, or end with a tidy satisfaction, or as a surprising eye opener.

Can you think of any movies or books with great endings? How did they make you feel?

Hook, Line, and Sinker

The hook in fiction (or non-fiction) writing is a rhetorical device that hooks the readers into wanting more. It’s most often found in the first sentence or first paragraph and it’s something catchy that grabs the attention. It can be subtle or it can knock the reader on the head with a 4x4. But it must be there.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. The problem with a hook is that it builds an immediate expectation in the reader. This expectation must be handled with care or else the hook will backfire. In other words, make sure your hooks are more than just an obvious marketing ploy.

If your story starts with something full of action, such as a helicopter crash in your main character’s yard, don’t then embark in a ponderous backstory.

If your hook mentions fish raining from the sky, don’t then follow up with descriptions of your characters.

Keep it related and keep it consistent because follow through is the ‘line and sinker’ that will essentially make the reader allow themselves to be hooked.

Grab a reader’s attention with a clever opening line, and then follow it up. This is the best way to reel in your readers.

What are some of your favourite opening lines in books? (and do they follow through?)