There’s something immersive about opening a fantasy or sci-fi book and feeling like there were hundreds of pages of history that happened prior to sentence one, page one.
It’s hard to pull off.
It’s also important to pull off.
Let’s do a quick case study on two well-known trilogies: Divergent and The Hunger Games.
Case Study 1: Divergent
The first book of the trilogy starts with the main character in front of a mirror, glimpsing her reflection as her mother cuts her hair in preparation for her aptitude test.
As a reader, some questions quickly arise. Why can’t she look in mirrors on a regular basis? What’s an aptitude test? Why is she so nervous to take it? Why is Beatrice’s world sectioned into factions? What’s the Choosing Ceremony?
Case Study 2: The Hunger Games
Page one starts with the main character wondering where her little sister is. Seems normal. But then we find out her little sister has bad dreams about the reaping that will take place in their district today.
Why is this world separated into districts? What’s a reaping? Why would a little girl have such bad dreams about it she’d leave the comfort of her big sister?
From paragraph one I realize I’m immersed in a dystopian society that’s been around for a long time. Long enough to establish rituals that implant themselves in a little girl’s nightmare.
When you or your agent submit your manuscript to a publisher, it’s important to pay attention to these examples. Note the themes. In both books, the reader is:
- Plunged into a life-changing event from page one
- Wondering how the main character will survive in a world that’s against them
- Deeply entrenched in years of destructive customs
Note these themes, but create your own. The important thing to remember is that from the first sentence the reader knows they’re entering another world.
Divergent begins, “There is one mirror in my house.” A simple statement that begs the question, why?
The Hunger Games, “When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.” It makes you keep reading, and by the end of the paragraph the reaping has already been introduced.
Here’s the point.
As a reader, you feel like you’ve just jumped into the middle of a massive, historical event. You want to discover why there’s a Choosing Ceremony and a reaping. Questions leap off the page with nearly every sentence.
Write this way.
Drop hints that your world has been around for ages. Show your reader that what’s happening now, on page one, is the most important part to jump in on.
Happy writing!
Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.
Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com
We love helping your growing in your writing career.
No Comments