Make the First Page Perfect

When the manuscript of your story is submitted for publication the most important person who will read it is a publisher’s first review editor. That’s the person who decides if your submission will pass the first test for review or will it be rejected after a quick glance. The editor makes this decision after reading your first page.

The first page of your work is usually 250 to 300 words.  It’s very important that your story begins with a first page that will grab the publisher’s interest in the brief time he or she takes to read the opening words. Get the editor interested by making something happen or show something is already happening when we meet the character. This usually is the story’s protagonist, but it could be a secondary character.

When writing a short story or a piece as long as a novel, a flashback is very useful in getting the reader directly into the action. With or without a flashback, get the reader interested by simply beginning the story.

To make the first page the best possible, avoid any tangents in the opening words. Tangents are scenes that are not needed. They add nothing to the active plot. It’s always a good idea to cut out scenes that don’t advance the plot. Short stories don’t have the space for tangents. Novels are the more appropriate space for tangents that add side stories.

My short story “Double Tap” begins with police officer Susan Thompson in an emergency room. It contains the first page techniques that will get a reader interested. Here are the first few lines from that story that is one of six short stories in “The Device.”

A woman in a police uniform was lying on a table. Men and women dressed in blue scrubs surrounded her.  “That light is too bright. I don’t want to open my eyes,” she thought. “Why is someone pulling my clothes off?” “Officer Thompson!" a man shouted. “Susan, stay with us.” “Blood pressure is dropping, doctor,” a woman said. “We can’t get her to surgery at this rate,” another man said. Her uniform blouse was torn away and her bra was cutoff. She was naked from the waist up. Her chest felt wet. The table felt cold. She began to drift off.  “I’m so tired. Why is everyone shouting?”

This story has the elements of putting the reader directly into the action with no unneeded explanation. The main character is identified. Hopefully, a reader would find the first page interesting enough to lead him or her into the rest of the story.

Sending paper copies of stories to publishers is obsolete. Stories and even complete books are sent by electronic mail. Yet we still have the image of an uninterested editor throwing our manuscript into a trash can.

One way to keep your work out of the imaginary trash can is to keep the plot working on the first page. During the many edits you as an author will need to do, ask yourself if the setting or scene on the first page advances the plot. If a past reference or flashback is used, make sure it will tie back into the story later. 

Staying focused during those important first words helps you progress the plot and helps you present a better story.

Thank you for taking time to read this blog. Another blog will be in this space in a week to ten days.  See my web site at www.joevlatino.com where you can purchase copies of my book The Device. My book is available at Amazon.com in paperback and in e-book forms.