STARTING POINTS

A novel's first five pages can make or break it. If those don't grab the reader, it doesn't matter how good the rest is. I wanted to create a sense of mystery with my opening scene which would raise questions in the reader's mind. It certainly did that but lacked tension and drama. I'd read somewhere that experimenting with different starting points can help. The revised opening now plunges the MC into a situation packed with tension and drama, yet still retains the sense of mystery I wanted to achieve.

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