The First Two Pages: “A Currency of Wishes” by Kate Fellowes

In 2015, B.K. Stevens debuted the blog series “The First Two Pages,” hosting craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work. The series continued until just after her death in August 2017, and the full archive of those essays can be found at Bonnie’s website. In November 2017, the blog series relocated to my website, and the archive of this second stage of the series can be found here.

The last two weeks, The First Two Pages has hosted contributors to the new anthology Moonlight & Misadventure, including M.H. Callway on “The Moon of Broadmoor” and Robert Weibezahl on “Just Like Peg Entwhistle.” This week wraps up the series with Kate Fellowes below on “A Currency of Wishes”—and on the importance of titles in addition to the strategies of opening scenes. (And I really love her approach to generating titles—I’m the worst at that, so looking forward to a new approach myself!) Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk, Moonlight & Misadventure also features short fiction by K.L. Abrahamson, Sharon Hart Addy, C.W. Blackwell, Clark Boyd, Michael A. Clark, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Jeanne DuBois, Elizabeth Elwood, Tracy Falenwolfe, John M. Floyd, Billy Houston, Bethany Maines, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Joseph S. Walker, and Susan Jane Wright.

Kate Fellowes is the author of six mysteries, most recently A Menacing Brew. Her short stories and essays have appeared in several anthologies, as well as Victoria, Woman’s World, Brides, Romantic Homes, and other periodicals. She’s also a founding member of the Wisconsin Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Catch up with her at her blog: http://katefellowes.wordpress.com.

Please use the arrows and controls at the bottom of the embedded PDF to navigate through the essay. You can also download the essay to read off-line.