One thing that I love about Substack is how other people I follow will share posts they have read or commented on. Sometimes the post will not be very interesting, but other times, it will grab me.
And one notification in particular grabbed me.
I was notified about a comment left by fellow Substacker, LindaAnn LoSchiavo, on the post “Literary Fiction Has Lost the Plot” at Devon Halliday’s Substack.
Curious, I clicked over to see what the post was, and the title of the post drew me in. Even though I don’t enjoy reading literary fiction (mostly for the reasons outlined in this post), I was still curious about what this post was about. And as I laughed or nodded in agreement over many things which Halliday wrote about in this post, there was one part of it that really stood out for me. These words: “On the first page of a novel, I need to be convinced that I’m in good hands. That this writer is in command of their story—that they’re taking me somewhere good.”
This reminded me of one very important piece of advice that seasoned writers give about writing: Your first page must be your best effort. And for many books I have read, the first page usually is. Too often, it’s the second and third pages that make the writing lose their hold over me.
The first page of your novel is supposed to hook the reader. The second page of your novel must make the reader keep reading.
Sadly, there are many times when that second page fails to keep me reading. It’s as though the author put ALL of their efforts into making that first page perfect, then just pretty much did a poor job writing the rest of the novel. It’s as though they felt that since they have hooked the reader, then the reader will keep reading no matter how bad the writing or the story is.
Sorry, no. Readers don’t function that way. Well, this reader doesn’t! I have DNF’d many books because of poor writing or if the story had something in it that I just could not get past. (I DNF’d one book when a character threw a dog into a hot oven.)
Not only have I seen books where Page 2 isn’t as great as Page 1, but I have also DNF’d books where Chapter Two or the second story in a collection of stories falls flat. Oh, and I also hate the attention-grabbing chapters that start with a quote that draws me in but takes FOR-EV-ER to get back to that scene and pick up where the author left off.
If you want a reader to believe that you are a writer worth reading, then allow your skill with writing to shine in the entire piece, not just on Page 1. You want readers to keep reading, so give them some damn good writing on Page 2, 3, 4 – and so on.
Now, because I believe that it’s important to practice what I preach, I’m going to share the first two pages of my novel I’ll Be Ghosting You (Twisted Dreams Press, 2024). I’m sharing not because I think IT’S THE BEST WRITING EVER, but because I want to show how it was my best effort in not only hooking a reader but also to encourage the reader to keep reading the rest of the book.
PAGE ONE:
“CHAPTER ONE
The Beauchamps
Warren Beauchamp landed in his body with a thud. His eyes flew open, and he breathed in heavy gasps for air, except it didn’t really feel like air. More like puffs of nothing.
He slowly sat up in his bed, looking around the room. The room appeared to be normal enough. The TV on top of the end table at the end of the bed remained off, and Warren flinched. He didn’t see his reflection in the TV screen. Odd. Was he still dreaming?
He also noticed that he was the only one in the bed. He turned to his right and, sure enough, the other side of the bed was empty. Carla wasn’t there.
Well, that was not unusual. She was always up early in the morning, he remembered. Always up early to head out for work. She worked the morning shift at the hospital and was rarely home until after noon.
Looking around the room, he realized it was bathed in bright daylight. It seemed way past noon now.
So where was she? He hadn’t heard any noises outside of the bedroom. Perhaps she was in the bathroom?
Warren climbed out of the bed, slowly moving the blankets away from himself as he swung his legs over the side. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his legs. He was dressed in strange flowery pajamas. These weren’t his. They were white with assorted bushels of flowers splattered everywhere. He’d”
PAGE TWO:
“never seen them before in his life. Why was he wearing these? He didn’t remember putting them on when he’d gone to bed last night.
Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember going to bed last night either.
He held out the long-sleeved buttoned shirt of the matching pajama set. It displayed a similar decoration to the pants. He made a look of disgust as he examined it. They were horrible. He wouldn’t be caught dead in these things.
He stood from the bed and walked the small space in between the bed to the large oak dresser he shared with his wife. He opened a random drawer and frowned. He only saw his wife’s clothes. He tried another drawer with the same result. He pulled out another and another, each drawer containing only his wife’s clothing.
He stood back, examining the most recent drawer he had opened. None of them contained any of his clothes. That was also strange; he and Carla had shared this dresser for the more than forty years they had been married. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t finding any of his clothes in it now.
Was Carla washing them all? But not all of his clothes were dirty.
He didn’t even have any clean underwear!
Sighing, he turned and walked to the closet. He slid the door open and turned on the light. Only Carla’s clothes on the right side met his eyes. Where his old clothes had been, on the left, were all gone. The entire left side was bare. Even his shoes were gone.
“What the hell?”
He held out his arms as if asking the closet where all of his clothes were, then shook his head. He slid the closet door closed then tromped out of the bedroom. Maybe Carla would be home and he could ask her where all of his stuff was.
He walked down the dimly lit hallway—the doors that led to his office and the bathroom—were both closed. He entered the living room, looked up, and”
Did Page 1 of my novel hook you, dear reader? And did Page 2 make you want to keep reading? You be the judge.
My article “Seven Books Offering Different Perspectives About the Declaration of Independence” was published in the August issue of First Chapter Plus Magazine. My article is on page 23. Read the full issue at this link.
Also this week, I have an excerpt from my deaf poetry book Noiseless featured in the Alien Buddha Zine Issue 90, which just released. You can order a copy at these links:
My horror short story, “The Shortcut,” was accepted for the forthcoming anthology Tales from the Menu: The Pale Beyond. Thank you, Exploitation Media! You can preorder this anthology at this link.
I recently reviewed the poetry collection Bloom & Grow by Peter J Donnelly at Dawn Reviews Books
I recently reviewed the science fiction novel Reckoning! by David Vincent at Reader Views
Check out my interview with writer Brian Terence, which was published in the July 2026 issue of the SPARREW Newsletter.
Read it here.
Twisted Dreams Press is now accepting submissions for a new anthology series! It is seven books with ten stories in each book.
The first anthology will be published in June. The others will follow in the subsequent months. Submissions of stories for all anthologies opens the beginning of April.
Open until each anthology has ten stories. We will announce when an anthology is no longer accepting submissions.
Series Name: A Week of Terrors!
Here are the themes:
Monster Monday: Creature Horror Stories
Terrifying Tuesday: Evil Clowns
Werewolf Wednesday
Thriller Thursday: Zombies
Frightening Friday: Mix of horror subgenres: psychological horror, eco-horror, cyberpunk horror, erotic horror, etc.
Slasher Saturday: Slasher horror
Spooky Sunday: Ghost stories
Payment: One print and digital copy.
Submit your stories today!
Length: 3K-10K words
Reprints welcome! Simultaneous submissions welcome but please let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere.
Email your stories as a Word .doc or .docx file. Google Docs are okay as long as you grant Dawn permission for access.
No PDF submissions, please.
Stories written with AI will NOT be accepted!
When you submit your story, please put the following in the subject line:
Submission: WOT Anthology, (Title), (Day of the week your story is for)
Please include in your email if the story is a reprint as well as your bio.
Please send your stories to Dawn at submissions@twisteddreamspress.com
We look forward to reading your story!
If you missed out on the anthology call for the Friday the 13th Summer Camp Horror anthology, you’re in luck!
This anthology is reopening to submissions!
Learn more about that on the Twisted Dreams Press blog here.
Twisted Dreams Press is thrilled to announce a brand-new call for submissions for THREE anthologies. These anthologies will be published in 2027. Learn more about them here.
Twisted Dreams Press is accepting submissions for three anthologies slated for publication in 2027! Read about them here.
Dreamweaver Press, a division of Twisted Dreams Press, is also accepting submissions for anthologies! Get the details here. And check out the new guidelines for payment!
Crooked Spine Press
“Old castle walls and moaning ghosts don’t scare us anymore. For this issue, we want the dread of the abandoned desert highway. Old gods losing it all at gas station slot machines. That old woman standing in the window beneath the flickering fluorescent lights of an all-night diner. How long has she been watching you?
What we want
Short fiction, poems, and art for our third issue. We keep themes vague but please do not submit something way out of the guidelines.”
Original work only. No AI-generated work.
Length:
Fiction: 1,500–3,500 words
Poetry: Not stated.
Payment:
Fiction: “Pays $20 plus a contributor copy.”
Poetry: “$5 per poem plus a contributor copy.”
Art: “$20 per piece plus a contributor copy.”
Deadline: August 24, 2026
Slapshots in Space & Magical Marathons
Tyche Books
“Cyborg curlers and centaur goal celebrations. Tennis teams traveling by stagecoach. Kayaking on Europa. Playoff magic that really is magic.
Slapshots in Space and Magical Marathons: A Speculative Sports Anthology (working title) invites contributors to re-examine sports through space opera, near- or far-future science fiction, alternative worlds, time travel, magical realism, fantasy, or other lenses that fall under the umbrella of speculative fiction. Steampunk, hopepunk, science gone bad, social commentary, or just plain laugh-out-loud fun—all of these and more are fair game.
Writers can (but are not required to) explore questions such as: Will future athletes be forced to accept invasive technologies in the name of better performance? In a dystopian world, how might sport be a beacon of hope? How might fantasy elements change the way we engage in, and with, sport?
Sports can be recreational or competitive, solo or teams, but for the purposes of this anthology we aren’t looking for stories and poems about board games, video games, etc. Any perspective (fan, athlete, coach, game official, broadcaster, etc.) is welcome. We welcome pieces that explore diverse perspectives, challenge the status quo, or have new takes on old tropes.”
Original work only. No AI-generated work. Only one story or three poems per author allowed. Must have a Duosoma account to submit.
Length: “Short stories: 1,000 to 5,000 words. Poetry: 60 lines maximum, or, in the case of prose poems, 1,000 words max.”
Payment: “Minimum $50/story, flat rate. $20 per poem. Each author will also receive one print copy of the book.”
Deadline: August 31, 2026
Dragon Soul Press
“All fairytale retellings are welcome. All genres are accepted.”
From their guidelines: “Reprints from Third Party sources accepted IF author currently holds full rights. We will
not publish duplicate stories within DSP.” Up to two submissions max per author for each anthology.
Length: 3K-20K words
Payment: “Authors get 30% Royalties for first year from date of publication. Afterwards, 30% of all proceeds go to a charity chosen by the Publisher.”
Deadline: August 31, 2026
Crystal Lake House of Shadows & Ink Patreon
“Sometimes the best stories begin with someone saying... “You know, this happened right around here.”
Every corner of the world has a creepy legend, supernatural being or creature everyone knows about. In New Jersey, we share campfire stories about Shades of Death Road, The Great Swamp Howler and our most prized darling, the 13th child himself, The Jersey Devil.
I’m familiar with the things lurking in my own backyard, but I’m interested in hearing about yours.
I invite writers to draw inspiration from ancestral folklore, superstitions or cryptids unique to your geography. I’m looking for tales specific to where you reside.
Whether your story is about the self-segmenting Manananggal of the Philippines, a Norwegian fishing town terrorized by a Nøkken, or the ghostly floating lights of the Feu Follet in Louisiana bayous, I want horror that couldn’t happen anywhere else. I want to read about the nightmare that exists beside you.
Do not retell the myth, reinvent it. Use folklore or urban legends that have been passed down through generations as your guide to create something imaginative, unexpected, and uniquely your own.
I know the horrors that stalk my hometown.
Now show me what’s lurking in yours.”
All writers are welcome to submit. “Before we get to the submission guidelines, please know that only the top 15 to 20 stories will be posted on our Patreon page for our patrons to vote on. Entry is totally free. You don’t have to be a CLP patron.” Note that only the top three stories will receive payment. Reprints welcome. No multiple submissions. “Don’t use any AI to create your words. You can use programs with AI support (to edit mostly).”
Length: 1500 words max
Payment: “The winner will receive $0.04 per word, publication, and an Author Spotlight on our newsletter, website, and Patreon page. The second-place winner will receive $0.03 a word, and the third place winner $0.02 per word. The winner will also have the option of hosting the following month’s contest for an additional $50.”
Deadline: August 31, 2026
“We invite you to write a story set in our Shared World! Before doing so, please read this FAQ carefully.
We (Jonathan Ball, GMB Chomichuk, James Gillespie, and Chadwick Ginther) have co-created a fantasy-horror, sword-and-sorcery world called Shared World. Think Conan meets Cthulhu!”
Simultaneous submissions allowed.
Length: “Your story may be any length, from flash fiction to magazine length to novella length to novel length.”
Payment: 10 cents CAD per word
Deadline: Ongoing
This week, I promoted my children’s book, Wolf Whispers. I was inspired to write this story shortly after my mother passed away. While I was grieving this loss, the idea for the story came to me one day, so I sat down and wrote the whole thing in one sitting.
Here is the book’s blurb:
“After her mother dies, 9-year-old Anya must travel to the woods to live with her father. But Anya is very sad and misses her mother. Then one evening, she receives a very special gift from a wolf. Can Anya learn to listen to the whispers of her heart and heal from her grief?”
And here is the excerpt!
Excerpt from
Wolf Whispers
Copyright © 2014 by Dawn Colclasure
Anya awoke to a rustling sound close by. She got to her feet and looked around. But she could not see anything that would cause noise. All she could see was the snow, the trees and the big moon up in the sky.
“Hello, Anya,” a voice said behind her.
Anya turned around and gasped.
There, standing right in front of her, looking at her with kind eyes, was the biggest gray wolf she had ever seen!
Anya trembled with fear as she looked at the big wolf. Her father had warned her that wolves were dangerous and that she must stay away from them. But then, where had that voice come from? It couldn’t have come from the wolf. Wolves don’t talk!
The wolf lowered her head, put back her ears and placed her muzzle against Anya’s chest, right over her heart.
“Please don’t be afraid,” the voice said. “I am here to help you feel better.”
Thanks for reading! See you next weekend!
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