Writing tips (3 of 20). Gain attention early

Gain attention early
Yes, of course!
How long can you keep a reader reading?
To the end? To the end of the first chapter? To the end of the first page?
I'm sure that you've had the same experiences as I have - all three. You've probably read more books to the end, because they've generally gone through a review and edit process (hopefully by professionals), but a few have no doubt fallen by the wayside earlier.
It's a good idea to look at some of your favourite books and think about how the authors gained (and kept) your attention.
Did they have a strong first sentence, at the beginning of the book and for each chapter? Think about the famous (notorious? infamous?) "It was a dark and stormy night."!
Did they use humour, or many facts, or an unusual sentance style - I'll talk about some of these in later blogs, and would be interested to hear your views...
Some of my first words: From The Alone Man: He was old. Not very old, or as old as some people. But he was old. From Possum and Python: She lay on a great branch high above the rain forest floor. From Lissie Pendle: If there's one thing I don t mind doing, it's agreeing with myself. From Scratcher: My feet followed my shadow in the red Mallee dust as I headed down towards the rail yards, and my footprints followed me. From Ranga Plays Australia:
It smelt different.
Once again, test out what you write, first with yourself, then with others - and please let me know what you think about this 'getting attention' topic.
If you care to follow up any of my stories, please click on www.lulu.com/ianburns, where you'll find previews and be able to download or purchase the stories in paperback.