The first three paragraphs of your novel

Within the first three paragraphs of your manuscript, you must:

1. hook your reader
2. create reader identification
3. convince the reader to suspend disbelief.

But first, let’s talk about what we we’re talking about. We’re talking about
printed pages. Paragraphs with words and letters.

Yes, audio books – love ‘em. Especially Cracker Barrel’s cool deals that
enable you to check out books in one store and return them at the next store
down the road.

But audio books and movies and all that – that’s after the book is written and
sold. Not to say you shouldn’t keep those possibilities in mind. You should.
But focus on the fact that someone is going to be reading your words,
probably silently.

The problem with a lot of writing groups is that they read pages aloud. If the
writer is the one doing the reading aloud, there’s probably a fair amount of
nuancing and enthusiasm going into the performance.

What you need to write is something you can sell, not something you can
read aloud: a book that’s meant to be read as books are normally read.

Here’s a big secret: some things that work on the screen, in real life, or in
other formats DON’T WORK IN BOOKS. All the countless mental
stutterings that manifest as “Well, uh, okay, hey,” etc., for starters.

Similarly, oral story tellers – and there are some masters out there – have to
get used to the fact that their readers aren’t going to see that funny little
expression on your face when you tell about the goat that got stuck in a gate
– it’s all got to be on the page.

Now, with that in mind, how do you actually do it? Stay tuned. More specifics coming.