An experienced editor will tell you they can almost always determine whether or not a manuscript is worth continuing reading within the first 8 sentences…
and sometimes much sooner!
In fact, the very first sentence of any book or chapter is essential to getting the reader hooked.
A writer can never slack off. Every sentence and every word counts.
Editors know this.
That’s why if your story doesn’t grab them within the first 8 lines you’re manuscript is most likely doomed and dragged to the trash icon.
In the video below we look at the first chapter of James Patterson’s INVISIBLE.
Here’s a quick synopsis of INVISIBLE if you haven’t had a chance to read/hear it yet.
Don’t worry… no spoilers.
Everyone thinks Emmy Dockery is crazy.
Obsessed with finding the link between hundreds of unsolved cases, Emmy has taken leave from her job as an FBI researcher.
Now all she has are the newspaper clippings that wallpaper her bedroom, and her recurring nightmares of an all-consuming fire.
Not even Emmy’s ex-boyfriend, field agent Harrison “Books” Bookman, will believe her that hundreds of kidnappings, rapes, and murders are all connected.
That is, until Emmy finds a piece of evidence Books can’t afford to ignore.
More murders are being reported by the day–and they’re all inexplicable.
No motives, no murder weapons, no suspects. Could one person really be responsible for all these unthinkable crimes?
Invisible is a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller.
The series continues with Unsolved (Review Coming Soon).
Emmy Dockery – FBI Researcher. Dogged and obsessive about finding bad guys. 30-ish, brunette, smart, attractive and our lead protagonist.
Harrison “Books” Bookman – Former FBI agent turned book shop owner. Former serious love interest of Emmy’s. Gets dragged back into help on the case.
Graham – Our evil and stealthy villain. Marty is a slippery bad guy who will have you absolutely shocked by the end.
Phil Dickerson “The Dick” – Emmy’s boss and resident slime ball. He has sexually harassed Emmy in the past and has power to stall if not completely end Emmy’s career.
Book Review
I found the first chapter of Invisible to be a bit confusing. After that it digs a deep and winding story path.
Emmy Dockery discovers early on that her sister has died in a house fire. This is not a spoiler by the way. I don’t like spoilers or telling the reader too much about the plot in general.
It’s the death of her sister in the fire that is in large part what drives an already driven FBI researcher. Emmy looks in places no one else thinks of. She sees patterns no one else does.
Emmy has many of the common traits used to motivate protagonists of mystery novels and TV dramas. These commonalities prove no less effective here. Emmy is likable. We can respect her. We root for her even when everyone around her questions her theories.
This is very important in any novel.
You’ve got to want to root for the hero or why continue to read the book?
Patterson & Co-Authors
I often read reviews about James Patterson’s work that focus on how “diluted” his writing has become.
Readers question how much writing he has actually done in the last several years. Many suspect he does some light editing, slaps his name on the cover, sells a bunch of books and calls it a day.
What many people miss in a co-author situation is the understanding of synergy and the creative force within us all.
Patterson is wildly prolific. He had a string of hits before starting to work with co-authors.
Working in synchronicity with a partner or a small group of like minded individuals can fuel an otherwise pallid creative fire.
Why shouldn’t Patterson inject fresh ideas into his books? Writing can be a lonely, agonizing slog through an entire novel all by yourself.
I‘m sure Patterson chooses his co-authors carefully and I’m also sure nothing gets in the books without his approval.
The Story
The plot moves at a furious pace. You almost wish it would slow down just a bit. A little more character development. A smidge more description. Just enough to fill the imagination to the edges.
Nope. No time for that.
Patterson demands that his stories fly. Frankly, reading Invisible is much like what riding a bucking bronc must feel like. Wild and twisting. It’s also why I keep buying his books.
Whatever you think of Patterson and his co-authors, it’s in your best interest to read Invisible.
Read this book, if not for the protagonists, but for the villain himself.
Personally, I think this is where we see David Ellis’s hand on the wheel. This particular baddie is so surreptitious and so excruciatingly detailed in his approach to his victimization… it’s astonishing.
The ending to his victims’ lives is almost too detailed to read.
What I love about Patterson is that he’s disciplined enough to know when to STOP.
He doesn’t go into full blown gore. Although it would be easy to do with this villain. He also knows when to stop a sex scene and just insinuate. After all, this is a mystery/thriller not erotica.
