Comments on: 7 Reasons Agents Stop Reading Your First Chapter http://markcnewton.com/2009/11/23/7-reasons-agents-stop-reading-your-first-chapter/ Wed, 23 May 2012 18:50:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Neil http://markcnewton.com/2009/11/23/7-reasons-agents-stop-reading-your-first-chapter/comment-page-1/#comment-1617 Neil Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:40:27 +0000 http://blog.markcnewton.com/?p=1592#comment-1617 edit above: "waking up FROM a dream" rather than "waking up FOR a dream". edit above: “waking up FROM a dream” rather than “waking up FOR a dream”.

]]> By: Neil http://markcnewton.com/2009/11/23/7-reasons-agents-stop-reading-your-first-chapter/comment-page-1/#comment-1616 Neil Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:39:03 +0000 http://blog.markcnewton.com/?p=1592#comment-1616 Scott, it's far worse when the book ends with a character waking up for a dream! Those ones should start with a character explicitly going to sleep so i don't have to waste time reading it. Avoiding having a character thinking something just so I can reveal some story/insight is my guilty vice when playing with writing. Avoiding obvious cliches is easy but sometimes it's hard to spot sublte ones and I hate clunky attempts at writers failing to invent their own. Scott, it’s far worse when the book ends with a character waking up for a dream! Those ones should start with a character explicitly going to sleep so i don’t have to waste time reading it.

Avoiding having a character thinking something just so I can reveal some story/insight is my guilty vice when playing with writing. Avoiding obvious cliches is easy but sometimes it’s hard to spot sublte ones and I hate clunky attempts at writers failing to invent their own.

]]> By: Scott Hoffman http://markcnewton.com/2009/11/23/7-reasons-agents-stop-reading-your-first-chapter/comment-page-1/#comment-1609 Scott Hoffman Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:50:53 +0000 http://blog.markcnewton.com/?p=1592#comment-1609 To that, you can add any book that starts with a character waking up from a dream. I hate those. To that, you can add any book that starts with a character waking up from a dream. I hate those.

]]> By: Cassandra Jade http://markcnewton.com/2009/11/23/7-reasons-agents-stop-reading-your-first-chapter/comment-page-1/#comment-1600 Cassandra Jade Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:59:24 +0000 http://blog.markcnewton.com/?p=1592#comment-1600 Thanks for sharing this list. I know this will be really helpful for me in the future. I have to admit my beginnings tend to be very slow or overly cliched and I have to spend a lot of time tweaking them and then I still don't think they are overly impressive. Something to work on. Thanks for sharing this list. I know this will be really helpful for me in the future. I have to admit my beginnings tend to be very slow or overly cliched and I have to spend a lot of time tweaking them and then I still don’t think they are overly impressive. Something to work on.

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