Talk it over: Start write
Philip Henry, Portstewart, Northern Ireland
Advice on getting from idea to page from Jane Wenham-Jones
I’d like some advice on where to start my book.
I think I have a great idea (don’t we all?) but I’m unsure where to start in the narrative; do I start at the beginning and show what my character’s normal life is like before it changes, or jump to halfway through the book and hit the readers with a mysterious death, then go back to the beginning?
I’ve read a lot of books and interviews that say you have to hook your reader on the first page with something shocking or intriguing, but I can’t help but notice that some of the biggest-selling thrillers of the last few years didn’t do this: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train (maybe having Girl in the title is the key to success!).
I’ve heard some authors and agents say that ‘murder on the first page’ thing is old hat and can just come across as gimmicky and amateurish now.