on Lisa Poisso site:

Fellow Substacker, Austin Kleon, writes this week about the technique of assuring readers they’re “in good hands”—the moment during the opening pages of a novel that I think of in terms of snuggling deeper into the chair, groping for my cup of tea, and murmuring, “Oh yeah, baby, this is gonna be gooood.”

Many writers and editors talk about this good-hands moment in terms of writing voice. If the voice is compelling, they say, readers will relax into the story, secure in the knowledge that they’re in the hands of a skilled writer.

Another element of good-handsedness is what’s called the book’s “promise” to readers: that this book is about this character in this sort of situation and this genre. If you like this, the promise goes, you’ll love this book.

Voice and genre promises are integral, I agree, and I’d like to add another point I believe is even more critical: the sense of entering a story already in the process of unfolding. All the good writing and intriguing scenarios in the world won’t hold readers to a book if the story ship isn’t sailing for a new port. Even with the inciting event still ahead, readers should sense that they’re on the cusp of something big—and this author is already showing them the way.

So pour yourself a cuppa, and let’s talk about story journeys and making readers feel as though they’re in good authorial hands.