Megan Abbott

But at the same time, I talk to writers who tell me that they wish agents would read more than a few pages because...

And I quote, my story gets better in chapter two.

I have to be honest, this kills me.

It's like me wanting chocolate chip cookies to have the nutritional value of kale.

It's just not realistic.

Like it or not, no agent, 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.