So, just how little time does one’s masterwork get to spend before the eyes of an agent? In truth, many manuscripts fall apart in the first chapter. You can agree or disagree with their methods or reasoning, but the simple fact is that agents want that instant gratification I mentioned in a previous post. Who wants to sit and suffer while waiting for a book to get good, right? Agents want action and story right off the bat. They want to see that bestselling blockbuster from Page 1.
Here are a few things agents say turn them off in the first chapter:
1. “Avoid descriptions of the weather.” Because even though approximately 50% of books ever written start with some sort of expository weather description, evidently we’re not allowed to mention it’s raining. In all seriousness, though, what does a “stormy night” really add to the story we’re trying to tell?
2. “If it’s not essential to the story then it doesn’t need to be in the first chapter or any other chapters.” This is absolutely true and I think this is something with which many fledgling writers struggle in the beginning. The first instinct might be to write down anything that pops into one’s head. Read: Anything. Keep your story focused at all times. Have your characters do relevant things and don’t mention peripheral items that serve no purpose. We don’t need to know a female character keeps a purple hairbrush that belonged to her long-deceased grandmother unless granny’s coming back as a hellspawn to kick some ass and reclaim that brush that was rightfully hers in the next chapter.
3. “We don’t like grocery list character descriptions. Eyes, nose, weight, height, age, etc.”
The sign of a good writer is being able to show description instead of telling it. Although I’m not exactly sure how to “show” a reader that a character’s eyes are blue, for example, perhaps the reader doesn’t need to know that a protagonist’s eyes are blue in the first place. It’s quite okay to let a reader paint them himself or herself. If a character is neurotic, obsessive compulsive, vain, insecure, etc., those features are much easier to show without flat-out saying it. I still prefer some fairly clear-cut physical descriptions, myself, but the point is to not linger. Dispense with the basic looks in a brief, well-written paragraph and then move on!
4. “We hate prologues.”
These agents can straight suck it. Not that I love prologues. I’m just saying that a prologue, in my eyes, should not automatically break a whole book. I’m appalled by the idea of an agent dismissing a book just because it has a prologue. That’s laziness on their parts. There are great books that have well-written, necessary prologues. I’m sure there are some awful books, too. I’m sure there are even some awful books with prologues that still got published! My own book, The Notice, for example, once had a prologue that explained four pages of essential background historical information about Yugoslavia. I ultimately removed it, but I don’t think having the prologue was ultimately detrimental to the story I sought to tell. Some books have prologues, agents—buck up and read them. The one favor a prospective authors asks is that you at least give us the benefit of the doubt.
5. “Avoid clichés wherever possible.”
It speaks for itself. You may not even know a cliché as you’re writing it, but if you find yourself penning something just because you really liked it in that other book or movie, well it’s probably cliché. I wish there were a better index on the Internet of clichés, but this site has some decent ones: http://www.joe-ks.com/phrases/phrases.htm
Once again, you may agree or disagree with these entries and that is your prerogative, but these 5 rules are widely reflected throughout the publishing community. And whether you like them or not, the point should be to have an agent someday finish your entire book. In order to do this, we have to sell our books to them using only our writing and story-crafting. We are disposable. The trick is learning how to put a fresh peel on a stale banana.
…Not sure where I was going with that. Now it’s all I can think about. I think I’m hungry. I’m going to get a banana.
I have a prologue!! LOL I put one in because it’s a flashforward to about halfway through the book. We’ll see if they like it!!
Godspeed, you walker of wild sides.
Agents HATE that. They take it to mean, “The first half of my book sucks, so here’s a part out of the middle where it really gets good!” (whether it’s true or not). That said, “Water for Elephants” had a prologue that was the first half of the climax, and that got made into a movie. So sometimes it works out.
Yeah, having the first chapter be a random middle chapter or a preview of the climax seems kind of cheap, but I’ve seen it happen. And I’ve seen it done well. Probably depends on the agent. A few weeks back, I had an agent literally ask me to start my book with what had originally been like the seventh or eighth chapter. Not quite the same, but kind of in that direction. A good hook is a good hook, though. Whatever keeps people reading.
I saw “agents” and thought spies, but I’m glad that I stuck around. Read your post to the end, so maybe you are onto an agent-pleasing thing. I am not sure that pleasing agents of the literary sort is something I care about. Still, your thoughts make for challenges for the rest of us. Point is, we are free, particularly if we do not need or want to go the traditional route. I think that I would rather write what the Spirit whispers in my ear, good or bad,than what a marketing spirit would say. If I were a starving artist, I might sing another tune.
My philosophy on agents is that you catch more flies with honey. I’m not going to dwell on the frustrations I have with agents, even though I have just as many as anyone else. There are other websites that skewer agents but I’d like to entertain the idea of some day having one of my own. I do agree with you on one thing, though: We are free. Now more than ever.
I think #2 was very good advice, especially since that seems easier to slip up on than some of the others. And I agree with your comment regarding prologues. I think if they’re appropriate, they belong.
Also, make sure conflict is immediately apparent. I’ve read so many first chapters where the writer wanted to bring you into their world or show off this cool idea. But in the end, if I’m not gripped by even a simple concept (“what’s with the white rabbit?”, “what’s Huck’s pa gonna do?”, “what the Hell is a Deliverator?”) then I’ll drop it in just a few pages.
Dude, Bronson, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Guy at the conference today said NEVER, under any circumstances, write “Novellas”. Was just saying they’re very, very difficult to get published in this market. I thought of you.
What IS a Deliverator? I want one…
Although SOME prologues are useful, I’ve found a lot of writers use them to explain what’s about to happen. In actuality, if they allowed the event to happen without the explanation, it would pack more punch. I find often the best way to explain history or whatever you’d put in a prologue, is to have it unfold later, possibly using dialogue with other characters. Of course, the very best rule in this business is that there are no rules ha ha!
I agree. At our conference today, agents and authors really drilled on this point and I think it’s a must, especially now. That information dump may be enticing, but it’s ultimately more rewarding (and the sign of a good writer) to let it unfold gradually. The audience truly doesn’t need all of that exposition at the very beginning in 99% of cases. Okay, 98%.
Ha! Always great to be reminded of these things. But (and not to brown-nose or just harp on this one point), but I don’t like prologues either, especially long ones. I’d have to write a post of my own to outline all the reasons though…
I don’t mind short ones too much. But a long prologue? Ugh. Not to imply that they are the same, but just for the sake of argument, how many movies have you seen that have a prologue? Out of 100 movies, how many? At this moment, I can barely think of one or two.
I think this is one of those subjects where people either like them or not…there’s little middle ground.
Anyhoo, just because I (in my humble opinion) don’t care for them, does not mean I think they’re incorrect or wrong to have. They’re simply not in my taste.
Gosh…can of worms that topic!
See ya,
Tim
scienceforfiction.com
I’m just happy to see the prologue point has proven as divisive for other people as it was for me the first time I heard it. Now don’t even get me started on prefaces.
Great advice and I personally have absolutely no problem with a well written prologue.
Both my books have a short prologue. First book I called it a prologue. My husband read my book and said he loved it but how the heck did the title apply? I asked him if he read the prologue. He said no, he never reads the prologue. The prologue is no longer called a prologue. I figure if he didn’t read it, others might not.
I’m intrigued, Karen, what do you now call the prologue?
I approve of this. Commenters questioning commenters. I know what I call my prologues: Fauxlogues.
Great food for thought! (And I love bananas).
I feel like “avoid clichés” is becoming cliché. But I don’t think the agents realize that.
Amen. I might write a novel based on nothing but cliches…you know, just to be edgy.
I had another thought on that cliches point. I could literally see this conversation happening:
Me: So, I have this great book that I’ve written and I’m looking for representation.
Agent: Are there any cliches? I just HATE cliches.
Me: No, no, no. No one has ever written anything like this. It’s a ghost story set in Bosnia that involves a young girl trying to make sense of a terrible war that is devastating her homeland.
Agent: Bah, it’s not marketable. You’ll never sell a copy.
Me: Okay, um…What if we change, um…the ghost to a suave vampire?
Agent: I’m listening.
Me: And, um…We change the little girl…Um, we make her eighteen. And she falls in love with the vampire because, like, he’s sensitive or something.
Agent: Go on.
Me: And it’s not set in Bosnia anymore. We do away with the war. It’s now set in the U.S. somewhere.
Agent: I love it! Write that book. We’ll sell millions!
Me: I just described “Twilight”.
Agent: I don’t give a rat’s ass! That book is a goldmine! We’ll call it…Blood Moon.
Me: (Shrug) Whatever. I’ll have you a copy by next month.
Agents are just like readers, they all have their own preferences. My approach is to just write the best story I can and if people don’t like it because of some reason or another then fine.
A well written story will overcome all “objections”. Now, here’s hoping that I can write a well written story.
There are so many DOs and DON’Ts I hear bandied around when it comes to writing, but nearly all published novels violate a wide cross-section of them. So much for the so-called rules I say
They’re not so much rules as ‘suggestions’. I believe all writing rules were meant to be broken and bent, but only after you understand why people consider them rules of good writing. Breaking them by accident rarely works out well for anyone involved. Breaking them on purpose and knowing why you’re breaking them is what can make your book stand out.
I find the point about prologues interesting, as I’ve just been thinking about adding a short prologue to one of my novels because including the information it contains within the first chapter actually works against the development of my main character.
Well said, Sean. I agree with you about prologues! Sometimes there is information to help get things rolling that doesn’t belong in chapter one. I’m not talking about a ton of data, just something the allows the reader to start in the right state of mind when they read the first line. Sometimes its simply context for something that’s happening in the first scene.
Great suggestions about prologues. Sometimes they are useful and necessary and sometimes you should label them Chapter 1.
Thank you!
I only recently learned that prologues might be poison. This, after I submitted a full ms. requested by an agent. Considering how it could work as a first chapter except for not introducing my mc, I managed to resubmit it as Chapter 1, and will do so for any subsequent requests for a partial or full.
In law school, we were told that professors reading exam papers that took students 3 hours to write, spent about 30 seconds to a minute on each one. They mostly looked at the first page. The first page must be tight and typo-free whether it’s a prologue or a chapter one. And sometimes, a prologue can be there without being labelled as such. Lots of books have quotes or a short bit in front before the first chapter begins. But a prologue must be especially tight, well-paced, and well-written to be warranted.
Your posts are so entertaining!! I enjoy reading them and keeping them in mind as I attempt to write a novel worthy of publishing. I’m glad that you have chosen to share your wealth of knowledge with us “fledglings.”