Novel writing ,
What really matters in an opening: top tips from Team JW
By Laura Starkey
With the deadline for our First 500 competition rapidly approaching, the Jericho Writers team is hard at work reading every single one of your entries… Twice!
Getting to enjoy such a wide variety of work is a real perk of the job – but it’s also set us thinking about the array of different things readers look for in the first few pages of a novel.
Here, we’ve compiled some words of wisdom from Team JW that will help you shine up the opening of your work-in-progress. They’re perfectly timed if you’re yet to enter First 500 but still intend to – don’t forget the deadline is 30 November.
Character and point of view
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: “I’m looking for a character I’m going to want to stay with for the whole story – and they don’t have to be a good person! Show me something of who they are through how they interact with their setting, and through their dialogue – don’t simply tell me.”
Senior Marketing Executive Tanya adds: “I 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.”
Establishing point of view is also critical in your opening pages, as Becca, Head of Marketing and Membership, explains: “It’s essential that your reader roughly understands who they’re following and what’s 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.”
Kate, our People & Services Team Leader, concurs: “I want to feel what the character is feeling, while still getting a sense of the plot that’s beginning to drive the story forward.” Meanwhile Cleo, Writer Support Assistant and the newest member of Team JW, says: “I want to see and feel what’s happening, through the protagonist’s eyes. I want to be on their side right from the outset.”
Genre and orientation
Writer Support and Courses Assistant Imogen argues that readers also need a sense of the type of story you’re telling. “A clear sense of genre is crucial,” she says, “whether you’re writing YA fantasy or literary fiction. Although we ask First 500 entrants to state the genre they’re writing in, I typically read the extract first and then check back to see if my impression of the genre was correct.”
If there’s a clear mismatch, Imogen explains, “that’s 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.”
Action, originality and intrigue
While you could be forgiven for thinking every member of the team advises a cautious, considered approach to openings, you’d be wrong. Jonny, our Campaigns Executive, says: “I’m already assuming the sea is stormy, the rain is heavy, and the main character is having an awful day. Don’t waste a whole paragraph on this – I want to dive straight into the action.”
Kat, our Head of Courses and Mentoring, wants writing that feels different: “I’m looking for a truly original concept brought to life with exceptional writing. Something that makes me think, Wow.”
Rachel, our Writer Support Executive (and woman on the inside of the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme!) wants a fairytale-style path to follow whenever she starts a new book. “I’m looking for ‘sweets’,” she explains, “something intriguing and slightly unexplained – and I want a trail of them on the first page. I’m after one or two moments that leave me wondering, ‘How’s this going to turn out?’.”
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The First 500 Novel Competition is all about your opening 500 words… the start of a story that could go on to captivate readers, agents, and publishers alike. You can enter with any genre, memoir, or non-fiction project. This year’s winner will receive a prize worth more than £8000, including a fully funded place on the Jericho Writers Novel Writing Course. Visit our First 500 page to find out more and submit your entry now!
By Laura Starkey
About the author
Laura Starkey is part of the Marketing team at Jericho Writers. She lives in a small village in the West Midlands with her family, her constantly expanding book collection and a mini menagerie of pets. A former teacher, copywriter and digital content designer, she is the author of four romantic comedies including Love Off Script and The Spare Room, which was a top 10 Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia in 2024.