From: mdhangton@gmail.com   
      
   On Sunday, August 31, 2014 9:03:10 PM UTC-4, Kevin C wrote:   
      
   >    
   > First, I failed to establish setting or genre in the first sentences.    
      
   Do you believe that you need to introduce Christ in the first sentence for the   
   story to be immediately recognizable as Christian SF?   
   I think that it is better to show SF elements soon, because that is what SF   
   readers are there to see.  Still, sometimes I set out to write manuscripts   
   where that isn't always possible.   
      
   >Second, I failed to establish exactly who the protagonist and his men were.    
      
   Some editorial people say that they want to see the POV character's gender,   
   rough age, station and importance in society in the first paragraph.  If the   
   reader goes on very long and is still guessing about what's going on in the   
   story, then I think it    
   becomes problematic.   
      
   >Third, I introduced six or seven named characters in two paragraphs.    
      
   It sounds like that could be a lot to handle, but I haven't seen the ms.   
      
   I have read books with titles like   
      
   Hooked   
      
   Thanks, But This Isn't For Us   
      
   77 Reasons Why Your Manuscript Was Rejected   
      
   They are entirely oriented toward making it past the first reader, then the   
   editor.  The idea is that if you put everything into a manuscript that they   
   tell you to, your first sentence, then first paragraph, then first page will   
   be so psychologically    
   irresistible to the editorial and sales staff, that it fly through the   
   publication process.  You can read them, and maybe feel somewhat more in   
   control of how your writing is received by these people.  But you gotta   
   wonder, if these guys know the magic    
   formula for success, then why are they writing How To books.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)