First Impressions...

I recently met New York Times Bestselling Author C.J. Box, and one of the things he told me is something I have felt and struggled with for a long time.  His comment was that you have to really work on that first line of your book.  Make it have punch and really grab the reader.  It has to hook the reader in so they don’t find something more interesting or entertaining to occupy their time.  He gave me a few examples, and while I whole-heartedly agree with him, I can see where the difficulty in doing them in your book can be a struggle.  I also give my readers more credit than he does and think that your hook can certainly be several sentences into the book, but it still has to be there.  And more than anything, your first chapter is extremely critical in developing the interest level in your reader and creating a hook to turn the page to the next chapter.

So here is your assignment, grab any dozen books and read the first line or two.  Then grab one of C.J. Box’s books and read his first lines.  Tell me the difference it makes to you as a reader and see what I mean.  Maybe all the books you choose use this technique well, but I bet you’ll see a difference.