THE FIRST PARAGRAPH

BOOK PRODUCTION

BY

MIKE OKHIHIEMEN

Atohengbe Aigbomian    NOE MIKE OKHIHIEMEN

^{The Writing Process (2)}

^{The First Paragraph}

Your book is either made or marred in the first sentence of the first paragraph. Consequently, all writers struggle to come up with the first line to their books. This need is not only applicable to novels, but as well as  other  types of writings.

The importance of the first chapter can be demonstrated in this scenario.: You visit a bookshop with no particular book in mind. You scan around to find a book that would catch your attention. Finally, you find one- perhaps from the beautiful cover or the title or both. You think you will find it useful. You move nearer, pull it out of the shelf, then (for some enlightened ones, they go straight to the blurb-back cover) but you opened the book’s pages. You went straight to the first paragraph; then to the first sentence. You read. Phulll….. You try the next sentence, then next …… then you close the book slowlingly, you return it to the shelf. Gone! You look for another book; maybe another and another. Many people do this unconsciously.

What are they looking for? Most readers do not know. But let me tell you. They are looking for the book that would hook their attention and take  them  on. At least for once, that is how most books receive their reflection. But there are exceptions though. For instance, the book title of a well known author, if recommended or in your schedule of things to be bought, will still be bought despite all the afore-mentioned defects.

-2-

Famous first lines such as:

·        “It’s not about you” (Rick Warrens’s Purpose Driven Life)”

·        “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” (Charles Dickens)

·        “It was a bright cold day and the clock was striking thirteen” (George Orwell) etc have outstanding first time opening that helped their books to stand out as classics. For example, Warrens’s Purpose Driven Life has sold well over 30 million copies partly because of its profound beginnings. Study the first sentence of each of the forty chapters of that book and you would see what I mean.

If you must publish a book, work well on the first chapter. The first chapter can make or break a book. The first chapter can lure in a skeptical reader or drive them away to a book with more compelling start.

First and foremost, you must get the reader’s attention. Make them want to know what happens next through a well structured topic sentence. (Look out for the section of topic sentences later on this page ).

The truth is, to achieve this is not an easy feat. But you can pick up a few good books – especially motivational books or novels of American origin. Study their first sentence of each chapter, then come back and look closely at the whole of Chapter one.

If you do this correctly, you are likely to not that most good books have short, captivating beginnings. Look at these:

·        “It was a hell of  a blast”

·        “You were created to become like Christ.”

·        “Services start in your mind.”

·        “I’ve been dodging the Longman for three years; and I still don’t know if I committed the crime.”

Think of all these openings and the question they stir in one’s mind. Particularly for the last one, how could he not know if he had committed the crime? Was he drunk? Was he unconscious? What was the crime? To whom? Why has he been running so long? How is he going to resolve the situation? An opening paragraph of this nature can spur even the most reluctant reader to find out what happens next and next until the whole chapter is read; and guess what happens?  The book will obviously be paid for.

When writing your first paragraph, particularly the first sentence, avoid old academic introductions like: “Success has been defined as …..”  When you start a book this way, it is very likely that even the most enthusiastic reader will be bored. You wouldn’t want that to happen to you.

Let me expand more examples of a good opening paragraph to you. This one is from the book Gentle Persuasion by Rita Rain Ville. The first five lines in her story run thus:

“We’ve got to get ride of Edgar”

“Permanently?”

“Yes”

“How?”

“Quietly… Perhaps poison”

Without doubt, this is a beautiful beginning. Obviously many questions will flood the reader’s mind:  Who is Edgar? Who is planning his death? Why? Will they succeed? Who’s speaking?

Aren’t you dying to read more?

That’s how good writers woo their readers. That’s how best books are made.

Here is another …

“Fire engulfed the ship. She dodged through the burning debris. Flames licked all about her, up the mast, along the rigging. Tatters of blazing sails flailed in the wind. The ship was doomed”

. – From the book Captive Angel by Elaine Crawford.

Notice the action  and the length in the first sentence.

The beginning of a book is very important. We can all master this art once. But we can study what others had done. For this, let me repeat what I said before. Study the first chapter, the first sentence of about 10 good books and work along that line. In his book- Goals!  Brian Tracy , in the first paragraph  wrote :

‘This is a wonderful time to be alive. There have never been more opportunities for creative and determined people to achieve more of their goals than these are today.Regardless of short-term ups and downs in the economy and in your life, we are entering into an age of peace and prosperity superior to any previous era in human history.”

When you go through the whole book, you are likely to notice that the sentence “This  a wonderful time to be alive” is what the entire book captures in his way of telling us how to set goals

A good first sentence in most books sets the stage for the entire book.

Don’t hurry over this area (the first chapter). This is where your book’s destiny is determined. Do it well before you rush to the press.

As important as the first chapter maybe, it is not alone. It must be connected with the rest chapters until the book is done. This process is what we will be looking at in the next  series. Look out!

Mike Okhihiemen

(Formerly Atoh. Aigomian,)

Wrote this piece from digestiriters@yahoo.com.

and Could be reached on 080340341940