Flogging The Quill

As promised at last week's meeting - here are the details of a good site from a guy who loves writing (and is also a professional editor) and has lots of helpful information on his blog. In addition, he invites people to submit the first page of something they are working on and he gives great feedback! Well worth a try for those of you into your novels.

Meantime - am sure smiley Mr Rhamey, the man behind the quill - won't mind me putting this very helpful information on our blog; it is taken from his book 'Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel That Sells'.

Storytelling Checklist
Before you rip into today’s submission, consider this list of 6 vital storytelling ingredients from my book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells. While it's not a requirement that all of these elements must be on the first page, they can be, and I think you have the best chance of hooking a reader if they are.
Evaluate the submission—and your own first page—in terms of whether or not it includes each of these ingredients, and how well it executes them. The one vital ingredient not listed is professional-caliber writing because that is a must for every page, a given.


•Tension
•Story questions
•Voice
•Clarity
•Scene setting
•Character

Enjoy! Lisa