One piece of advice that literary fiction agents often give is that “page one” needs to present the hero with a problem.
The Hero’s Journey versus Agents’ Advice

One piece of advice that literary fiction agents often give is that “page one” needs to present the hero with a problem.
I loved the stories. And I refuse to be ashamed.
“Quack, duck!” is shorter than, “Warburton, get your head down!”
He looked the clerical type … easy life, we call them. No wonder he’d gotten so out of breath so quickly.
Newly released anthology of fantastic fiction.
… use them sparingly, as flavor enhancers ...