Carly Watters

No acquiring editor is going to stick around to see if a submission gets better.

It's not because we're mean.

It's because we get dozens and dozens every day.

I know it's harsh, but ambitious writers embrace harsh realities.

So here it goes.

It's your job to make your opening pages irresistible, to make agents crave it, to make agents want to read more.

That's why I'm so excited about my upcoming course, Starting It Right, How to Begin Your Story in the Best Place and in the Best Way.

I created this course after studying hundreds of books.

I've mapped out elements that are present in the beginning of all successful novels and memoirs.

And I've designed checklists, actual checklists, that you can use to ensure that your story's beginning is seducing your reader.

We'll cover how to write a great first line, different types of beginnings and how you can choose the best one, the best place to start and the best way to start.

Yes, these are totally different things.

When it makes sense to add a prologue and when it doesn't.

How to frame your inciting incident in an appealing way.

how to balance exposition and mystery, how to include context but not weigh it down with too much backstory, and what to do if your story has more than one POV or timeline.

Most of all, I'm going to show you how to make readers want to turn to chapter two.

Join me for this multi-day course designed to help you break through the noise.

You'll leave with a clear, actionable breakdown of exactly what goes into a terrific beginning.

If you've already signed up, come prepared to take lots of notes.

We're talking hundreds of slides with real-world examples and specific techniques, plus a super fun surprise that I can't wait to share.