LLWRC 801 - Get Serious: First Page Workshop

The first page of your story, essay, memoir, or novel is the most important page you write. On page one you must set the story in time, place, and tone; establish your 'contract' with the reader; unveil a little plot; and--don't forget--lure the reader to turn the page. With so much depending on that first page, how does a writer get started? In this 2-meeting class, we will look at examples of opening pages that work and talk about why. Then, using a set of criteria, we will experiment with our own first-page drafts and see where they lead.