A First-page Checklist
◇ It begins to engage the reader with the character.
◇ Something is wrong/goes wrong or challenges the character.
◇ The character desires something.
◇ The character takes action. Can be internal or external action: thoughts, deeds, emotions. This does NOT include a character musing about whatever.
◇ There's enough of a setting to orient the reader as to where things are happening.
◇ It happens in the NOW of the story. Readers are not interested in the THEN of a story.
◇ Backstory? What backstory? We're in the NOW of the story.
◇ Set-up? What set-up? We're in the NOW of the story.
◇ One thing it must do: raise a story question.
Caveat: a first page can succeed without including all of these possibilities. They are simply tools you can use. In particular, a strong first-person voice with the right content can raise
powerful story questions and create a page turn without doing all of the above.
On the other hand, testing pages with the checklist no matter where they are in a story can help identify where a narrative lags and why it does.
- Ray Rhamey
Hullo hullo. If this chapter makes you think I'm back, you'd be sadly mistaken. I'm going to disappear again till next week. But hope this helps!! I'll be posting writing tips from authors from now on, in addition to the few reviews I've got left.
If you have trouble understanding a point in the checklist, dont be shy to ask in the comments section and help each other out. Have a good day!!!
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