A Manuscript's Opening Scene

How to Use the First Five Pages to Sell your Manuscript

Nov 28, 2008 Carrie Lewis

Tricks and tips on what to do in the first few pages of a fiction manuscript to catch an editor's attention and avoid the rejection pile.

The first line should hook the reader instantly. Typically the ‘hook’ is accomplished by composing a question to the reader, often indirectly. There have been many great first lines . One example is the opening line of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez:

• “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”

Though this is (obviously) not a direct question, it forms questions in the reader’s mind. Questions like: Why is this man facing a firing squad? Why in those last moments would he think of an outing with his father? How does one “discover ice”? Those questions hook the reader and propel him or her to keep reading in hopes of discovering the answer.

Convey The Tone

The opening scene should convey the general tone of the book. If the story is a horror, opening with a comedic intro will only frustrate the reader. On the other hand, if the book is Chick Lit, opening with scene laced with dark imagery will also set unrealistic expectations. Just like the old adage: Begin as you mean to continue. Whatever tone is used in the first few pages should be representative of the tone for the rest of the story.

Introduce Main Character(s)

Although there are many successful examples of novels that break this rule, generally speaking, editors want the author to introduce the main character in the opening scene of the book. This does not mean that the opening scene has to be the main protagonist in action. Action or horror books will often begin with the villain talking or thinking about the protagonist, which is in itself, an introduction to the hero/heroine of the work.

Introduce Main Conflict

The conflict is what drives the story forward. The initial line of the manuscript may hook the reader initially, but the main conflict will hook him or her to the very end. Hint at what this conflict is in the first five pages of the manuscript. For example, for a spy book hint at who the villain will be, what the threat is, or some inner turmoil that the hero must overcome. The reader doesn’t need all the details, just a taste or teaser. For example, a phone call that says ‘Come quickly. Code orange” will convey the type of conflict the reader can anticipate through the story.

Backstory, Description and Talk of Weather

The fastest way to the rejection pile is to use backstory (the details of a person or situation that occurred in the past, e.g. that Harry Potter’s parents died to protect him when he was a baby and that’s what protects him now), excessive description (scenery, clothing, world building details) or talk of weather in the opening scene.

Get Published

Generally, anything more than the most basic use of adverbs or adjectives can get a manuscript rejected as they tend to be viewed as signs of an amateur writer. Keep it simple, catchy and polished. Following the above tricks will help keep a manuscript from the dreaded rejection pile.

The copyright of the article A Manuscript's Opening Scene in Writing Fiction is owned by Carrie Lewis. Permission to republish A Manuscript's Opening Scene in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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