So I started only reading murder mysteries and legal thrillers. Someone was usually killed on the first few pages, and I was always immediately sucked in. But eventually I acknowledged that I would never write one of those genres, so as I became more serious in my efforts to write a novel, I tried to focus my reading more to a genre that I would be more likely to write.
I still read a wide variety of genres, but last summer I discovered the genre that I wanted to write in and that worked best for me: contemporary young adult. So, as I went to the library and started reading as many in that genre as possible, I discovered something.
Contemporary can grab you on the first page, too. A book doesn't have to be high concept or a mystery of some sort to suck you in right away. It can be done with voice, or an intriguing circumstance, or a character I can't resist knowing more about.
 |
| from Amazon.com |
And it. was. incredible. It isn't high concept. The protagonist is clearly going through a major change as he's moving away to boarding school, but there's no major plot hook. However, I was immediately pulled in, and I had a hard time putting the book down.
One major reason why is because, instead of chapters, there are headings that count down. The first one is one hundred thirty-six days before. Instantly I wanted to know, before what? So the reader knows that something major will happen, and that it will be so defining that there will be a before and after. And as the numbers wane, the tension builds.
I felt it important to note, then, in this world of short attention spans and high concept hooks, that there are many, many ways a contemporary novel can be just as gripping as a murder mystery. Also, I would like to say - read Looking For Alaska.
Have you ever read Looking For Alaska? Do you have any thoughts on contemporary novels? High concept books? What in the beginning of a book convinces you to keep reading?
3 comments:
I found the same thing when I read Looking for Alaska...days before what? What???
That hooked me in right away.
Great post.
Shelley
...while I've yet to read, "Alaska," arming oneself with a memorable line or two in order to hook potential readers is an absolute must. When browsing B & N, I spend considerable time not only shopping for my next read, but studying fellow bookworms, watching their technique on how to select a novel. It's common to see a shopper lift a book from the shelf, study the cover, glimpse the flap, then turn to the first page, their eyes soaking up the opening lines. And as I watch, expressions form, their decision foretold before closing the book. Confusion or delight. Whether or not a buyer reaches for their purse, or replaces the novel for another. It's all in those first few lines...
EL
Shelley - Haha what timing! And thanks!
Elliot - It's neat that you watch other shoppers. I've never done that, but now I'm intrigued! What's funny is that even though I've finally figured out how important the beginning is to me as a reader, I never read it when I'm book shopping. I usually read the flap or the back and go off of what I've heard about it. I should really start reading the first page!
Post a Comment