Lee Child says"CrimeBits shows how the current generation of intending writers approach the problem of getting the reader to the end of the first chapter. These samples were submitted for a competition, and I picked a winner and four runners-up. Now it's your turn. It's up to you to decide which work, and which don't. You might disagree with me. That's OK - you're a reader too, just as much as I am. Which of these would make you want to devote the next hour to reading on? And if you can figure out the exact reasons why, be sure to write in and let me know, because even after nearly thirty years of doing it, I'm not sure I've figured out the precise alchemy yet. Or better still, write your own novel. If the first fifty words genuinely pull me in, I’ll read on for sure."

Luca Veste says"You open the first page. The first line, the second. A paragraph, a page. How long do you give it before you stop? A few pages, ten, twenty? Do you persevere, hoping your taste will change, that you’ll eventually end up liking this book? Or, do you give up quickly? Every reader is different.

One thing I’ve begun to really take notice of when writing novels is how novels open. I know what I’m competing against, because I’m a reader too. I’m distracted by all the same things my readers are, so over the years, I’ve concentrated much more on the openings of my stories."