We've all heard about the first five pages of a novel. They must be gripping. They must plunk the reader into the middle of the scene. They must give enough information to satisfy the reader . . . for now. Those pages must also open the door to questions the reader fill form in the back of his/her mind.
--Back-story dump--outta there.
--Blathering prose--delete.
--Endless coffee scenes of putrid dialogue--but only if you plan on poisoning one of the drinkers.
The first five pages have to give enough to the reader to make them care enough to read on and see what happens.
I LOVE/HATE the first five pages. And I write, rewrite, edit, rearrange, tweak, revise, rectify, modify, redact . . .
Okay. I think y'all get it.
I thought the first five pages in the second book in my middle grade series would be easy-peasy. All I had to do was put hints about book one in the story to catch the reader up to pace. Right?
Wrongo. Oh, how wrong this cocky writer can be.
I have been working on the first five pages, roughly 1500-words for WEEKS. Weeks, I tell you! Not all the time, but thinking and fixing. Paragraphs were out of order. First, I gave too much info and then not enough. Then it had to actually make sense in the present context. *sigh*
Just trust me. It's harder than you think it is. So, finally I was sort of happy with what I had. I could start writing. Fear gripped me by the throat. Did I do enough? Did I give away the answer to the first book? Did I tell too much? Too little?
I did what any normal writer would do--I called my trusted friend, Cyndi. Yes, everyone should call Cyndi Morgan--not their own CP, but *Cyndi Morgan*--she's running for RWA Pro Liaison, by the way. Who was that running for RWA PRO LIAISON?
** CYNDI MORGAN **
I didn't want her to crit it. I didn't want her to do ANYTHING except read the first five pages and let me know if I did my job by hinting at the previous story, by building the atmosphere of an ongoing fantasy, of the challenges of being a single child, etc.
I wanted to know if it made sense.
It did.
So now I can really. . .
Write on!
Good for you! It's vital for me to get the first pages right, too. It sets the tone of the whole book.
ReplyDeleteThans, Edie. I thought it would be easier than it was.
ReplyDeleteOff to write--I need to figure out how to disable the internet.
That's great that you have someone you can send that stuff too. I struggle with knowing how much to give away in the first five pages. Is it too soon for the reader to know this or should I wait until chapter five? Is the information important enough even be taking up space or is it confusing and pulling the reader right out of my story. *sigh* So are the days of my life. ;)
ReplyDeleteBUT. . .
ReplyDeleteI'm at a different point in my writing career than you are. This is my sixth manuscript AND the second in a middle-grade series, so I had to 'catch the reader up to speed' without telling what book #1 was all about (because, in theory, I want to sell that book, too)but firmly ingraining the current history in the book.
BUT . . .
manuscript #7 is also a different proposition--a romantic suspense. It required a totally different approach. In this story, I want the reader to sense something is very, very wrong as I drop tiny little hints.
Two very different beginnings to two very different types of stories. I needed Cyndi to read it to see if it made sense without spilling too much info. She hadn't read my middle-grade story, so I knew she'd be doing a cold read, which is what I wanted.
HAHAHA Oh yeah, everyone should have a Cyndi Morgan in their life! LOLOL
ReplyDeleteAnd FYI for everyone...Those were five good pages. I laughed. I remembered 6th grade. I really enjoyed the read.
thanks for the PRO Liaison shout-out
Just wish I had a great audience to shout-out to, Cyndi!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that one person's boring might intrigue me.
ReplyDeleteI might rewrite the first pages halfway through the book. Then I know what I need to keep or toss.
These pages were killer for me, Mama Mary,because I needed to incorporate a little of the previous story without telling too much.
ReplyDeleteGuess I'm one of those anal people who has to tweak it to get it right before I could move on.