When we write, we intend to create a whole piece that is worthy of reading. However, sometimes we forget that one of the most important pieces of the whole is the very first page. It includes the hook to bring in the reader, and hopefully compels him or her to turn to the next page. Whether you are intending to pursue the traditional publishing route or self-publishing, that first page can be the difference in getting a reader and maintaining one. As I attended the James River Writers Conference and a First-Page Critique session, I learned a few pointers to making that first page memorable. Note: The panel consisted of two agents, an editor, and an author moderating it. While the main focus was…
Jenn Falls – My Writing Journey
Posts tagged “Writing and Editing”
Who doesn’t remember hating to get back your paper from the English teacher just knowing that the red ink marks of everything you did wrong will drip off the page and stain you? You believe that the teacher is just out to get you, which makes you hate writing even more! Whoever was the first to come up with the idea to make corrections in red ink was a sadist. It really does correlate your mistakes with the “blood”, sweat, and tears you put into your writing a little too closely. When dealing with an editor, these days it’s more of a proverbial “red pen” with computer tools like Word where an editor gives Track Changes and Comments. You still get corrections, and your…
Having an idea of who you would like reading your novel is an excellent way to help you shape the content of your story. Your intended audience will help you know where your writing will fit in the pantheon of literature. I was recently helping a client with his finished novel when we began a long, detailed discussion about into what genre it fit. I asked him who he thought would be his intended audience. The answer he gave was that he wrote it for himself without really thinking about who would be reading it. Writing for ourselves is a very common way to motivate us to finish writing. After all – we are the very first audience for the novel, right? However,…
Falls Into Writing 