It’s only been two weeks so hopefully you’ll forgive me for continuing to celebrate the launch of my latest book The Housetrap a little longer!
It spooked its way onto the shelves alongside some other wonderful titles that published on the same day; take a look at how gorgeous they all look together, then go fill your shopping basket and you’ll be all set for summer reads!
Thank you to Lindsay Galvin, author of Call of the Titanic for the photo
This week an article by Janet Manley for the Literary Hub (link to the original article here) sparked conversation on Twitter about scary children’s fiction. Something I also chatted briefly about on BBC Radio Somerset on Monday.
An interesting read, and something to consider alongside a more general trend for parents and carers to be more risk-averse than they perhaps were in the past. Scary stories, for those that enjoy them, are great for introducing young readers to risk and fear, whilst keeping the ‘monsters’ safely contained within the pages. Readers can ‘practise’ their feelings, consider what they would do in the same situation, and develop a sense of their own bravery and resilience as a result. And of course, they’re fun - in that screaming as you run too fast downhill kind of way! What do you think?
But enough about me, let’s talk about you and your writing.
for the last few weeks, I’ve been reading entries for the WriteMentor Novel in Development Award and as usual at such times it’s got me thinking about novel openings.
Why are they so hard to get right? How can we stop endlessly rewriting them?
There is always pressure on a novel opening to hook the reader, but perhaps never more so when the reader whose attention you’re trying to grab is an agent or competition judge. You know you’ve got about a millisecond* to showcase your entire novel, your voice, your character, and your commercial potential
(*okay, not really but it can feel like that)
And I think that’s where writers can fall into the trap of Everything All At Once.
Main character, inc appearance, age, likes and dislikes - check
Setting, with everything in it and how it all got there - check
Action, but not in the middle of the action, but exciting, but not confusing … aghhhhh
and it can be hard to take a step back and slow it all down a bit. But let’s take a quick look at what your opening chapter (and even the first page) needs to do, by thinking about your reader as a baby learning to walk. Not run. Walk.
You as the writer need to take their hand and guide them on a steady path towards a feeling of stability. Go from A (not knowing much, if anything, about the story) to B (a sense of confidence that they are in safe hands on this journey).
Okay, so far, so metaphory. Baby steps … you get it. Show us the character, where they are, who they are (perhaps via action or decision). Make it exciting, yes, but purposeful and direct. Don’t get distracted by backstory, or excess description. You can explain everything in good time, but if you divert the toddling reader’s attention (towards the history of your world, or the way magic works here, or how this day reminds the MC of another day in the dim and distant past) they might fall.
What does this look like in practical terms? Let’s look at that checklist again:
Show the main character (and make it interesting)
Describe the setting just enough to place the scene
Give us a sense of the MCs goal and/or the feeling that something is going to change
Do with it voice, and pace
Once your toddler reader is up and running, then you can go in with all the wonderful stuff you want to tell them.
If you’d like a FREE review of your first page go to https://www.emdashed.com/ and head to the contacts page
And because I’m going to go on about my new book just one more time …
Just click on the gorgeous image below to purchase a copy: (Or US readers, click here)
(Illustration: Coralie Muce, Cover design: Steve Wells)
Speak soon, and if there’s something you’d like me to cover either editing/writing-wise or about children’s fiction, please get in touch
Follow me on Twitter at @emmydee73 and Instagram @ediereadie