First impressions are everything! How often have you heard it said that if you can’t grab an editor’s attention on the first page, the rest of your manuscript won’t be read. This isn’t just true of editors either. How often have you, personally, read the first page of a book at the library or a bookstore and then put it back on the shelf in disappointment? I used to be committed to finishing every book I started. I was certain that each writer had some small gem of wisdom to impart if I searched hard enough. Either those gems don’t really exist or my time seems more precious to me now. There are so many excellent books waiting to be read that I don’t want to waste my time on the mundane and mediocre. So, wow me, enthrall me, mystify and mesmerize me, but do it on the first page, please, before I lose interest!