If you're struggling with how to start your novel, consider dropping the reader into the middle of a conversation—dialogue is always more interesting to read than narrative. Starting with someone asking a question can be particularly intriguing. On the other hand, an example of what might not be the best way to begin a commercial fiction novel is with the main character alone, thinking, or worse—remembering. It's important that you grab the reader right away and draw them into the story, and it's hard to do that when the character is being passive. Lots of readers skim the first page of a novel before deciding whether to buy it—you have only a few paragraphs to prove your story is going somewhere. (By the way, editors often make their buying decisions the same way!) ~
Comments? Share with other writers on Facebook.