If you have an opinion or preference, I'd love to hear it.

What's your answer to the following:

Does a chapter heading count as the "first words on the page" ?

Does a section heading?

Alvo

I'd ask them to look at the first paragraph and skip chapter and section heading issues.

-David

I ask them to look at the first sentence. Or first word of the first sentence etc. Or to read the first sentence.

Yes!

I use the 'Brook Test' as this eliminates this horrible first word thing as an opening gambit. I think that it seems too controlling as an opening statement. It is a bold but simple way to have the spec select any word on the page, and the elegant out if it doesn't hit is that you go back to the first word on the page. But this time you have a reason for the using the first word on the page as they failed to send their initial choice due to the word being surrounded by other words etc.

Or, ask them to read the first line of text. The word "text" tends to eliminate the chapter headings, etc.

Is this question somehow related to your "booktest buddy" ?

Alvo,

I started writing an answer until I realized I was in "Penny" and not Inner Thoughts. I sent you a PM.

Bobby

P_n_g: Yes it is related. I'm trying to get a sense for what people's preferences are.

Alvo

Having come a cropper when I was not able to pick up the spectator's thoughts - sillly me - it suddenly dawned on me they may be thinking of a title or chapter heading. After this I always make sure I specify text, words on the first line etc.

If there's the possibility that something can go wrong it will, given enough shows, go wrong.

So even if there's a nano sliver of a chance of a specky picking a heading or chapter title or a written page number rather than something from the body of text....somewhere, at sometime, you can be sure someone will.

You can of course find easy linguistic ways around these problems but that doesn't get away from the certainy that it would be better if the possibility of the nano sliver of opportunity wasn't there in the first place..

Neal

I had it happen to me a few times. You would think most would not pick Chapter as the first word but they are out there.

Candin

I was recently performing Marc Paul's AAA (love the thing - it's saved my arse so many times), and the gentleman I had invited up on stage was a notorious problem. I'd experienced him a couple of times before, and I knew that he'd be a bit of trouble.

The word I was going to reveal was 'PERFECT', and before we got into the final revelation stage, as he was still memorising the word, I picked up that "it's possibly the kind of word you'd use to describe me."

This obvious nudge moved him from the chapter title to the word I'd much rather he had read - and the reveal went perfectly.