Abstract
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The submission requirements for Manhattan-based agent Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary
Management read:
Please email your cover letter and paste in the first page or so of your material at the bottom
of the letter (no attachments, please). Let’s repeat that again: first page of your manuscript.
Not a synopsis. First page. Please.
Julie Barer, another prominent agent who founded The Book Group, allows authors to submit ten
pages. These examples are typical of the industry, underlining the point that beginnings are critical
for authors within the commercial environment. Interestingly, despite this industry focus on
beginnings, the subject area hasn’t attracted much theoretical attention. Key texts in the field
include Edward Said’s Beginnings (1975) and A.D. Nuttall’s Openings (1992) as well as edited
collections such as Brian Richardson’s Narrative Dynamics (2002) and Narrative Beginnings
(2008). However in the larger field of novels and narratology relatively little attention has been
paid to something that is determining much of our literary industry. As narratologist James Phelan
states (2007): ‘Previous narrative theory, for the most part, has emphasized the textual rather than
the readerly side of narrative beginnings’ (15/6). This paper will explore beginnings from both a
critical and writerly perspective, arguing they are important to consider, not only for commercial
reasons but because, as in Said’s words, ‘[b]eginnings … inspire anticipation. A beginning ‘is
already a project under way’. That is, beginnings set up the stories we can tell. After this
exploration, I will analyse early and later drafts of the first paragraph of my novel-in-progress
‘Freefall’ to see how these discussions have influenced my craft.
already a project under way’. That is, beginnings set up the stories we can tell. After this
exploration, I will analyse early and later drafts of the first paragraph of my novel-in-progress
‘Freefall’ to see how these discussions have influenced my craft.