Another Flogging

Ray Rhamey, of Flogging the Quill, was nice enough to take a look at my rewritten chapter one. Ray’s blog specializes in helping writers craft a compelling first page to capture the reader and compel them to turn the page. It is thought that this will also help capture an agent’s/publisher’s attention as well.
I had submitted my first chapter to him two years ago and Ray was unconvinced that it was a page turner. Due to other reasons as well, I decided to do a major rewrite of my novel.

Today Ray has the first page of my novel up on his blog. Check it out and vote if you like. Would you turn the page? Would you set the story down and move on to another?

Let me know.

Stella out!

Comments

Quillhill said…
Hi Stella. It's me again. I read the flog blog and all the comments that followed. I wanted to share my thoughts with you. I get Ray's point that you only have the first page to draw the interest of an editor or agent. Most of the time, and in your case what he seems to be suggesting, "grabbing the reader" seems to result in what I think of as the James Bond movie opening--a big action scene. But cutting off what comes before that alley scene in your case removes what I think is some critical internal character stuff. I think your slower opening leads to a fuller and deeper novel. If "spare time is a mortal sin" in the opening, then that is something that can be dealt with and developed throughout the novel. So I don't believe every novel has to begin with a fight scene. And editors or agents who look for that in order to grab them are victims of the James Bond mentality. Of course, you know I am more of an old-fashioned novelist in my outlook, so I can be hooked with a slow and character-driven opening. And I will argue the validity of one. However, you may also be able to open with an action alley fight scene, and then put the elements that were removed into a revised scene after the fight when Mia decides whether or not to accept the job offer. What I am saying is that there are reasons for and against any method, and only you can decide what is best for you and your novel.

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