The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Perfecting the Page One Experience
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Jan 8, 2026 Rhiannon Harvey, a writer with marine-biology flair (she even wears a shark T-shirt), brings her YA mystery Mara's Call. They dig into sharpening hooks, anchoring Perry’s motivation, tightening opening-page interiority, and finding the right market fit between YA, adult, and new adult. Expect lively title brainstorming and practical tweaks to make the first lines irresistible.
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Prioritize Strong Interiority
- Focus on interiority: show what your protagonist thinks and how they process events.
- Use interiority to create psychological acuity that makes plot stakes matter and adds depth.
Author's Maritime Background
- Rhiannon grew up aboard a 43-foot sailboat and majored in marine biology at Duke University.
- She now works as first mate and dive instructor and uses that background in her debut novel.
Make Motivation Visible
- If a protagonist's motivation is framed as mere intuition, readers may not share that drive.
- Anchor motivations in tangible experiences so investigation feels believable, not plot-convenient.
