The very first page must contain...?

It must contain a promise, imo. And, I want to be seduced and drawn in. Scene setting can do it.

The Hobbit does it with descriptions of a hole in the ground and the promise of a fantasy world. How to Stop Time does it with the promise of philosophy and genetic weirdness. Lots of books do it with something graphic, or something funny.

I'd say look through your favorite books.

I often re-shelve books that try to shock me in the first page (or even first chapter).

But each reader is different. That's both good and bad.

I think to some extent it depends on your reader and your genre. For me, it has to show me a voice I can settle in with.

Something that makes you want to turn the page over. I personally like something with good humor or a first sentence that stands out. Jack Reacher novels always tend to have good opening sentences, I think.

Words that make the reader keep reading.

That's it. That's the only rule.

Doesn't have to be action, or suspense, or anything like that - just has to be interesting enough to get them to the next sentence. It can be scene setting if you want, but it needs to be interesting.

Pick up five books you love, and look at just the opening sentence. I've done this for some books I've read this year, and although they start in a variety of different ways, each opening sentence entices the reader to keep going. Some include an inciting incident ("Miss Violetta Beauchamps had made a terrible mistake"), some are scene setting ("There were no windows in th Brin 2 facility--rotation meant that 'outside' was always 'down,' underfoot, out of mind"), but they all provide a flavor, an entree to the world of the novel.

Maybe that's a better analogy: your opening needs to be a door, and it needs to be an interesting one. Voice is more important than action.

(Quotes are from Courtney Milan's MRS. MARTIN'S INCOMPARABLE ADVENTURE and Adrian Tchaikovsky's CHILDREN OF TIME.)

The first sentence should make one want to read the second, and the second sentence should make you want to read the third, and the third should etc..

Each sentence should follow from the one before and the growing image -whatever it is- should be interesting. I like to know pretty soon where I am, what's happening, and in whose head I am supposed to be.

What's interesting to one person may not be interesting to another, but you can't please everyone all the time.

But if what is written is boring, you may find you can't please anyone at any time.

Pencrafter said:

...something page-turn-worthy? Jarring? Enticing?

Not scene setting?

I have a first chapter with an intriguing event but that event doesn’t happen on the first page, first paragraph, first sentence.

Have I damaged the interest to the reader who must be won and convinced to read in that first sentence?

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Pencrafter said:

...something page-turn-worthy? Jarring? Enticing?

Not scene setting?

I have a first chapter with an intriguing event but that event doesn’t happen on the first page, first paragraph, first sentence.

Have I damaged the interest to the reader who must be won and convinced to read in that first sentence?

Click to expand...

Something interesting. A voice, a problem, a funny sidekick, a question, a murder, a weird thing, a monster, an impending disaster, a character I want to know more about, a sign that says "Keep Off the Spider Carcasses," just...something. For me it does not have to be the first sentence, but...something, on that first page, sure. It doesn't have to be huge, either. Just something that makes me go "hm" and keep going...

That's not something others can tell you, it needs to be directly absorbed by the writer. AKA see how other writers do it.

Go to a bookstore and the aisle of your chosen genre. Have a pad on which to write (or a tablet if you're not a Luddite).

Start at one end, top shelf, and open books to the first lines. Don't bother with prologues or reading the back cover blurbs. Cold read those first lines without knowing anything about the story and see if they hook you.

Note the title/author of those who hooked you solid, not just mild to medium interest, but the ones that have grabbed you so hard that you would much rather keep reading than pick up the next one.

Pick up the next one, rinse, repeat.

Elements to look for:

Character's personality -- any hint of that? The protag needs to be interesting and strong enough to drag you kicking and screaming through the next 300 pages, keeping you up all night so you curse them the next morning yet want more.

Emotional hook -- goes with the character's personality/voice.

The Conflict -- or Problem. Doesn't have to be in your face, some may hint at it, others drop you into the volcano.

That said, try the opening page, right here and now, of Christopher Moore's Island of the Sequined Love Nun.

Or this one.

I could spend all day telling you what to do and how I do it, but you'll figure it out faster --tailoring it to your own voice -- by reading 50-60 openings for yourself.

If they really hook you hard, hit the library and look for titles. Those will be writers who can teach you. Sure, read a book to enjoy it, but also study how that writer put their sentences together and structured that opening chapter.

Avoid books that have protags waking up (the exception is the Love Nun title above), having a nightmare, or going through their boring morning shower/coffee ritual. We read books to escape from that crap.

And if you have not read any Ray Bradbury, DO SO. He's one of the greatest writers of the heart, period, and should be required reading for all writers, no matter what genre. Best. Mentor. Ever.

He got that way because he could not afford college, so he read the local library instead. The whole freaking library. He was there every day it was open, reading, reading, reading. His own writing routine was reading at least two hours a day.

While you're at it, do a Google image search for "Neil Gaiman's library". Be aware he's read all those and that's just one wall.

ap123 said:

I think to some extent it depends on your reader and your genre. For me, it has to show me a voice I can settle in with.

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This is me, too. I don't really care what's happening or what it's about if the voice is compelling enough.

Anna Spargo-Ryan said:

This is me, too. I don't really care what's happening or what it's about if the voice is compelling enough.

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Also me. First page must contain voice. Lots and lots of voice.

Anna Spargo-Ryan said:

This is me, too. I don't really care what's happening or what it's about if the voice is compelling enough.

Click to expand...

mccardey said:

Also me. First page must contain voice. Lots and lots of voice.

Click to expand...

They call us the Voice Squad.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

Another vote for voice. I need a reason to care and that isn't going to happen without an engaging or compelling voice.

Pencrafter said:

How do you define, “voice?”

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Google will help you with that. Try googling “voice in writing”.

I’m not being smart here - there have been a few discussions about this, and it takes a while to work to a clear definition of it.

Pencrafter said:

How do you define, “voice?”

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You know how every individual has a different speaking voice? Literary voice is the same, just with words. Most of us start off writing kind of generically, but with practice (and exposure to other voices), we develop our own unique voice.

ap123 said:

They call us the Voice Squad.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

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Here for this!

Set up a question for the reader that passes the 'so what?' test. Don't use books that were published over 50 years ago as examples, publishing has changed a lot.

something to make you keep reading

Patty said:

It must contain a promise, imo. And, I want to be seduced and drawn in. Scene setting can do it.

The Hobbit does it with descriptions of a hole in the ground and the promise of a fantasy world.

...

But each reader is different. That's both good and bad.

Click to expand...

Took me several tries to get "into" the Hobbit. i had a hard time keeping up with all the descriptions. i think i ended up reading the LOTR series before going back to the hobbit, by then being familiar enough with the "countryside" to find the description delightful rather than tedious.

Also, I tend to shelf books that i don't like the voice of. (+1 for voice )

honestly, if a style grates on me, there's no way i will keep at it for 300+ pages. but to each their own, and there are plenty of people frowning at the stuff i read.

(an acquaintance of mine wrote and published two books. i want to be supportive and read them. the summaries of both stories sound interesting enough, but i don't like his style. i cannot read half a page without thinking "get to the point already!". i will try again. just not right away...)

Thinking about it from a reader's perspective, I like first pages that are able to represent the book with honesty. Something that shows the author is smart enough to know exactly what her book is and what she is promising to the reader. A beginning that crystalizes this and an ending that delivers on it is what I usually look for when I edit novels.

Pencrafter said:

...something page-turn-worthy? Jarring? Enticing?

Not scene setting?

I have a first chapter with an intriguing event but that event doesn’t happen on the first page, first paragraph, first sentence.

Have I damaged the interest to the reader who must be won and convinced to read in that first sentence?

Click to expand...

Hi,

Can you start with your intriguing event and back track a bit to fill in the blanks of where you originally started?

I have read plenty of books that start out slow but then get very interesting.
I sort of feel as a reader that I am accepting that things won't always be fast paced or intriguing, but not sure about the general public.

I hope this helps!
Juggernaut