Write Great Beginnings

by Sandra Gerth

Overview

The beginning is the most important part of your book. The first chapter—probably even the first page—is what makes agents and editors accept or reject a manuscript, and it’s what makes readers decide to buy a book or pick another. But writing a compelling opening is hard because there are so many things a great beginning needs to do and so many mistakes to avoid.

In this book, Sandra Gerth draws on her experience as an editor and best-selling author to teach you where to start your novel, how to avoid common first chapter problems, and how to hook your readers from the very first page.

Each chapter of this practical guide includes concrete examples and exercises that will help you write an irresistible beginning.

Whether you’re a novice writer working on your first story or an established author with several novels under your belt, this book will help you:

●Decide where to start your book,
●Understand important elements of every powerful opening such as the inciting incident,
●Write a kickass first line,
●Hook your readers from the very first page,
●Introduce your characters and get readers to care about them,
●Establish the time and place of your story,
●Get your readers emotionally involved in your story as soon as possible,
●Describe your setting and your characters without stopping the momentum of the story,
●Incorporate backstory and reveal your characters’ pasts without overwhelming readers,
●Create chapter endings that will make readers keep reading.
●Avoid openings that are boring, confusing, clichéd, or misleading,
●Discover what types of openings to avoid,
●Find out why prologues and flashbacks can be problematic and how to handle them effectively.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940164007386
Publisher:	Ylva Publishing
Publication date:	03/18/2020
Series:	Writers' Guide Series
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	NOOK Book
Sales rank:	741,262
File size:	732 KB

About the Author

Sandra Gerth is a writer and an editor who divides her time between writing her own books and helping other writers revise and polish theirs.

She holds a degree in psychology and worked as a psychologist for eight years before transitioning into a career as a full-time novelist—the best job in the world as far as she’s concerned.

She earned a certificate in editing from the Academy of German Book Trade and is now the senior editor of Ylva Publishing, a small press that publishes women’s fiction.

Under her pen name, Jae, she has published an ever-growing number of novels, novellas, and short stories, most of them in English and in German. Her books have won numerous awards and have been #1 bestsellers on Amazon on various occasions.

She’s also the author of a series of nonfiction books for writers, including Goal Setting for Writers and Time Management for Writers.