Good Beginnings

I took a lot of notes at PNWA, so I figured I'd share some of what I learned/heard here.

Rule #1--Whatever you're doing with your character, it must work. (Kind of like the golden rule of writing.)

Aside from that, here are some tips they shared for Good Beginnings:
1) Establish the Tone
     Pacing
      Voice
        Point of view--do you know who you're going to be spending the next 400 pages  with?
         Conflict--What gets the character moving?
         
2) Introduce the Protagonist
      Who is she/he?
       What is your protagonist?
        Where is your protagonist?
         What do they want?
           What stands in their way?

Something I learned from these questions?
They help with your pitch and query. A lot.
Any questions?