It's #subtips time! 3 golden rules of the first page, from an editor:
1) Give us a burning question. What will happen? Are we right about our dangerous suspicion? What is this incredibly intriguing situation? Why are they doing this very odd thing? We will read to get the answer.
1) Give us a burning question. What will happen? Are we right about our dangerous suspicion? What is this incredibly intriguing situation? Why are they doing this very odd thing? We will read to get the answer.
This question should hang in the reader's mind as the early conflict/tension. It should be fresh-- why is this toast so important? Why the hell is she sitting in a hole in the back yard? It should be important and not TOO big. "Will they live?" is much too big for pg 1 #subtips
Double down on this question on page 2-- add a layer, give a detail that prompts a deeper question. Slowly peel the onion-- only tell us things that will make us have MORE questions or will make the original question even more important. That re-sets the hook! #subtips
To see if you have executed this well, pause at the end of 1 novel-length page and ask yourself “what will the reader be dying to know right now?” Is it clear, urgent, important? Get a beta/CP to tell you if it’s working. #subtips
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