Authors and readers agree, those first words of a book are of vital importance. Some allow several chapters to convince them, others—no more than a few paragraphs.
Authors feel the weight of this responsibility as they sit down to pen those first lines. At least they should!
The older I get, the pickier I become about which novels I finish. I realized this last month, when I started a book and was struck by the lack of white space—those gaps between paragraphs. More white space = more dialogue. I flipped through the first chapter, then the book, and when I found massive paragraphs dominating the pages, I tossed it in my “donate to library” pile. Apparently, I like dialogue--so much, that a lack of it made me close the book before finishing the first page.
I used to feel compunction over setting aside a book that didn’t hold my attention. Now, my free time is more scarce and thus, more valuable. When I only have an hour a day to enjoy a book, I want it to be a good one. I want to be swept away to a foreign land or time. I want to be kept there until The End forces me home.
The more I read, the more I define which styles of writing I enjoy and which I don’t. This process is shorter and shorter every year, which means books have less time to grab my attention.
I’m curious. How much weight do you, dear reader, put into the first pages of a book? Do you feel obligated to finish it once you’ve started?
Below, you’ll find a survey that will remain open for at least the next two weeks. Let’s have some fun!
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