{"id":854084,"date":"2025-11-25T09:38:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=854084"},"modified":"2025-11-25T13:10:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T13:10:42","slug":"what-really-matters-in-an-opening-top-tips-from-team-jw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/what-really-matters-in-an-opening-top-tips-from-team-jw\/","title":{"rendered":"What really matters in an opening: top tips from Team JW"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the deadline for our First 500 competition<\/strong><\/a> rapidly approaching, the Jericho Writers team is hard at work reading every single one of your entries… Twice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting to enjoy such a wide variety of work is a real perk of the job \u2013 but it\u2019s also set us thinking about the array of different things readers look for in the first few pages of a novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we\u2019ve compiled some words of wisdom from Team JW that will help you shine up the opening of your work-in-progress. They\u2019re perfectly timed if you\u2019re yet to enter First 500 but still intend to \u2013 don\u2019t forget the deadline is 30 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Character and point of view<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Almost every member of the Jericho Writers team mentioned the importance of helping readers connect with character in the first 500 words of your novel. Senior Courses Assistant Verity says: \u201cI’m looking for a character I’m going to want to stay with for the whole story \u2013 and they don’t<\/em> have to be a good person! Show me something of who they are through how they interact with their setting, and through their dialogue \u2013 don’t simply tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Marketing Executive Tanya adds: \u201cI love it when a character shows a bit of vulnerability or their slightly messy, less likeable side. It feels real and I can’t look away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establishing point of view is also critical in your opening pages, as Becca, Head of Marketing and Membership, explains: \u201cIt\u2019s essential that your reader roughly understands who they\u2019re following and what\u2019s going on. Starting with a massive action scene, for example, isn’t always the best, because as a reader I don’t yet know which character I’m supposed to care about or why. If there isn’t enough grounding, you risk the reader either being totally confused or simply not caring about what happens in your exciting opening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate, our People & Services Team Leader, concurs: \u201cI want to feel what the character is feeling, while still getting a sense of the plot that\u2019s beginning to drive the story forward.\u201d Meanwhile Cleo, Writer Support Assistant and the newest member of Team JW, says: \u201cI want to see and feel what’s happening, through the protagonist’s eyes. I want to be on their side right from the outset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genre and orientation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Writer Support and Courses Assistant Imogen argues that readers also need a sense of the type<\/em> of story you\u2019re telling. \u201cA clear sense of genre is crucial,\u201d she says, \u201cwhether you’re writing YA fantasy or literary fiction. Although we ask First 500 entrants to state the genre they\u2019re writing in, I typically read the extract first and then check back to see if my impression of the genre was correct.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s a clear mismatch, Imogen explains, \u201cthat\u2019s usually a sign that the writer needs to hone their voice and consider their intentions for the manuscript. But remember that demonstrating your genre usually doesn’t mean leaning into tropes from the get-go! It instead means confidence with tone and situating the reader within the story clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Action, originality and intrigue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While you could be forgiven for thinking every member of the team advises a cautious, considered approach to openings, you\u2019d be wrong. Jonny, our Campaigns Executive, says: \u201cI\u2019m already assuming the sea is stormy, the rain is heavy, and the main character is having an awful day. Don\u2019t waste a whole paragraph on this \u2013 I want to dive straight into the action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kat, our Head of Courses and Mentoring, wants writing that feels different: \u201cI\u2019m looking for a truly original concept brought to life with exceptional writing. Something that makes me think, Wow<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel, our Writer Support Executive (and woman on the inside of the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme<\/strong><\/a>!) wants a fairytale-style path to follow whenever she starts a new book. \u201cI\u2019m looking for \u2018sweets\u2019,\u201d she explains, \u201csomething intriguing and slightly unexplained – and I want a trail of them on the first page. I\u2019m after one or two moments that leave me wondering, ‘How’s this going to turn out?\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to read the rest of this article? Log in<\/a> or join our free community – you’ll get the rest of our top tips, plus a truck-load of other resources. Whoever said you don’t get anything in this life for free?<\/h4>\n\n\n\r\n