Ace The Opening!

Spring is in the air and I’m dying to teach again!

Join me on Saturday May 9 from 9:30am - 12:30pm to learn how to ace the opening of your book. The cost is $220 (payable by venmo).

This session is suitable for fiction writers of all levels.

This is my favorite class to teach: it’s so much fun watching writers reach clarity on what their opening pages must achieve in order to attract agents and editors.

• $220 payable upfront by Venmo

• In addition to our workshop, you will receive a written assessment of your first five pages, which you can submit to me up to a week after class (May 16).

The opening of your book is make or break: agents and editors often stop reading after just a single page. You must bring your audience into the unique world of your story with confidence and creativity—but when you’re so close to the material, it’s often hard to know if you’ve pulled that off.

Using real-life examples, we will contrast discarded openings with their final published versions, examining the behind-the-scenes editing process and highlighting the choices the writer made in order to both ground the narrative and propel it forward.

Through in-depth analysis, we’ll look closely at the critical elements of the first sentence, paragraph, and page. How do writers introduce theme, character, setting and plot without an information dump? What works and what doesn’t? By discussing the differences in the texts, you will learn what you wish to highlight in your own opening pages, and whether or not you’re achieving your goals.

In addition, I’m offering written feedback on your first five pages. Submit pages to me before May 16 and I will help you determine whether the opening is achieving what you intend it to.

PS. During Covid, I offered free critiques called #firstfivepages. After completing almost fifty of them, I learned to spot red flags in those early pages. Do you have a story arc? Is there a fatal flaw in the concept? Have you figured out your book’s driving question?