Dear O'Abby: How do i make my ending more satisfying?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've recently finished my first novel and I took it to a local writing group to get some feedback on it.  I had six different people read it, and they all said they enjoyed it, but found the ending unsatisfying. None of them could put their finger on exactly why it wasn't satisfying, so I'm curious how one makes and ending feel right.

Do you have any kind of basic information that could help me re-shape the ending of my book?

Best wishes,

 Unfinished

Dear Unfinished,

That's the worst kind of feedback, isn't it?  That everyone feels the same thing about the ending, but no one can quite give you a specific reason why it's not working for them.

My suggestion would be to look closely at your characters.  Often when something feels unsatisfying it's because a character acts in a way that isn't typical of the way they've acted through the rest of the book.  That can be jarring, especially if they change out of the blue to facilitate the ending you want without there being much growth beforehand.  If you think this might be the case, go back through and see if there are places you can show your character growing or changing to become the person they need to be to make the ending satisfying.

Alternatively, it could be that the characters haven't earned the ending you've given them.  To be a satisfying ending, your characters need to have been through hell to get there.  If everything has just fallen into their laps and they've tiptoed through the tulips to get to the end, you may need to go back and throw some obstacles in their way.  It should feel impossible that these people can ever get whatever it is that they want or need, that there is no way they can possibly overcome everything thrown in their way.  Then, when they do attain that ending, it feels like they deserve whatever it is they earn from getting through.

Or it could very well be a combination of both these things.  I suggest you go through your MS with a finetoothed comb, focusing on both these things separately.  I can almost guarantee you will find ways in which to challenge your characters more, and in turn, show their growth as people who deserve the ending you've given them.

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby

Week #35 – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #35 –   Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_Girl_(novel)

First published: May 24, 2012

Here's what the story is about: The narrative alternates between Nick and Amy Dunne. Nick's narration begins shortly after arriving home on his fifth wedding anniversary to find Amy is missing and there are signs of a struggle. Nick is the prime suspect. Both Nick and Amy are revealed to be unreliable narrators.

First line/paragraph:

When I think of my wife, I always think of her head. The shape of it, to begin with. The very first time I saw her, it was the back of the head I saw, and there was something lovely about it, the angles of it. Like a shiny, hard corn kernel or a riverbed fossil. She had what the Victorians would call finely shaped head. You could imagine the skull quite easily. 

First person POV. A man musing about how he thinks about his wife. Very strange that he always thinks of her head. Not her smile or anything else about her. Always her head. We don't have anything of the plot, just this thought. I'm somewhat intrigued about a man who thinks of his wife's head before anything else about her. And in the next paragraph he thinks about unspooling her brain. A bit creepy but I'm intrigued enough to keep reading.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: Is self-publishing becoming more acceptable?

Dear O'Abby,

I've been writing a long time now - well over 20 years - and when I started, self-publishing had a real stigma about it.  It was like people thought you only self-published as a last resort, if you'd been rejected by agents and traditional publishers time and time again.  So it's not something I've ever thought very seriously about.

Now it seems like self-publishing is a very legitimate way to publish, and self-pubbed books can have as much success as traditionally published books or even more.  

Is this actually true?  I've been publishing with a small press for several years, but they put very little into marketing or even properly editing my stuff for the 45% of sales they take, so I'm wondering if I'd be better of self-pubbing.  I just want to make sure my books won't become second-class citizens, so to speak, as a result.

Kind regards,

Uncertain

Dear Uncertain,

There are lots of things to consider when thinking about self-publishing, but you're correct in your assessment that it has become much more acceptable in recent years. I mean, the Pulitzer Prize is now open to self-published authors and there isn't much that's more prestigious than that!  

And self-published books are selling well too.  Around 30-35% of ebooks sold are self-published and there is an increasing number of self-pubbed authors earning over $100K a year.

On the downside, with this surge in popularity, the number of self-puubed books out there is growing year on year, meaning there is an increasing number to compete with in the market.  While the number of authors earning a good living from their books is growing, on average 90% of sell-pubbed books sell 100 copies or less.  So it's important to keep your expectations realistic.

The self-pubbed authors who do the best are writers who can write and publish quickly.  Once an author's work is popular, readers want more and unless the writer can provide more on a regular basis, they're quickly going to fall out of favour.  The most successful self-pubbed authors have at least 10 books for sale, usually series.

And genre is important too.  The majority of successful self-pubbed books are fantasy, romance or crime thrillers.  If you're writing outside these genres, it may be harder to break through as a self-pubbed author.

Of course, the other thing about self-publishing is that everything is on you, from sourcing cover art, to editing, to formatting the actual book to marketing and publicity.  And all of that stuff takes time (and money if you're going to do it professionally).  You need to have that time and money available to you to make a success out of self-pubbing and that often means taking time away from writing.  Which in turn, means you may not be able to publish new books as frequently as you might like to.

So while there isn't the same kind of stigma around self-publishing as there was 20 years ago, there are still a number of things you should consider before choosing to go this route.

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby.

Week #34 – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #34 –  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_(novel)

First published: October 12, 1979

Here's what the story is about: Arthur Dent awakens to discover that the local planning council is trying to demolish his house to build a bypass. He lies down in front of the bulldozer to stop it. His friend Ford Prefect convinces the lead bureaucrat to lie down in Arthur's place so that he can take Arthur to the local pub. The construction crew begins demolishing the house anyway, but are interrupted by the sudden arrival of a fleet of spaceships. The Vogons announce that they have come to demolish Earth to make way for a hyperspace expressway. Ford and Arthur survive by hitching a ride on the spaceship. 

First line/paragraph:

Far Out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

This appears to be omniscient voice. The reader is introduced to a “small unregarded yellow sun” which is located in “uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm” of a galaxy. Which we soon learn is our own galaxy and sun, letting us know this story will be funny and irreverent. We don't know the protagonist yet, or anything about the plot, but as a reader, I'm intrigued by a humorous story about planet earth. I would read further, to see if the story lives up to its beginning, which it does and I loved this book!

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

O'Abby's Writing prompt

 I realised I missed this one for August, so here we go. A writing prompt for this month.

I re-read some Virginia Woolf recently and was stuck by how, in Orlando, she writes from both a male and female perspective, often showing the same events from both sides.

This month's challenge is to write the same scene from two different characters' perspectives.  You can either pick a scene you've already written and re-write it from another POV or write something new that happens between at least two people so you can show the events through each characters' eyes.  They don't have to be a male/female pairing, just two people who would see the same events in different ways.  Perhaps parent and child, siblings, work colleagues.  It's up to you!

Post in the comments or email it to operationawesome6@gmail.com.

I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with.  Happy writing!

X O'Abby

Week #33 – Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #33 – Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet

https://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/full.html

First published: 1597

Here's what the story is about: Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, is about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. Along with Hamlet, it’s one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Juliet is just 13 years old and the couple’s romance lasted just 24 hours.

First line/paragraph:

PROLOGUE
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. 

This appears to be omniscient voice, or even perhaps second person because the author is speaking directly to the reader. This prologue sums up the entire play, including the ending, which is uncommon for today's reader. What do you think of prologues in general, and this one in particular?

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: What do I need to study to get into publishing

Dear O'Abby,

I'm a high school student and I really want to work in publishing.  I'm going into my senior year, so thinking about college and I'm wondering what would be best to study to best set myself up for a job in the publishing industry.

Do you know or have any resources you could point me toward?

Thanks so much!

Sincerely,

College-Bound

Dear College-Bound,

Publishing is a big field with many, many facets so it's difficult to know what to tell you without knowing what aspect of publishing you feel you'd like to take part in.  Different parts of the business require different specialist knowledge.  Most people think an English degree is a must, but that is not always the case and there are many jobs within publishing that don't even require a degree at all.

So before you make any decisions, think about where your skills and talents might best be utilised. Publishing encompasses many different areas - art and design, editing, sales, marketing, digital, legal and administration - so there are multiple routes you can take.

Most publishers also have internships available, so before making decisions about where you think you might fit, it could be worth getting some real-life experience by interning for a period of time and getting a real feel for how the industry works.  Through being on the inside and seeing the work people do, you are likely to get a better idea where you might fit and what job will make you happiest. It may not be what you think!

If that's not possible, my suggestion is to just pick college classes that you're interested in and that you're going to enjoy.  Not everything you study needs to lead to a possible career.  Employers are often looking for people with a diverse range of knowledge and skills rather than something specific.  Having a college degree shows that you can learn and through doing a bunch of different classes, you can demonstrate that you're a multi-faceted person with a wide range of interests. 

So best of luck for the future.  Take your time to enjoy college and the see what might be out there for you on the other side.  It may not be what you expect, but it may be the exact right thing for you.

X O'Abby

Week #32 – Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #32 –   Lord of the Flies by William Golding

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies

First published: September 17, 1954

Here's what the story is about: A British airplane crashes on an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean. The only survivors are preadolescent boys. Ralph is elected their chief and tries to establish a society, but the majority of the boys turn idle. Jack calls an assembly and tries to turn the others against Ralph. He initially receives no support, but eventually forms his own tribe with most of the other boys gradually joining him. The book explores establishing a society, bullying, and savagery.

First line/paragraph:

The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon. Though he had taken off his school sweater and trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead. All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat. He was clambering heavily among the creepers and broken trunks when a bird, a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witch-like cry; and this cry was echoed by another.

This appears to be third person limited or omniscient voice. The reader is introduced to a schoolboy with fair hair who is apparently wearing regular clothes, not a swimsuit, but he's wet and walking toward a lagoon. It sounds like a shipwreck or maybe a plane crash because of the “long scar smashed into the jungle”. We have apparently the main character, along with the setting. The story starts in media res, and the reader is looking around the beach with the boy. And we are introduced to a mystery: why is the boy at a beach and wet, but wearing regular clothes? I would definitely continue reading.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: Is it a good idea to sell books directly from my website?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm a self-published author and have always sold my books through external platforms (mainly Amazon through KDP), but I feel like this gives me very little control over my sales and marketing.  

I have been thinking about setting it up so I can sell directly from my website.  My partner works in e-commerce and has the skills and expertise to set this up for me, but I'm wondering if it's worth it?  I sell reasonably well on Amazon and am a little worried that changing things up might result in lower sales.

Do you know anything about this kind of thing?  Any advice would be gratefully accepted.

Yours sincerely,

Self-Pubby

Dear Self-Pubby,

This is something I've been hearing a bit about recently given the changes both Amazon and Facebook have made in regards to setting up ads.  You are in the enviable position of having someone around who can help with the initial set-up which is the part other authors often struggle with.

You will need to remove any titles you wish to sell directly from KDP, and I believe that takes about a month, so you may be without a platform for sales for a period of time.  But if you're set up well in advance, you should be able to limit that.

The advantages of selling directly are that you receive the money more quickly than you do through Amazon or other retailers, so you can more quickly adjust your marketing spend to ensure profitability.  You are also better able to track customer movements from ads to purchase to ensure any advertising dollars are being well spent.

That and the fact you can easily track sales in real time rather than waiting for reports to come, often months after the fact.  Which can be both a blessing and a curse.  Be careful not to get too obsessive about it!

My advice would be to ensure you're very thorough and remove any old ads that point the reader to another retailer (unless, of course, you're planning to leave the book on some external retail sites as well) and focus all future ads toward your own website sales page. 

It might take a little bit of time to start generating the level of sales you want, but by keeping a close eye on things, you should be able to be far more responsive with ad spend and tracking where traffic to your website is coming from, and how people are using your site.

There is a very helpful four-part series about a self-pubbed author who has done this very thing here.

Hopefully that helps!

X O'Abby

Week #31 – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #31 –  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451

First published: October 19, 1953

Here's what the story is about: In a future dystopian America where books have been outlawed, firemen burn any that are found. Guy Montag is a fireman who questions his role of destroying knowledge. He eventually quits his job and commits himself to preserving writings.

First line/paragraph:

It was a pleasure to burn.

It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all, like the old joke, to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flapping pigeon-winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning.

This appears to be third person limited voice. The first line is a classic and in my opinion a great hook. The first paragraph describes a man holding a brass nozzle [fire hose but NOT water to put it out], and he enjoyed watching a house, and especially the books inside it, burn. While it burned, he thought of roasting a marshmallow. We are in media res, watching the flames along with the fireman. The description of the fire is poetic and colorful, and we enjoy the fire as much as the fireman does. I would definitely continue reading.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: How do I get freelance work as a writer?

 Dear O'Abby,

A friend of mine suggested that I could make a bit of extra cash from by writing articles for different publications.  I kind of like that idea and have a bunch of ideas for stories I'd be interested in writing, but have no idea how to get into something like that.

Do you know any good ways to get this kind of freelance work?

Best wishes,

Workless

Dear Workless,

Firstly, don't Google how to get freelance writing gigs.  The first thing that comes up are a bunch of sites that suggest you sign up and work will come your way.  These sites tend to be competitive, pay badly and don't give you a lot of control over the content you produce.  As a freelance writer, you are basically setting yourself up as a business and as a business owner, you want to have control over all aspects of the business.  

So my first piece of advice is to know what kind of writing you want to do, find outlets that publish that kind of content and approach them directly with a pitch.  Make sure you thoroughly research the outlet you're pitching so you can ensure the story you pitch will be in line with their audience and editorial style.

Once you've identified the outlets, you need to pitch the story to an editor.  Editors are busy people and they get pitched at all day so make sure your pitch is punchy, to the point and that your credentials show that you are the perfect person - or better, the only person - to write this particular story.  This does not mean sending a lengthy cover letter with all your previous writing experience spelled out, or your full resume. A couple of sentences is enough if the article pitched is strong.

Because editors are busy people, it may take time for them to get back to you. It is okay to nudge if you have not seen a response after a couple of weeks (less if your story is time-sensitive), but don't badger them.  

Alternatively, a lot of businesses have blogs or newsletters that require content on a fairly regular basis and if that kind of writing appeals to you, that can be a good source of regular freelance work.  Maybe even start with one of your own previous employers, if they have such a thing.

There are a lot of opportunities for writers of all styles out there from writing reports to reviews to business letters to advice columns (like this one - although I don't get paid for this), so keep your eyes open for anything that looks like it could use help with its content and don't be shy about pitching your ideas.

Hope that's helpful!

X O'Abby

Week #30 – The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #30 – The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales

https://www.britishlibrary.cn/en/works/canterbury-tales/

First published: 1400-1476

Here's what the story is about: A collection of twenty-four stories written in Middle English between 1387 and 1400, presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims traveling together from London to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

First line/paragraph:

The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue
Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury 

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

The Canterbury Tales is written in middle English, the first such literary piece to be written in English at all. Here at the beginning, nature is described as inspiring people to make a pilgrimage to Canterbury to honor St. Thomas Becket.

I am not a fan of doing the tremendous work of trying to understand middle English, so I would not be tempted at all to begin reading this story. However, a modern translation is here

https://chaucer.fas.harvard.edu/pages/text-and-translations

1         Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
                  When April with its sweet-smelling showers
2         The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
                 Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
3         And bathed every veyne in swich licour
                 And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid
4         Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
                 By which power the flower is created;
5         Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
                 When the West Wind also with its sweet breath,
6         Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
                 In every wood and field has breathed life into
7         The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
                 The tender new leaves, and the young sun
8         Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
                 Has run half its course in Aries,
9         And smale foweles maken melodye,
                 And small fowls make melody,
10         That slepen al the nyght with open ye
                 Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
11         (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
                 (So Nature incites them in their hearts),
12         Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
                 Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
13         And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
                 And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores,
14         To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
                 To distant shrines, known in various lands;
15         And specially from every shires ende
                 And specially from every shire's end
16         Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
                 Of England to Canterbury they travel,
17         The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
                 To seek the holy blessed martyr,
18         That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
                 Who helped them when they were sick.

This appears to be in omniscient voice and describes the springtime as a good time to make a pilgrimage to Canterbury in honor of a martyr. I have a passing interest in reading something from the 14th century just because it's so old, and this somewhat begins “in media res” with the reasoning why the pilgrims are traveling to Canterbury, but if I was so inclined, I would definitely insist on reading the modern translation.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: Do I need a lawyer if I have an agent?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm agented and my agent has just sold my book to a publisher!  I'm super excited, but also want to make sure everything is being done properly, so I'm wondering if I need to get a lawyer to look over the publisher's contract?  Or is that something my agent does?  Not ever having been in this position before, I'm not sure...

Do you have any advice?

Best Wishes,

Contracted

Dear Contracted,

Congratulations to you and your agent for selling the book!  How exciting!

In terms of getting a lawyer, it's one of those things you are perfectly welcome to do, but if you do, there are a few things you should think about.

Firstly, let your agent know you are doing this. Agents often have previously-negotiated contracts with publishers they can use as a basis for any new contract and an outside lawyer isn't going to know what has already been discussed.

Secondly, make sure the lawyer you hire understands publishing or they may want to try to negotiate things that are standard in the publishing world.  Like most industries, there are things unique to publishing that can't be changed and it's better to have a lawyer who understands these things.

But generally speaking, while an agent is unlikely to object to you hiring your own lawyer to look over a contract, it isn't really needed.  Agents are (or should be) experts in reading and negotiating publishing contracts and as your advocate, will be looking for the best possible terms for you and your book.  They are far more familiar with the publishing landscape and any specificities of the industry than most lawyers, and also of any new trends moving through.

So my advice is to save your money and trust your agent unless there is something you see in the contract that sends up re flags.  And even then, I'd talk to your agent about it before you rush out an hire a lawyer.

Make sense?

X O'Abby

Week #29 – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #29 –   The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tom_Sawyer

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7193/7193-h/7193-h.htm

First published: June 1876

Here's what the story is about: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is about a an orphan boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in a town based on Hannibal, Missouri. Tom Sawyer has several adventures, often with his friend Huckleberry Finn. It’s 1884 sequel is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It was one of the first novels to be written on a typewriter.

First line/paragraph:

“Tom!”
No answer.
“TOM!”
No answer.
“What’s gone with that boy, I wonder? You TOM!”
No answer.
The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for “style,” not service—she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear:
“Well, I lay if I get hold of you I’ll—”

The story starts with an old lady calling out for Tom, who we assume is the title character Tom Sawyer. She wears “spectacles” mostly for show, not because she needs them to see. We learn a few paragraphs later that she is Tom's Aunt Polly, and she had a mind to discipline him, but once he escaped her, she laughed at his antics. The story starts in third person or omniscient, altho a bit later we see that it's omniscient. Unlike other stories in the late 1800s, this one really and truly does start in media res. It starts with dialogue [well, actually monologue]  which is risky because we don't know anything about who is speaking, but here it appears to work. I'm intrigued enough to keep reading.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: How long should my chapters be?

 Dear O'Abby,

I tend to write my books straight through without any chapter breaks, and now I'm at the end of the writing process, I'm curious as to whether there is an optimum length for chapters?  I feel like there are some pretty natural breaks in my story where I could put chapter breaks, but they are not always a consistent length apart.  

Does that matter?  Is there an industry standard?  A genre standard?  I'm really not sure...

Any advice would be gratefully accepted.

Sincerely,

Lengthy

Dear Lengthy,

Like most writing question, the answer to this is "it depends".  There are a lot of very popular books out there with very short chapters, but they are usually thrillers or stories with a lot of suspense.  Having short, snappy chapters in a book like that keeps things moving at a rapid pace. On the other hand, if you're writing something deeper and more rooted in character and place, you probably want longer chapters for your readers to fully immerse themselves in.

And if you're writing something that's both of these things, you may want to switch from long to short and back again depending on how you want the reader to feel.

If you're writing in dual POV, you'll probably want to have a chapter break where the POV changes because changing POV midway through a chapter can be dis-orientating for the reader.  But that's not a hard and fast rule.  I've read multi-POV books where you get a range of voices in each chapter, usually separated by **** to indicate change, but not always.  Sometimes a writer is so good at differentiating the voices, they don't need a signal to indicate the switch in POV.  Sometimes...  It's not something I've seen often.

My personal approach to chapter length is to always find a spot to finish a chapter where something is happening or just about to happen.  You don't want the reader to feel that they have permission to put the book down at any point.  Your job as a writer is to keep progressing the story and to make it un-put-downable.  So I always try to end each chapter on a cliffhanger of sorts so the reader might say "just one more chapter. Then I'll go to sleep..."  But over and over until they've stayed up until 3am to finish reading.

There are no real rules and I very much doubt that any publisher is out there counting how many words there are in each of your chapters.  They're more interested in whether the story is compelling enough to keep reading all the way through and that the pace of the book holds up.  

Hope that's helpful!

X O'Abby

Week #28 – Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #28 –  Moby Dick by Herman Melville

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick

https://gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.htm

First published: October 18,1851

Here's what the story is about: Moby-Dick, or The Whale, is the narrative of sailor Ishmael, who tells the story of the maniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for vengeance against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg on the ship's previous voyage. It was a commercial failure in its time, but gained a reputation as the Great American Novel in the 20th century. Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael", is among world literature's most famous.

First line/paragraph:

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.

The story starts with the main character telling readers to “call me Ishmael”, which is one of the most famous first lines in all of literature. We are not sure if that's his real name or just what he wants us to call him. He speaks to the reader in first person POV and introduces himself with a rather eloquent statement that, several years ago, he had no money and no interests except the sea. I am a bit intrigued by his voice and would give him at least a few more paragraphs to see if the story would engage me.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

O'Abby's July Writing Prompt

 Hello!

It's a new month so I have a new writing challenge for you.

I recently read a short story written from a second person point of view (where the narrator describes the reader's actions, thoughts, and background using "you") and it made me feel a little uncomfortable as a reader.  It's pretty unusual to be put into the story in that way!

So this month's challenge is to write a short story or flash fiction piece in the second person. 

Post in the comments or email it to operationawesome6@gmail.com.

I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with.  Happy writing!

X O'Abby

Week #27 – Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #27 –  Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Livingston_Seagull

First published: August 31, 1970

Here's what the story is about: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, illustrated with black-and-white photographs, is an allegorical fable in novella form, about a seagull who learns about flying, freedom, and self-realization. By the end of 1972 it had sold over a million copies, reaching the number one spot on bestseller lists mostly through word of mouth recommendations. In 2014 the book was reissued as Jonathan Livingston Seagull: The Complete Edition, which added a 17-page fourth part to the story.

First line/paragraph:

It was morning, and the new sun sparkled gold across the ripples of a gentle sea.

A mile from shore a fishing boat chummed the water, and the word for Breakfast Flock flashed through the air, till a crowd of a thousand seagulls came to dodge and fight for bits of food. It was another busy day beginning.

The story starts with setting [ocean/beach] and time of day [morning]. It appears to be omniscient POV and past tense. We have a beginning of plot, a fishing boat and a thousand seagulls fighting for food. We are not introduced to Jonathan, the main character, until the next paragraph, where we see him practicing his flying skills. This story is only 144 pages long, and although it starts “in media res”, it doesn't hook me until the third paragraph. Is that too late for the modern reader?

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!

Dear O'Abby: What happens if my agent dies?

 Dear O'Abby,

Please don't think I'm being morbid, but after an agent I've followed for most of my writing life died recently - she wasn't my agent - I have been wondering what happens to clients if their agent dies.  I assume there is some legal process, given how intimately involved an agent is with an author's finances?

Can you let me know?

Best wishes,

Not-that-morbid.

Dear not-that-morbid,

That is a good question!

The first thing you need to do if your agent dies is review any contracts you have relating to your partnership and any books your agent has sold.  In some cases the contract will state that obligations are with the agent as an individual, but in many others, the contract will be with the agency.

If the contract terms are with the agency, it is very possible that you and your work may be passed on to another agent within the same company.  If the contracts are with an individual agent, then their share of any royalties etc belong to their estate.

This is one of those situations you really need an agent to help you sort out where obligations and financial matters lie. Or at the very least, a lawyer familiar with publishing. If you are with a larger agency, it may be that the agent you get passed on to is not the best fit for your work in the longterm, but it is easier to negotiate an exit from working with them once all the legal and contractual matters have already been handled than to try and unravel them all alone.  

It may be that the old agency will continue to receive royalties and statements for any books sold by your former agent, and that you will continue to have a relationship with them into the future, even after you sign with a new agent or agency.

If your agent is a sole-trader, you may need to work with a lawyer to negotiate payment directly from the publisher (less the agent's fee that will belong to the deceased agent's estate).

If you haven't sold anything yet, or have a new project currently on submission, the most important thing to get is your now-deceased agent's submission list so when you secure new representation they have a record of editors and imprints that have already been approached.  

These steps are very similar if your agent doesn't die, but leaves agenting for a different career.

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby

Week #26 – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Last year on Mondays we had fun with books. This year, we'll look at most of the same books but also some new ones, and see if the first line [or first paragraph] met the goal of a first line which is ==> to hook the reader's attention.

Here are some tips on writing a first line

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-writing-the-opening-line-of-your-novel

Week #26 – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm

First published: January 1, 1818

Here's what the story is about: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley when she was just 18 years old. Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist, creates a living creature by piecing together body parts of cadavers and then giving it life in an unorthodox scientific experiment. He is then horrified by what he made and does not give it a name. The monster initially seeks affection and acceptance, but inspires loathing and fear in everyone who meets it.

First line/paragraph:
Letter 1
To Mrs. Saville, England.
St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11th, 17—.
You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.

The story starts with four letters before beginning with Chapter 1. So apparently the letters are similar to prologues. We have first person POV and a letter dated December 11 so the beginning of winter. The character is engaged in “the commencement of an enterprise” which the letter's recipient regarded “with such evil forebodings”. The letter writer assures the recipient that no disaster has occurred and s/he [we don't know yet] has confidence in ultimate success. Other than knowing the plot involves a probably-risky activity at the beginning of winter in the 18th century, we don't know much about the plot or even the main character yet.

This story is more than 200 years old and although it starts somewhat “in media res”, it's not hooking me yet.

Does this first line/paragraph hook your attention? If you had never heard of this story, would you buy this book in 2024? Knowing the story, would you change the first line? Tell us in the comments!