In a new blog post, Zara Altair offers advice for getting your novel off to a good start. Beginning writers may use a superfluous sex scene to start the action (pun intended) or think they need to start their protagonist’s story by literally following them from bed to the bathroom (and tragically, the mirror).
Instead, Altair says writers should use their first pages to draw their reader into the story. Get the protagonist moving, show their emotional state, give them a goal, and thrown an obstacle in their path, as soon as possible, even if the initial stakes are something as minor as making an appointment on time or reaching someone by phone. Connecting your reader with your protagonist’s emotional state will bring them into your novel organically.
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