First Chapters
A just-for-laughs blog where I review first chapters of classic works in the role of a friendly critique partner!
Latest from the Blog
Comps and Agent Personalization 101: A Continued Guide To Following Absolutely Every Absolute Rule At The Same Time (In An Industry With No Absolutes)
Comps (short for comparative titles) are a crucial part of your query letter. They’re a great way to draw an agent in, unless an agent hates the book(s) you comp to, which you would have no way of knowing. Comps should be published within the last five years, and they must be well-known. However, if…
Querying 101: A Guide To Following Absolutely Every Absolute Rule At The Same Time (In An Industry With No Absolutes)
You’ve written the book. Congratulations! Now the hard work begins. You’ve likely heard of the dreaded query letter, along with talk of pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Here is an overview of the rules for structuring your query that will make writing it a snap!…
Anne of Green Gables
In this installment of First Chapters, I review the aforementioned chapter of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Folks. This one was painful. I ADORE this book, and trying to find anything at all to comment on required unprecedented levels of nit-pickiness. I suppose I’ll run into that problem a lot as I review…
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
First Chapters 