Besides catching the eye of the prospective agent or editor, how important is that first page of your manuscript? As it turns out, your middle grade reader is even pickier than the industry experts. Your first page has to grab them, intrigue them, and make them question. Your first page needs to connect with them so they’ll keep reading all the way to the last page.
Although every person – whether a child or adult – has a different definition of what’s intriguing, I believe there are ways to maximize your chances of creating just the right words to draw them in. Yes, there has to be something happening on that first page, but no, it can’t be too dramatic. Yes, there should be action and dialogue and thoughts, but not anything too telling or surprising. Yes, you have to start with your main character, but no, don’t give us the moment of change yet.
Ultimately, the first page is all about balance. Start your story in the motivational action (for a reminder on how this works, check out this blog post), give us a hint of what is driving your character, and be sure to present it all in their ‘normal’ world.
Analyzing First Pages
Your job as the writer is to captivate your reader – whether young or old – to keep the book in their hands. Your reader will be making a myriad of inferences as they read the first few paragraphs that shape their impression of the entire story.
That first page is pretty important.
So what needs to be there? How do you know what to include? How can you show the balance of elements?
First, make sure your story is starting in the right place – the motivational action. Then take that scene and create a smooth balance of character, motive, and plot.
Here’s a video where I read some first pages of great middle grade fiction, and analyze the author’s balance. First Page Impressions.
The first page of your story is very important. Practice analyzing several first pages as I did in the video, and then go look at your own first page. It may be eye-opening!
Finding the Balance
The first impression your readers have will carry through as far as they care to read, which hopefully is to the end. Often when it’s not, it’s because that first page promise isn’t fulfilled, or it just didn’t fit with how the story unfolded.
Your first page lays the groundwork for everything the reader hopes to gain, and it needs to be presented in a balanced way.
This downloadable worksheet PDF First Page Balance will guide you as you look at your own first page. What is the character promise? What is the motive promise? What is the plot promise? By looking closely at these elements, you can find the perfect balance that the reader will connect with.
Writers often spend as much time pouring over that first page as they do huge swaths of the rest of the manuscript. And rightly so, within reason of course.
Your first page is a powerful tool to advance your story. Practice and learn how to use it to its full advantage.