Five Things Your First Page Needs

Use these five tips to nail your novel open and grab your reader on the first page!

At a time in which you have about 13 seconds to capture a reader’s attention, writing a captivating first page matters! And if you plan to query agents to try and find a champion for your book, this may matter even more. Readers (and agents) want to be pulled into the story from the very beginning.

I’ve heard numerous agents talk about this. In fact, at one writer’s conference, when asked to lower their hand when they would stop reading a manuscript, nearly half of the agents polled lowered their hand after the first paragraph. That is not a lot a time! The fact is, your book, and first page, need to be compelling from the start. If this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. I have a list of simple tips to help you master your first page and start grabbing the attention of your readers.

Who: A Strong Protagonist

Readers need a sense of the protagonist, or main character, early on. Providing a glimpse of who this person is and giving your readers a reason to care, hooks readers into your story. They care about what happens because they care about, relate to, or like the main character. It’s also important to establish motivation for your main character: what does he/she want? Why does he/she want it? What lie to they believe or worldview do they hold?

Introducing this type of characterization is crucial to create a character that readers want to follow and root for, but do be careful not to info dump on your reader. Rather, use indirect characterization and interiority to achieve this.

What: A Sense of Conflict

Give your protagonist a clear goal and a sense of conflict within that goal. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the main conflict of the story, but be sure to create feeling of tension—even if it’s small—and tiny seeds of curiosity that compel the reader to keep going.

Things like conflicting emotions, unsafe situations, even slight indications that there’s “more to the story” can create this conflict right from the get-go. Conflict is not limited to swords, bombs, and killers on the loose. A sense of conflict can be created with a simple imbalance of power within characters. And it needs to be present from page one.

When/Where: A Clear Setting

Ground your readers immediately into your world. Regardless of genre, readers need a sense of where and when this story is taking place. Again, don’t info dump on your reader, but provided rich descriptions, imagery, indications of time and place, and a feeling of atmosphere will pull you reader into your created world. Often times, the subtlest details can provide the strongest emotions in your reader, and the same is true for settings.

Trust your reader. They will create the image they need out of the details you provide. Save your thorough descriptions for the information that is certainly needed to ground your reader into this new world.

Why: A Compelling Hook

Attention spans are short, and readers want to be pulled in from the opening sentence. You need to create a compelling hook that grabs the readers from the start by raising questions, creating curiosity and intrigue, and those bits of micro tension I mentioned before. Tension is at the root of all great and compelling stories, so always look for ways of creating tension on every page, starting from the first one.

You probably learned in school to start every essay with a “hook” or an opening that grabbed your readers attention and made them interested in your essay. The same is true for you first page.

How: A Strong Narrative Voice

I apologize in advance as this is such a nebulous idea, but you need a strong narrative voice. The words you use, the style and tone of your writing, and the mood you’re creating for the reader all create a sense of voice. However, this is something that doesn’t magically happen. It must be developed over time through lots and lots of writing. You are a writer, and that means you can and will develop your own perspective and narrative voice that will shine through the page.

One of my favorite examples of a very strong, narrative voice is Kate DiCamillo. Her style, tone, and voice stays consistent and beautiful in every book she writes. It is so strong. Another example of strong voice can be found in Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. Her voice is so strong from the opening sentence until the end of the book.

Start implement these 5 things your first page needs into your opening pages. Watch how it transforms your writing!

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