“You
didn’t read far enough. The story gets really good in the third chapter!”
Well,
yes. It probably does. But what makes this author think someone is going to
wait that long to become vested in the characters?
“I
already self-published it on Amazon, and the sales aren’t all that great. I
need an agent to take it to the next level. But the reviews are wonderful!”
In
other words, I need an agent to try to convince a publisher that even though it
didn’t sell well, if only THEY would publish it, it would. And my family and
best friends loved it. Nope. It doesn’t pay to look at material that has
already been published unless the author can show a real level of platform or
sales numbers that make my eyes explode. And if that’s the case, why do they
need another publisher? (And why would they need me, I can’t see their work
anymore?)
“I no
once you read the story! youl’l be happy to werk on bringing the gramer and
puntuashun up to par cuz its SOOO good.’
And
there you have it. So often a story that really could be amazing is sent out
far too soon. Without critique partners, without serious edits, and often,
without even a basic knowledge of grammar and punctuation, of current writing
styles, and so forth, a writer is so invested in his or her story that they
feel the need to share it immediately. I know I did. And if it isn’t polished
more closely than the Hope diamond, it won’t shine. It won’t stand a chance to
be considered above the rest in the pile.
“I’ve
worked really hard on this for three months. I got laid off and figured why
not? All of my friends love it. One who reads two books every week said she
never read a better story.”
Our
friends love us. They are impressed that we’ve written a book. They will love it even if it suffers bad
construction. They are, after all, our friends. A good story takes time and
work.
“You
didn’t read far enough. The story gets really good in the third chapter!”
Again,
folks, that just doesn’t cut it. As writers we all know it has to shine in the
first chapter. No, it has to shine on the first page. No, again. IT HAS TO
SHINE IN THE FIRST LINE.
You
novel must grab a reader from the first words and force them to read on.
Be
prepared: write, polish, review, and rewrite.
Let
your words sing directly to your readers’ hearts.
