How you can begin a narrative: 10 methods to get your story off to an amazing begin
Perhaps you've heard the old publisher's adage: The first page sells the book; The last page sells the next book. I am convinced that there is a mammoth grain of truth in it. The beginning and ending of a story are important elements that you really want to pin down. Today we're going to focus on how to begin a story – in other words, how to create a spectacular beginning that will captivate readers and turn them into that first important page.
Whether you are reaching out to an agent, a publisher, or the reader directly, your opening lines form the basis of how they will judge the rest of your story. You have approximately a sixty-second window of influence before this initial judgment solidifies. It follows that this is a good place to invest your time and effort.
Granted, a convincing opening is not an easy task. Not only do you want to grab readers' attention, you want to anchor readers in an environment, set a voice, point out a topic, and introduce a protagonist that readers can leave behind. To do this, you need to answer certain questions for your reader while planting others.
The story is about questions
Cultivating questions for your reader is what makes them turn the pages, but you will lose them if you don't provide answers either. Writer plus reader is a relationship. If you want your reader to stand up for your story, there are a few key points to start with.
- Whose story is this? You are asking your reader to spend some serious time with your protagonist. They want to know who they are interested in.
- What kind of story is that? Readers go to a book looking for a specific type of reading experience and you need to let them know they are in the right place.
- When and where does the story happen? Attitude is extremely important to your reader's sales. I did a workshop with top editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch and one of the most frequent criticisms she gave authors was: “There is no attitude. You lost me while hiring. "
- What's the story behind the story? When readers think of stories, they think of plot. The writers know that the real story is internal – not what happens, but how those events affect the characters. While you don't necessarily expose your hero on the first page of your story, a reference to his inner struggle will get the reader on his side.
- Why should the reader care? The most glorious descriptions or the action packed drama won't captivate your reader if you don't give them a reason to care about your character. Answering the four questions above will help, but you need to give more.
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Do you want to address your readers from the start? Give them a reason to care about your character on your opening lines.
10 compelling ways to start a story
You need to grab the reader's attention and answer a few key questions, but what does that look like on the page? How do you structure your opening to achieve these goals?
Have you heard of modeling? Life coaches and success gurus talk about it a lot. It's about finding someone who is extremely effective at doing what you want to do and studying their methods in order to duplicate their success. When in doubt, go to the first pages of the bestselling books of your chosen genre and see how the masters did it.
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The opening lines of a story should identify a character in an environment with a problem.
In addition, there are so many options. Here are ten ways to start a story that you might consider:
1. Strong voice
Example: “Mae Mobley was born on an early Sunday morning in August 1960. A church baby that we like to call. I take care of white babies, that's what I do along with all of the cooking and cleaning. I have raised seventeen children in my life. I know how to get babies to sleep, stop crying, and go to the toilet before their moms even get out of bed in the morning. “The help, Kathryn Stockett
Example: “I smiled when I saw the dead girl. Just for a moment. Reflex, I suppose. "The Snow Angel, Doug Allyn
2. Relevant anecdote
Example: “When Ella Brady was six years old, she went to Quentins. It was the first time anyone called her madam. A woman in a black dress with a lace collar had led them to the table. She'd settled in Ella's parents and then stretched out a chair for the six-year-old. "You may want to sit here, madam, it will give you a complete picture of everything," she said. Ella was delighted. "Quentins, Maeve Binchy
Example: “I hope this video camera works. Anyway, this (click) is an explosion of a model's eye, the bluest I've ever seen. The only time I remember seeing that exact blue color was the day my sister Nicole drowned. It was everywhere: in the water, in the sky, Nicole's skin. Blue, I remember, and a cough. “Forgot the girl, Peter Moore Smith
3. Fascinating secret
Example: "Who am I? And how, I wonder, will this story end?" The notebook, Nicholas Sparks
Example: “People's lives – their real life as opposed to their simple physical existences – begin at different times. The real life of Thad Beaumont, a boy who was born and raised in the Ridgeway neighborhood of Bergenfield, New Jersey, began in 1960. Two things happened to him that year. The first shaped his life; the second almost finished it. “The dark half, Stephen King
4. Uncomfortable tension
Example: “The smell of freshly rotten meat hit Jakaya Makinda. He stopped his Land Rover, took his binoculars from the seat next to him, and pointed them at the source of the smell. "Death in the Serengeti, David H. Hendrickson
I used this as an example of Uneasy Suspense, but Hendrickson started it with a surprising first sentence and added Setting to it to overlay the effect.
Example: “Water gushed from the corroded faucet into the broken porcelain tub and gathered at the bottom with a few tangled strands of long, brown hair. The water was easily 120 degrees. So hot that Katelyn Berkley could hardly bear to dip her green-painted toenails in it. The boiling water instantly turned her pale skin into purple spots. “Envy, Gregg Olsen
5. Stir the subject
Example: “I became who I am today, at the age of twelve, on a cold, overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the exact moment when I crouched behind a crumbling wall of mud and in the alley nearby the frozen brook peered. That was a long time ago but what they say about the past is wrong, I learned how to bury it. Because the past claws out. “The kite runner Khaled Hosseini
I've used this excerpt as an example of a rousing subject, but it's full of other elements and could be put under attitude, tension, voice, character, off-center world tilt and a gripping first sentence.
Example: "Sometimes it's overwhelming: the burden of knowing that the man you admire the most is not real. Then the depression you have been battling all your life, the fear creeps in. The boundaries of your life creep in together, suffocate, suffocate. ”The adventure of the laughing fisherman Jeffery Deaver
This one also has a pretty great first sentence.
6. Dynamic adjustment
Example: “On a windless November day, a sudden shadow came out of a cloudless sky and shot over the bright aqua corvette. Tommy Phan was standing next to the car in pleasantly warm autumn sunshine and reached out to take the keys from Jim Shine, the salesman, when the fleeting shadow touched him. He heard a brief roar like wild wings. When he looked up he expected to see a seagull, but not a single bird was in sight. “Tick Tock, Dean Koontz
This is also a fine example of uncomfortable tension.
Example: "They were parked on Union, in front of their seat, their knees locked around the gearshift levers in conference, Janna and Justin had a little chat and the windows were just starting to dim." Shared space on Union, Steven Heighton
7. Whimsical or surprising opening movement
Example: "The world had teeth and it could bite you with them whenever it wanted." The girl Tom Gordon loved, Stephen King
Example: "As soon as he walked into the dark apartment, he knew he was dead." Garden of Beasts, Jeffery Deaver
Both of these examples also add excitement as they point out danger and the reader eager to find out more.
8. Convincing character
Example: “First the colors. Then the people. That's how I usually see things. Or at least how I try. “The book thief Markus Zusak
What kind of character is that, you wonder, forced to move on?
Example: “Everyone knows this child. He's dirty and stupid and sits in a corner, lonely but not alone. His face twitches involuntarily, and when he makes eye contact his lids and cheeks close his eyes. We call him Blinky. Blinky rolls along, however, and smiles big and toothy when children on the other side of the school yard call his name. “A bottle of scotch and a sharp buck knife, Scott Grand
I chose this for the character, but it also contains a large dose of voice.
9. Tilting world
Example: “The ravens were the first sign. As the horse-drawn cart drove down the grooved path between rolling barley fields, a herd of ravens in black linen rose up. They plunged into the blue of the morning and swept up in a panic, but this was more than the usual startled flight. The ravens rolled and fell, fell and fluttered. They crashed into each other across the street and rained from the sky. Small bodies hit the road and broke wings and beak. They twitched in ruts. Wings fluttered weakly. Most disturbing, however, was the silence. “The Doomsday Key, James Rollins
Are there any doubts that the world is spinning off its axis in this story?
Example: “That afternoon I met my new neighbor, a woman who others in the cul-de-sac referred to as 'Ramba.' I wasn't looking for trouble. In fact, all I was looking for was starting my first full month of retirement with a small military pension and once a year To dream of jumping to Florida or Hawaii until my expiration date was reached. "Many dogs have died here, James Mathews
Nothing explicit happens right away, but Mathews is preparing to hit. This poor fool's world is turning.
10. Include dialogue
Example: "You look like shit, Pen." Pendleton Rozier, my longtime mentor, opened the door wide, then coughed into the crook of his elbow. "If only I felt this good." Rule number one, Alan Orloff
Example: "Which is even stranger," said Gowan. "But that's not the best." At what point in time Kramer didn't want to hear any more. It had been a mistake to let Gowan get started. He went outside in the mild March evening to take a leak and get away from Gowan for a while before hitting the sack. "Seriously, I made them thin," Gowan said, opening and joining him on the edge of the porch. "Spring rite, Tom Berdine
You will notice voice and character here too.
Invest in a good start
It is a good investment, the time and effort, to create a great opening for your story. However, if this is your concern, you can stop yourself. When you're thinking of how to start a story, just take something down and move on.
Once you've reached the end of your story and have a better understanding of the theme, tone, and characters, you can go back and fine-tune or start over to craft your perfect beginning.
Nice bookends
That way, you may have the opportunity to give your story a beginning and an end that mirror each other and wrap your story in a nice themed package that is very satisfying to readers.
For example, my thriller Nocturne In Ashes begins with the protagonist, a concert pianist bombing her comeback performance. In the end, after surviving a series of harrowing experiences and battling her inner flaws, she gained the self-confidence she needed and pinned down the Beethoven who was her downfall.
I've brought up a few ideas to get you started, but there are many other types of openings to explore. If you're having trouble, go to the library and see how others have done it. You are sure to find something that fits your story. And have fun!
What about you? Having trouble starting a story? Which book openings impressed you? Tell us about it in the comments.
WORK OUT
Using one of the types of openings described above, start any story idea you have in mind, or choose one of the following prompts:
Stella is nervous about meeting her ex-husband for dinner.
Darren takes his son on a hunting trip, determined to teach him how to be a man.
Cheryl wants to try the girls' softball team, but the captain is her ex-best friend.
Write for fifteen minutes and post your work in the comments section when you're done. And when you post, be sure to leave feedback for your fellow readers!
Joslyn Chase
