How NOT to Start your Novel: Common Mistakes to Avoid

When I read queries during my internship at the literary agency, I would often reject an author after the first sentence of the manuscript. That might sound harsh, but I learned that when I continued reading, my first instinct was nearly always right. 

If you’ve read my post “A Literary Agency: An Intern’s Perspective,” you know that the first pages of your manuscript is incredibly important. You have to hook a literary agent or editor just like you would a reader. And some beginnings are like a warning bell going off in our heads that this just won’t sell.

Some of the beginnings I discuss below might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often I encountered them when reading queries. Keep in mind that these beginnings sometimes work if an author does them well. However, they are a risk and I would recommend avoiding them. 

Starting with a history lesson

Introducing a ton of characters within the first 5 pages

First sentence describing the weather

Starting with a character waking up to an alarm

Onomatopoeia!

Starting with a history lesson

The “history lesson” I’m referring to could include actual history, a character’s background, worldbuilding, or anything else that can be classified as an info dump. You have to sprinkle this kind of stuff throughout the novel. If you jam it all in the first pages, you’ll either overwhelm your reader or bore them to death. 

If you tend to make this mistake, it might be because you yourself need to write it down to conceptualize your own world. If that is the case, by all means, write it down. But write it down for yourself for reference; don’t include it in your novel. If you’re still struggling, include it in detail in your outline. Once you truly know and live and breathe your story, you won’t have to info dump; avoiding it will come naturally. And if understanding it comes naturally to you as a writer, it probably will the reader.

Introducing a ton of characters within the first 5 pages

This is related to number 1. If you introduce a lot of characters at once, you run the risk of confusing your readers. You’ll want to take time and space to let the reader get to know your characters in depth. If you simply head hop from character to character, they start to blend together and it will be hard for your reader to get invested in one character, let alone multiple. 

If you want an example of introducing a bunch of main characters early, but still managing to pull it off, take a look at any Russian classic (like The Brothers Karamazov). Russian novels are notorious for introducing a ton of characters, all with several nicknames, but somehow never sacrificing character development.

First sentence describing the weather

Find another way to set up the scene. This technique has lost any charm it ever possessed and almost always induces an immediate sigh. I learn almost nothing from “It was snowy in Texas.” And no, that is not far off from a query I’ve read. It’s boring and is rarely done well. Compare that to how Delia Owens begins her debut novel Where the Crawdads Sing: “The morning burned so August-hot, the marsh’s moist breath hung the oaks and pines with fog.” While Owens begins her novel with the weather, she describes it in a way that feels new and catches a reader’s attention. 

Starting with a character waking up to an alarm

I didn’t read this one too often, but often enough to make it on this list. This one is simply overdone and has now turned into an annoying cliche. I understand the appeal of having your character and reader start a day together, but there are much more creative ways of beginning your novel. Think of something fresh and memorable.

Onomatopoeia!

I remember in elementary school when we were just learning to write creatively, teachers would recommend beginning a story with onomatopoeia. Unfortunately, some of us didn’t leave that advice behind with bathroom passes and lunchables.

Side note: Keep in mind that I am talking about Young Adult and above; I do not read a lot of Middle Grade or Children’s; therefore, I don’t feel qualified to discuss it.

Starting with “Boom!” or “Ka-splat!” strikes me as amateurish when I read it. I don’t really care if there was a boom sound, I care how that boom sound affected the character. Onomatopoeia tends to take me out of the story and out of the character’s mind. 

Again, if you can turn these mistakes into a creative masterpiece, I applaud you. Otherwise, exercise your genius some other way and think of something fresh that will immediately capture a reader’s attention. And then comes the challenge of keeping it…