Write Whatever the Heck You Want

by Allison Williams

Last weekend, I tweeted some writing advice: I’d watched the beginning of a movie; a detail that seemed off yanked me out of the story; and that’s why our first ten pages are so important when submitting to agents and editors.

“Opening pages must build trust,” I wrote. “Trust that you can authoritatively tell this story, that it’s compelling, that no weird little detail will yank them out of the mental movie of your book playing in their head.” I pointed out that ear...