Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.
That is the opening line of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. The first paragraph continues stating that the gate was locked, the way in barred to her. No one answered when the narrator called out and the house seemed deserted. This sets the tone for an amazing story.
I recommend this book to everyone.
Alfred Hitchcock was so impressed he directed a movie based on the novel. Stephen King got inspiration for Bag of Bones from reading the novel.
The first three lines of Stephen King’s Bag of Bones reveal the last conversation between the narrator and his wife as she’s going out on an errand. He describes the conversation without going into exhaustive detail, setting up a crisis point in the first paragraph.
“The next time I saw her, she was on TV. That’s how you identify the dead here in Derry –“
It’s always the beginnings that get me. I imagine it’s the same for many readers.
When I visit bookstores, brick and mortar and online, I might be drawn to a cover design. I might be intrigued by the back cover blurb. But I base my purchases on the first pages. If a writer grabs my attention in the first minutes, I’m hooked.
I expect a story to have a normal ebb and flow. I expect a story to progress toward its conclusion without needing to be wowed on every page. I look past minor flaws in the layout and editing, having read many wonderful books with some printer or other technical errors. But I expect a good story. I want surprises. I want some wow moments in the mix.
These ideas were at the forefront when I began the prologue for Shadowman. I wanted to grab the reader’s attention immediately while not revealing everything at once.
“The blast of the shotgun was deafening. The rest was quiet work. A pushing, driving, movement of hands to finish what had to be done.”
I don’t tell right away that a murder has been committed. I don’t immediately reveal the outside forces and inner turmoil effecting the man. He’s only one thread in the tapestry.
In life, many things are about beginnings.
What made you notice this or that person? What attracts your attention when you look outside? What draws your interest away from those certain tasks at hand that need to be completed? That is the book cover.
Their smile, the way the sun highlights their hair, their cologne/perfume that elicits a reaction in your senses. The squirrel jumping from tree to tree, the mixture of colors in the gardens and fields, the kid chasing the butterfly. The song that just came on the radio, the hunger pangs you’ve suppressed all morning, the smell of coffee brewing. That is the back cover blurb that draws you to the inevitability of wanting to experience more.
Starting a conversation with that person you’ve noticed. Remembering when you were the kid chasing butterflies. Singing along with that song on the radio. Those are the opening lines of the book.
Make the reader feel happy, sad, intrigued, angry, make them feel something, anything but bored with what you've written. Writing is all about engaging someone’s interest. It’s about taking them away from their day to day and bringing them into the world you’ve created.
My Click Here selection contains the next few chapters of Assuming Room Temperature, my next crime thriller. I haven't edited the pages and would appreciate any constructive criticism giving through the CONTACT icon.
8/9/16 I've combined all of the offerings for Assuming Room Temperature under the click here button.
Thanks again, and enjoy.