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By Serita Stevens
When a long time friend got into an argument with another friend about the myth of the first 10 pages, I had to step in. Having read his script (as a big favor), I had to agree that the first 10 pages were, indeed, crucial.
It's often said that readers (script or book) will give you 10 pages to prove yourself as a writer and get them engaged enough to continue reading. Book readers might give you a chapter before they put it down, but they will file it in the circular container if you cannot follow the dictates and needs of today's readers. This is especially true here in Hollywood where 1 out of 4 people - maybe more - have a script in their drawers and readers are swamped with material.
In fact, talking to various readers they say that they determine after only one or two pages if you are a professional writer. They know this by how you introduce the character, establish the point of view, make him likeable, set up the world, the problem that the character must solve, and their obstacles.
My friend's script meandered, did not make clear who the main character was, what her problem was (I didn't learn that until page 25 - and if I had not promised to read it for him I would have put it down long ago) and what her obstacles were. He also had numerous transitions scenes that were unnecessary for the story - things like her getting into the car, making dinner and even going to the bathroom - none of which moved the story forward.
At one time, when books were king and authors like Charles Dickens had the leisure to slowly draw us into the world, things were different. People had time then. With everything that demands our attention these days, time is something we give grudgingly and we are easily distracted and pulled away from stories that move slow.
Readers today want instant excitement, engagement and concern. In my workbook - The Ultimate Writers Workbook For Books and Scripts - based on my teaching at various universities and conferences - my chapter on beginnings says that we must be hookers. We, the writer, must hook the reader with "sexy" active words, showing not telling and only hints of the background. I don't care if the science fiction palace has 4 or 10 columns; what the dress is or even the physical description of the characters - unless those are crucial to the story. I do care what the characters first actions and reactions are. That is how we get to know our hero and antagonist.
In scripts, where every word counts, the writer must be a minimalist. We don't need to know about the velvet drapes or the oak desk - unless they are crucial to the story. You can just say an ornate room with Jacobean furniture and let the set designer decide. Part of that is because scripts are a team effort and not a sole job as many books are. They have to be a reading experience, but not overwhelming with long passages of description, dialogue, or back-story.
Even with books too many novice writers start with a flashback - or what they believe to be a flashback. (However, you cannot flash back to a scene when you haven't started yet, when you haven't engaged us in the character and his problem yet). Or they start with pages and pages of back story (how the character came to where he is now) when that is better dripped into the story by bits and pieces once we have already identified with the character and decided we want to follow him. They tell us things, but they don't show us and their writing is passive rather than active (He is running vs he ran). They have not yet learned to start with an action that will involve us in the character's life. They bore us with physical traits of blond hair and blue eyes when that doesn't really matter to who the character is or how he reacts.
Other problems with novice beginnings - they start with a cliché or a monologue, there is no real image for the reader to grasp, they bombard the reader with epic blocks of narrative and chunky exposition. Yes, you have to establish the setting and location but not overwhelm the reader with details. Does the setting give us any hint about the character? Resist the urge to explain everything. Give the reader some credit for understanding issues.
Good first pages need to have a sense of the world and setting (but not too much) an introduction of who the protagonist is - the person we will be following through the story, something unique about him that will make him likeable and yet universal that the reader can relate to, an idea of what his visible specific goal is - what does he think he wants - (since the real goal might not surface until later in the story), an inciting incident or catalyst that moves the story out of the protagonist's "normal" life into his journey, and a set up of who the antagonist is - why they are against the hero, how they think they are in the right, and the conflict that will ensue.
It's best to start the story off with a bang. What are the emotions you want to the reader to have. Maybe with our protagonist in the midst of a scene that will showcase something of his personality, fears or dreams. There needs to be an indication of the potential for change. Some of this can be in dialogue with another character. Have you set up some of their flaws? While you don't need to put it in the first few pages, you do need to have an idea of how it will end for your character (and remember the changes need to come slow and in increments). A time clock starting in the first few pages can really amp up the story. If you have a take home message for your story - while you might not know it in the first draft - you want to have a hint of it in the rewrite of the first few pages.
Yes, I have to disagree with my friend. The first 10 pages are indeed crucial. Our readers of books or scripts need a reason to continue reading. Remember they have a lot of choices out there. So make them choose your story!