Hook, Heighten, Hold: How to Captivate Readers in Your First Pages

By Allison K Williams

I’ve written before about what to include in your first pages and what not to. First pages should establish the author’s voice, the theme of the book, a protagonist we want to spend time with, and kick off the quest. Many writers start their books at the Passover Question: “Why is this night different than all other nights?” Then I saw a discussion on Reddit about making great YouTube videos, and learned something powerful and new about beginnings:

Successful vid...