A couple of months back I posted excerpts from Chuck Sambuchino of Writer’s Digest post on Writer Unboxed titled What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents.
Here are a few more points on opening chapters. Think of how many times you have seen these here at FtQ. If you haven't checked out Chuck's original post, it's worth a visit.
On opening with a dream:
“I dislike opening scenes that you think are real, then the protagonist
wakes up. It makes me feel cheated.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary
On prologues:
“I’m not a fan of prologues, preferring to find myself in the midst of a
moving plot on page 1 rather than being kept outside of it, or eased into it.”
- Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary
On exposition and description in an opening chapter:
“Perhaps my biggest pet peeve with an opening chapter is when an author
features too much exposition – when they go beyond what is necessary for simply
‘setting the scene.’ I want to feel as if I’m in the hands of a master
storyteller, and starting a story with long, flowery, overly-descriptive
sentences (kind of like this one) makes the writer seem amateurish and the
story contrived. Of course, an equally jarring beginning can be nearly as
off-putting, and I hesitate to read on if I’m feeling disoriented by the fifth
page. I enjoy when writers can find a good balance between exposition and
mystery. Too much accounting always ruins the mystery of a novel, and the
unknown is what propels us to read further.”
- Peter Miller, PMA Literary and Film Management
On openings in fantasy:
“Cliché openings in fantasy can include an opening scene set in a battle
(and my peeve is that I don’t know any of the characters yet so why should I
care about this battle) or with a pastoral scene where the protagonist is
gathering herbs (I didn’t realize how common this is).”
- Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary
On opening with backstory:
“I’m turned off when a writer feels the need to fill in all the backstory
before starting the story; a story that opens on the protagonist’s mental
reflection of their situation is a red flag.”
- Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management
For what it's worth.
Ray
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© 2013 Ray Rhamey