Writing an Opening Chapter That Ticks All the Boxes

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

In today’s Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe critique two submissions, discussing how to include enough of a hook in a query without spoiling the story; burying the lead; making it obvious how an author wants readers to feel about certain things; longer query letter word counts; personifying the antagonist; and polished pages on a scene level.

After which, Bianca interviews Hannah Mary McKinnon, the author of The Christmas Wager (written under her pen name, Holly Cassidy). During their interview, they discuss Hannah's use of a pen name; the first chapter of The Christmas Wager as a master class in first chapters; the difference between writing a thriller first chapter and a romance first chapter; tips for balancing disposition and dialogue; setting up the stakes for the protagonist; how to approach back story opening pages; and how Hannah approaches negative reviews about her novels.

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