The Fiction Coach

The Fiction Coach

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The Fiction Coach
The Fiction Coach
Hooking Readers: Overcoming Slow Story Starts

Hooking Readers: Overcoming Slow Story Starts

Use these tips to capture your reader's attention early

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James Powell
Apr 10, 2025
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The Fiction Coach
The Fiction Coach
Hooking Readers: Overcoming Slow Story Starts
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red and white no smoking sign
Photo by Gary Butterfield on Unsplash

I’m crafting a series of classes that examine the most common, most detrimental storytelling mistakes I encounter as an editor. Today, I want to take a look at one of those problems: a slow start.

Now, I bet your favorite novel engaged you from the opening moments and had you hooked by the end of the first chapter. Th…

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