Everyone knows the first page must set the tone of the novel, establish general character traits, ground the reader, and introduce oodles of tension. But do we have to scratch out something new every manuscript. It seems horribly inefficient. 

The Muses listened and created a set of perfect openings where all you have to do is plug your specific story details into the designated slots. A set of five different first pages costs only $174.99 and we guarantee* you’ll never need to stress about the first pages again!

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To whet your appetite, here’s a short snippet of what you’ll receive.

***

I wake with a jolt. My heart thumps in my chest. Already, the nightmare of <ANTAGONIST / TRAGIC MEMORY / DARK PREMONTION / GREATEST FEAR> fades. By the time my breathing calms, it’s completely gone. I untangle myself from the sweat-soaked sheets and stumble to my bedroom mirror.

It was just a dream, I tell the  <GENERAL APPEARANCE DETAIL> reflection. But something in my bleary <EYE COLOR> eyes tells me otherwise: this time, it was more. I swallow and the spit sticks in my throat. I shake the thought away, throwing my <HAIR COLOR> hair into a frenzy.

Eventually, my thirst overwhelms me so I throw on a <CHARACTER TELLING DETAIL> t-shirt and open my bedroom door.

“<CHARACTER’S FULL, GENDER SPECIFIC NAME> !” Mom hollers. “You’re <AGE> years-old. Can’t you get up on time for once in your life?”

I cringe. She only uses my full name when I’m really late.

What way to start the day.

***

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The phrase ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’ has never been more true than it is in the world of publishing.  From agents to editors to readers, the first page, the first paragraph, even the first line, serve as a kind of litmus test- Do I want to keep reading?  Do I want to commit to another page, another chapter, another act?  Do I want to shell out a portion of my limited book budget to splurge on this book among the thousands of other options?

As writers, we know that first page is important.  We workshop it, rewrite it, revise it, polish it and shine it until it gleams.  But a first page is only one page in as many as 300 or more.  While I understand the need for a strong opening, I sometimes wonder if it’s fair to make that one little page carry so much of the load. 

I think at a minimum, a first page needs to ground the reader, to hint at the story experience to come, to give a flavor for the tone of the book, so the reader can decide whether to commit to the rest of the story.  Beyond that, I try not to worry too much about the first page as a standalone read, because a first page has to serve the story too.  It’s not just a lure.  So with this philosophy in mind, I give you some things to think about as you craft your first page:

1     Start in the right place: where you start is often the critical question for first pages.  A first page that can lack interest or tension if you start a scene (or the entire story) too soon.  Conversely, it can be unsettling (and hard to follow) if you start too far into the middle of the action.  The first page has to walk the line of providing enough background to orient us to the character and scene without reading like boring info-dump. It’s a tall order, but this page is the introduction to your world, and you want to get it right. 

      

      Establish the narrator’s voice:  Who is telling the story?  If we’re going to follow this person for 300+ pages, we want to know if this person is worth following.  The narrator’s voice sets the tone for the entire story.  Make sure it’s present in that first page.  Does you narrator have a unique way of speaking or just a unique way of looking at the world?  We need to see it on page one.

      Set the tone for the rest of the story: If your book is scary, the first page should deliver with, if not an ominous tone, at least some hint of what’s to come.  If your book is fun, the tone of the first page should reflect that.  If setting is important to your story, we should get grounded in the setting right off the bat.  If your story is character driven, we should see lots of voice and interiority.  If your story is fast-paced and action packed- the first page should reflect that.  Your first page sets the tone for the reader.  They should have at least a vague idea of what they’re going to get if they turn the page.  

      Establish some micro tension: first pages should include some sort of conflict, some tension that comes from the character, the situation, or even just a question that the reader needs answered.  Even introductions or long descriptions that could otherwise read as tedious info-dump can be made tantalizing when conflict is present. 

Secondary items:  I think if you can accomplish all of the above with your first page you are going to be in good shape, but here are some secondary things to keep in mind:

a.       Introduce setting: Where are we?  When are we?  Is this world familiar to us?  Unfamiliar? In what ways?  The reader needs to be grounded in place and time.  Help them picture the scene with a few key details, tantalize them with hints that the world is different than their own, or show how even a familiar world can look different through your character’s eyes.

b.      Introduce characters: Who is this story about?  Who is telling it?  Why should we be interested?  Voice can help with this, but the reader needs to get a picture of the main characters early in the story.  Ground the reader with one or two key details about the main character early on.

c.       Introduce situations: What is happening?  What are the stakes for the characters in the scene?  We need to know why what’s happening is important to the characters, and what they have to lose.  This will help create tension in your scene, and also help the reader empathize with the characters.

d.      Raise questions:  Nothing will get a reader turn the page better than raising a question in their mind that they want answered.  This is where avoiding giving too much background can help you.  Hint at something that will be fleshed out later, raise questions that will be answered later in the chapter, or better yet, later in the story.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Breakout Novel Intensive workshop run by Free Expressions and featuring the amazing Donald Maass.  Over the course of the week, we covered character arc, story arc, theme, character development, raising the stakes, micro-tension, exposition, dialogue--you name it, we covered it.  And we spend probably two hours on one of the days talking about first lines.

Think about it.  My second novel, TARNISH, weighs in at about 93,000 words.  The first line is ten words long.  That's what?  1/9300 of the book.  And yet we spent approximately 1/13 of our class time talking about how to write one.

What I got out of that class?  First lines are very, very important.

The first line of a novel can be four words long or ten or less or more or anywhere in between.  But it has to cover so much ground.  It can create a question.  Create tension.  Create intrigue.  It establishes the voice--of the narrator, of the novelist.  But most of all, it has to engage the reader enough that he wants to read the next line, too.

Look at some of these:

"Where's Papa going with that axe?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.

I'm sure we all recognize this one.  It's trotted out at just about every children's writing conference workshop on first lines (or first pages or first chapter).  Why?  Because it's a killer first line.  Where is Papa going with that axe?  And, more importantly, why?

There once was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself--not just sometimes, but always.

This is from one of my favorite novels of all time, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster. It's got the same audience as Charlotte's web and it also uses third person past tense, but do you see how different the voice is?  But it makes you want to read on, because it sets up the entire premise of the book--what does Milo do with himself?

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.

The time-honored advice is never begin your novel with your character waking up (or eating breakfast).  Yet here is another one.  Suzanne Collins starts THE HUNGER GAMES by breaking the rules, and nailing it.  OK, Katniss is waking up.  But why is the other side of the bed cold?  Who is missing?  WE have to keep reading to find out.

What about the following first lines?  Can you guess?  And, more importantly, do all of them make you want to read on?  If not, why?

1.  He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.

2.  It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

3.  When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

4.  It was a dark and stormy night.

5.  The Salinas Valley is in Northern California.

And a bonus line, because today is the author's birthday:

6.  Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York.

During the break in that class period, however, I got into a discussion with the writer sitting next to me. We agreed that yes, having a killer first line is very important.  But what about the first page?  As a reader, I almost always go on to the next line.  And the next.  Before I decide if I want to read the rest of the book.  (though there have been a couple of books that I have put down because I hated the first line, but this post isn't about my personal quirks.)

Yes, first lines are important.  But so is the first page.  And so is the rest of the book.  Every page needs to vibrate with tension.  Every page needs to move the story forward.  Every line needs to further the narrative voice.  It's a tall order, but you're up to it.

Answers:  1.  The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway.  2.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  3.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  4.  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  5.  East of Eden by John Steinbeck.  6.  Richard III by William Shakespeare.

This week we turn our attention to "First Pages" and I have a little tickler to get you in the mood.

“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive.” 

― Anne Lamott

And this is probably what it looks like when you realize you've done just that.