Don’t Bore Me! Keep those first pages engaging

Apparently, I’m obsessed with first pages.

Why? Because I know how hard it is to write a first page that gets readers to invest.  

The truth of it is, the first few pages have to do a lot of things to keep a reader interested. We, as writers, want to give all those things because we know how great our story is. Unfortunately, it is very easy to lose sight of what actually is important and how the readers will respond to the first few pages of our wonderful, wonderful stories. 

What slows us down

Often, our instinct is to set the stage or craft an “ordinary day” for our character. This happens because for thousands of years, this is how people told stories. If you look back at stories even just twenty years old (that include movies, shows, advertisements), we accepted more scene building up front. 

Now, however, audiences expect instant drama, tension, or intrigue in order to invest. As writers, our stories are competing with too many other sources of entertainment to take time to ease into the plot.

We have to start in action, action, action. As writers, we have heard it again and again: start in the action, action, action.. 

Here are 3 ways to ensure your story starts in the “action” and it’s easier than it sounds.

1. Action isn’t always action but it also is

Let’s take a step back to discuss what action actually is. If you are writing a sci-fi alien war with laser guns and high speed space chases, you probably don’t have to step too far into the plot to get to a point of action. If you are writing a cozy, small-town, second chance holiday romance, the “action” may not be as apparent, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. 

Sometimes, when we say action we really mean tension. Every story doesn’t lend itself to an epic fight scene or a tear-jerking admission on the first page. The trick is, find a moment of tension for your character. Something that is just slightly off, upsetting, or startling is usually enough to get your reader ready to invest. 

Let’s go back to the cozy small-town story. Look at these two first paragraphs.

No tension:

Emma walked down the street, admiring the glittering lights which wrapped around light posts, signaling the season. The sky had filled with dusky grey clouds and little snowflakes had started to flutter down as she walked. Such a magical time of year, she thought, happy to be home, happy to be with her family. 

As she passed familiar storefronts, lights dimming as the shops closed for the night, she realized that though it had been six years since she had been home, nothing had changed. Things rarely changed in Harper’s Ridge, not the decorations, not the scent of pine in the air. It made Emma feel content deep down inside. 

***

Tension:     

Emma walked down the street, admiring the glittering lights which wrapped around light posts, signaling the season. The sky had filled with dusky grey clouds and little snowflakes had started to flutter down as she walked. It should have felt magical. And mostly, it did. She was glad to be home. Glad to be with her family. 

But as she passed familiar storefronts, a faint tightness gathered under her ribs. It had been six years since she had been here, but things never changed in Harper’s Ridge, not the decorations, not the scent of pine in the air. Everything was exactly as she’d left it.

Emma wasn’t sure if that steadiness comforted her… or reminded her that she was the one who’d changed.

***

Nothing extra really happens in the second version, but we get a hint that something is off. Voila! Action! My point is, you don’t have to start in a boss fight. You just have to start with some little bit of tension to get your readers interested. 

2. Make sure your character wants something.

You establish that something is off, now what? The character needs to want something. (You may have heard this as the “Goal” in GMC -yes! We are on the same wavelength). This is where many writers get thrown because your character probably doesn’t already know what they are going to have to overcome in order to resolve the major conflict of the book. Like the tension, your character’s want may be small in this moment. They may not know about the handsome lumberjack from their past who is about to pop up or the sexy alien that will change what they think about other species forever. They just need to want something in the moment. 

It’s nice if you can relate this want to what is coming later in the book.

Let’s add a want/goal to the example. 

Emma walked down the street, admiring the glittering lights which wrapped around light posts, signaling the season. The sky had filled with dusky grey clouds and little snowflakes had started to flutter down as she walked. It should have felt magical. And mostly, it did. She was glad to be home. Glad to be with her family. 

But as she passed familiar storefronts, a faint tightness gathered under her ribs. It had been six years since she had lived here, but things never changed in Harper’s Ridge, not the decorations, not the scent of pine in the air. Everything was exactly as she’d left it.

Emma wasn’t sure if that steadiness comforted her… or reminded her that she was the one who’d changed.

Before she could take on any more of her existential crisis, she needed to take a breath and get on with it. Despite having gone to the best university in the region, and getting the most prestigious internship in the city, she’d not been able to get anything more than a store clerk position with her degree. She couldn’t afford rent. She could hardly afford food. 

So here she was, back home, pushing open the door to “Harper’s Ridge Real Estate.” The door gave a familiar dingle and she remembered rushing in and out with her childhood friends to get glasses of lemonade in summer and hot cocoa in the winter. 

Hopefully, there was a nice cup of “employment” waiting for her.  

***

3. Give relatable consequences. 

You’ve probably heard you need to “raise the stakes.” But what does it mean?

Give the character relatable consequences for not meeting their goal. 

Many times, we are too vague with the problem. Either that or the consequence isn’t critical enough. Think about Emma. What happens if she doesn’t get a job? I haven’t said yet in the example. We can naturally relate to needing a job, but if I said, “Emma needs the job or she won’t have extra spending money when she and her friends go on their yearly Mediterranean cruise,” that inspires a very different feeling in the reader than, “Emma needs money to help her widowed mother protect the family bakery and not lose the house so her little siblings have somewhere to live.”

Those aren’t the most eloquently written, but you get the idea. Think about what is going to happen if the character doesn’t get what they want in this moment. Make it big and make it something that your readers will relate to. 

So, worried if your first pages are boring?

All you need is:  

1) Tension  

2) Character want/goal  

3) Relatable consequences if they don’t get what they want. 

Wherever you are at with your WIP, think about those first pages. Remember, a reader needs tension to move forward. For your story, “dropping us into the action” may mean something closer to “dropping us into a point where something changes for the character.”   

The Final Word

Your first page sets the tone for everything that follows, so don’t let it fizzle before your reader even gets started. Keep readers hooked by adding tension, giving your character a clear want/goal, and relatable consequences, big or small. Every choice, every obstacle, every hint of conflict should make the reader wonder: What happens next? When you combine these elements, your opening doesn’t just start a story, it pulls readers in and refuses to let go!

Your Turn

Look at your first 1-3 pages. If you don’t see these elements, are you at a point where you could enhance them? Are they there in the rest of your story, or have you not fully decided where your character is headed? 

Think about how to incorporate tension, wants, and consequences. I promise you’ll be happy with the results!

Keep writing!

Florence