Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage
A couple of people have raised the point that the sample may deliberately not be representative of the entire book. Does that really happen? Does anyone have any examples where they think the sample has been significantly better edited and vetted than the book as a whole?
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Oh, yeah. But not necessarily intentionally. It's very common in the slush pile. First of all, it's built into the writing process. All the time you're writing the book you're probably polishing that first chapter. Plus you've likely shown it to more people and got more feedback. AND when the time comes to polish your "partial" (which is 1-3 chapters and a synopsis) you probably got more advice on making it more appealing.
Furthermore, it's easy to write a really good first chapter, when you don't worry about the follow up.
Now, it's also common for a young and inexperienced writer to write a first chapter that just wanders all over the place as they get to know the characters and situation. Even good writers do that, but they cut the first chapter before they show anybody.
As for being able to know if they can handle plot and character arcs before reading the whole book - sure I can tell by the end of the first act if they know what they're doing. It's no guarantee that they have a great ending, but if you don't see any development in the first act, they can't plot, and they can't do character. The other place most beginners lose it is just after the first act. It's a natural stalling place, since things tend to slow down after a major shift in direction.
Camille