I know many of us don't want to expose our writing to the world just yet and I used to feel the same but after lots of 'telling it like it is' comments on the wonderful but tough, www.youwriteon.com, I don't care so much. This is just a (stolen idea) which I like but will understand if you guys don't! Feed back on the actual writing isn't really necessary - you can always state that you would like feedback - if you're feeling brave - but more to show how you go about crafting your first page. Confused? More confusion below:
Julie Cohen, a very sucessful writer living a few miles away from me, has a great website and blog: http://www.julie-cohen.com/blogOn her blog, she has set up a first page challenge and she has kindly let me borrow it. The idea, roughly, is that you post your first page with, perhaps, reasons why you did such and such (see Julie's blog, please as I am rubbish at explaining stuff!). Yours may be like mine, totally unedited as I haven't finished the first draft yet so any feed back should be gentle:) I found it really useful as I wasn't aware that the first page of a paperback is roughly 250 - 300 words and my first page has a word count of nearly 500- so I need to try cut it down and hook my reader so that she wants to turn the page...I need to do a lot of work but have more of an idea now so thank you Julie.
7 comments:
That's probably 250-300 words double-spaced using a standard 12-point font. If yours is single-spaced or a smaller font, I wouldn't get concerned about the higher word count. (Actually now that I think about it, you can't really get 500 words on a letter-sized page any other way.)
Back in late February, our own dear Liz Fenwick offered a similar challenge, which I took up. Here's my first page post: First Page Challenge. I encourage anyone to do it, if only to increase your courage. =oD
Thanks Fiona
Always good to be set a challenge. I'll give it a go:-)
Yes, this is a great idea. Does anyone get nervous about that first time your work is read, or is it just me?
Once I've done my second edit (there is no way you are seeing my first!!) I might give this a go.
Hmm.. sounds good. As soon as I have a first page I will be up for posting it. Nanowrimo starts November 1, so I'm saving all my writing for my 'Untitled' fantasy novel then.
This in interseting but I've got to say a first paragraph challenged sounds like a good plan to me. I never try and write a first page to fit an aproximate length (don't forget there is always page 2, 3, 4...!) but I do try and write a good stong opening line and an intriguing first paragraph. Less information and more action at the start is usually my motto for that opening sequnce!
Yes, B.E. that seemed a life time ago and it followed from Julie's lead. Fiona will nip round and check yours out. I have now changed the first page of AR so it will be interesting to compare them!!!
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