The First Paragraph
"Human beings love stories because they safely show us beginnings, middles and ends." A. S. Byatt
I love this article from Jane Friedman’s blog about writing a great first paragraph.
How To Write Your First Paragraph
When novel three started to acquire it’s first rejections, I took a closer look at everything - the query, the synopsis, and the opening pages.
I’d already rewritten the opening a dozen times before starting to send it out into the world, and I thought it had a good hook, that it immediately posed the kind of question that might hook a reader - and that it established it was a crime story right from the start.
But after I’d followed John Matthew Fox’s advice and read a couple of dozen openings, I realised it was a little too understated. I’ve made some changes which I think give my narrator a stronger and more engaging voice, and I think in just a couple of paragraphs I’ve now created a more sympathetic character which might help the reader care what’s going on. And it still has the other hook stuff going on too.
The whole thing is worth reading, but I think he’s right about the critical components.
So to learn how to pull off the linchpin moment of a first paragraph, we’re going to dive into the four critical components of first paragraphs:
Characterization
Energy/tone
Mystery
Emotional bedrock
And the other lesson I have learned, yet again, is that even when you think your manuscript is ready to go out - it really isn’t!
Ann
If you would like some editorial help with your novel draft. please do get in touch and we can have a chat. Check out my Facebook Page, at The Accomplice and message me there for more details, or get in touch through my substack email.