I am three quarters of the way through my first attempt at a children's novel and was just wondering when exactly should the plot kick in? The real story doesn't begin until chapter 4, with a few clues, hints and suggests given in the prior chapters. Acceptable? The early chapters are still entertaining though, I think. Ha.
Thanks a million guys. Great advice. Wonderful ideas Adrian!
The first page of a novel will decide its fate. You must steam in Medias Res on the first page. You've probably got 25 seconds to hook an agent.
Suggestions on what to do on the first page.
1. Give the reader a mystery to solve on the first page.
2. Introduce your protagonist as early as possible.
3. Let the reader know what the protagonist hopes to achieve. (What does the protagonist want?).
3. You could start with dialogue. (A conflict between two characters, or them simply having a revealing conversation).
4. You could start with the protagonist's thoughts. Use his or her sensory perceptions to describe what they're experiencing.
5. Have something visual on the first page.
6. Show don't Tell. Make sure you write in the Active Voice and not in the Passive Voice. The Active Voice is more direct and vigorous and makes for forcible writing.
I hope that helps.
Good luck.
Straight away!
Gone are the days when you could really work up the background. That's one of the reasons some of the classics can be hard going, they take too long to get into the action.