Great Beginnings

     A few weeks ago I placed the first two chapters of The Angel Inside (WIP) on a website called Wattpad.  Mind you, it is the unedited version and meant only to relieve the curiosity of friends who kept asking what I am working on.  Here are two of the impressions I received from two of those good friends and avid readers:

"Oh my God! I have to read more." - Michele
"I have no clue where you are going with this." -Vivian

     These two reactions represent exactly what every single writer should want his or her readers to feel about the story from the beginning, or hook: Anticipation and unpredictability.  Too many times, I have read books (mainly from self-published authors who don't hire a good editor) where the first few thousand words give away the entire plot line or just too much in general.  I can't even begin to tell you how many stories I have read that go on and on, breaking down the protagonist's personal history on page one, leaving no mystery whatsoever.  It's quite annoying.

     Imagine that a good book is like a new relationship.  Would you go out on a first date and tell that person everything about you in the first few minutes?  Would you go on a second date if he told you his deepest, darkest secret before dessert?  The answer to both questions is "probably not" and a good book's beginning is in a lot of ways like a first date for the person reading it. 

     The main goal of the first few chapters should be to make them want to read more (or see more of you) without giving away the major plot points.  You can do this by interspersing the characters' revelations throughout the book, in dialogue or reflections, saving the juiciest stuff for the end.  Give the reader something to anticipate, or yearn for, plain and simple.

If you'd like to read those two chapters of the first draft, click here but keep in mind that this is not the final product.

What book have you read that had a great beginning that made you yearn for more?