The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, by Noah Lukeman
While many authors initially struggle with a great plot, their real problems lie in writing the content of the book – the prose. Noah Lukeman, author of “The First Five Pages: A Writers Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile” acknowledges this and provides a book with excellent information on appropriately editing your novel so it can provide the best possible first impression with a publisher.
Written from the point of view of an agent or editor, the book is divided into three categories:
Part I focuses on preliminary problems - issues that can be identified right off the bat and first need to be polished before starting the submission process. These include the presentation of your query and manuscript, the proper use of adjectives and adverbs, style.
Part II is about dialogue - a considerably important, yet often overlooked, component of storytelling. Lukeman does an excellent job of pointing out obvious errors that so many authors make, and giving concrete solutions that will turn your boring exchanges of information into vibrant, fluid conversations that imply all the right things.
Part III is all about the bigger picture, and focuses on such skills as showing versus telling, subtlety, pacing, and hooks. These skills are often difficult to distinguish, but Lukeman breaks them down and gives great examples that make them easy to visualize as smaller parts of your book. Making each factor work together can also be a challenge, and Lukeman provides tips on using each so they play well with others.
Writers need this book in their library because it provides specific recommendations for fixing the obvious problems that keep good stories from being published. Readers will appreciate the many examples that fill the book and the “End of Chapter Exercises” that encourage practice and skill mastery. If you are looking for a great resource for editing your novel, but want to go beyond plot ideas, character worksheets, and proper uses of an exclamation point, this book is for you.
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