When writing a book opening, the author has precious little time to catch the reader or agent’s eye. Economy is part of creating a successful opening.
Enter Raven Hair
I recently saw a book from an Indie author, and I so much wanted it to be something I would read. I love supporting Indie authors. The plot looked interesting. The cover was good, and the title worked. I was all in.
In the fourth line, we began a paragraph about “Raven Hair” and even got the opinion of a yet-to-be-introduced character about the “Raven Hair.”
Plow On
I really wanted to keep reading, so I skimmed a few lines, waiting for something to happen. Alas, after a page, I had beautiful descriptions of the surroundings, but this book was a thriller. I wanted a hint of something thrilling.
#LineByLineTime No Raven Hair Contest
There is nothing wrong with your MC having “raven hair,” and it may be important in romantic genres. However, I encourage less description and more plot development. As a fun endeavor, #LineByLineTime participants on Twitter were asked to quote the first physical description of a character in their book. The “winner” will be the author who showed the most restraint, either in words, pages, or chapters!
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