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A worksheet for your opening — the part that decides whether a stranger keeps reading.
Most pieces are judged in the first 500 words, whether that's an agent, an editor, or a reader with a dozen open tabs. This diagnostic walks you through the three things a strong opening has to do at once — establish voice, raise stakes, and ground the reader in a world — plus two tests to catch throat-clearing before it costs you a reader.
What's inside:
Voice, stakes, and world-building checkpoints for your first page
The Delete Test — a quick way to spot a weak opening paragraph
The Stranger Test and a cut list for tightening your first 500 words
Free to download. Use it before you submit, query, or send a piece off for feedback.
A worksheet for your opening — the part that decides whether a stranger keeps reading.
Most pieces are judged in the first 500 words, whether that's an agent, an editor, or a reader with a dozen open tabs. This diagnostic walks you through the three things a strong opening has to do at once — establish voice, raise stakes, and ground the reader in a world — plus two tests to catch throat-clearing before it costs you a reader.
What's inside:
Voice, stakes, and world-building checkpoints for your first page
The Delete Test — a quick way to spot a weak opening paragraph
The Stranger Test and a cut list for tightening your first 500 words
Free to download. Use it before you submit, query, or send a piece off for feedback.