Draft 1, Chapter 1. Who’s it For?

Draft 1, Chapter 1. Who’s it for? The author or the reader?

Readers are impatient these days. When they open a book, they want it to suck them in from the very first page. First paragraph. First sentence. This can pose a problem for the author who wants to get everything out there to hook the reader as soon as possible. Oftentimes, it’s too much, too soon.

My first “rule” of openings is “Don’t assume your reader knows anything about the book.” This holds true whether it’s your first book, or...