The very last thing I write when I finish a novel is the first page.

There is a reason for this. I watch students in the library and how they select the books they want to read. First, they glance at the title and cover illustration. If they are interested, they flip the book over and read the blurb on the back cover. If they are still interested, they crack the first page and read five to fifteen lines.

Not sentences, lines.

In other words, if an author hasn't grabbed a prospective reader in the first half dozen sentences of his work, chances are that reader will be moving on to something else.

Here are three tried and true first paragraph methods guaranteed to work...literary first aid, if you will:

1. Action ~ Start your story with something intense. Have your character fall down the stairs, get hit on the head with a volleyball, or run away from a bully. Create tension through movement: a boy charging down the stairs to answer a ringing telephone before his mother picks up the receiver begs the questions, "Why is he in such a hurry? Who's calling?" I'd want to read on.
2. Dialogue ~ Consider these sentences: "Look out!" Cheryl screamed. "Runaway bus!" I shouted. "I think I'm on fire," my friend said with a chuckle. Interesting dialogue can start your story off with a real bang. If you write opening lines like these, the reader is yours to lead down the story lane.
3. Something Weird ~ Sorry, I don't know how else to title this technique. It's where a writer creates an opening which puzzles and intrigues the reader. Here are some examples: "I fell in love for the first time the day the fish tank exploded" (from Guppy Love by Frank O'Keefe). "After twelve years of being a boy, I never thought I could be turned into a girl so easily (from It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time by Martyn Godfrey). These opening lines are just weird enough to make a reader curious. They make you want to read further to find out exactly what is going on.

Next time you have to write a story, try one of the three ideas I've outlined above to commence your work. I bet you'll get a better mark.

The late Martyn Godfrey was the popular author of many titles for young readers, including Please Remove Your Elbow From My Ear and Can You Teach Me To Pick My Nose?