Fonda Lee reads from the first page of Exo, her young adult sci-fi novel. She remarks that, when she starts a novel – particularly because she writes science fiction and fantasy – she thinks about presenting something familiar and presenting something strange; the idea being to make the reader feel comfortable while also giving them something to be curious about. She also says it’s important not to give the reader too much information on the first page, as you want to draw the reader in gradually. Download the First Page teacher guide for discussion questions on Lee's novel, key concepts to writing a compelling first page and more.

From the Curio.ca streaming audio-visual collection.