Hello folks, hope you had a great weekend. We were unavoidably MIA last week and had to sort things out but then...here we are!😎😁
Over the past few Mondays, we've gone through the elementals of writing; Story Structure and how it can be incorporated into the Three-Act Structure. And also the need of Knowing Your Character and how they are developed through every Arc in your story. Not doing away with how Scenes and Dialogues work.
[If you missed any of these, you could always check them out in our previous sessions]
Today, we'd love to help you through The Opening Scene of your book. Just like boys have learnt from ladies, first impression matters. Apparently, this applies also in the writing career.
To craft a compelling tale, you must first launch it in the right direction...and here's help in doing that;
1. Build momentum.
The first cardinal rule of opening lines is that they should possess most of the individual craft elements that make up the story as a whole. An opening line should have a distinctive voice, a point of view, a rudimentary plot and some hint of characterization. By the end of the first paragraph, we should also know the setting and conflict, unless there is a particular reason to withhold this information.
This need not lead to elaborate or complex openings. Simplicity will suffice.
For example, the opening scene of M.B Dalto's (druidrose)"Two Thousand Years" introduces the reader to a complete setting and paints a picture of what the main character is like. We have a basic plot: an introverted lady selected as Queen to an Empire from an alternate world. And we have a sense of characterisation: a strong yet naive young woman.
By the end of that opening scene, we face a series of potential questions: Who's this strange blue-eyed man who knows so much about the main character ? What's all the talk about Empress? What key was bring referred to?
A successful opening line raises multiple questions, but not an infinite number. In other words, it carries momentum.
2. Resist the urge to start too early.
You might be tempted to begin your narrative before the action actually starts, such as when a character wakes up to what will eventually be a challenging or dramatic day(which apparently, agents hate to see) But unless you're rewriting Sleeping Beauty , waking up is rarely challenging or dramatic. Often, when we start this way, it's because we're struggling to write our way into the narrative, rather than letting the story develop momentum of its own.
Far better to begin at the first moment of large-scale conflict. If the protagonist's early-morning rituals are essential to the story line, or merely entertaining, they can always be included in backstory or flashbacks-or later, when he wakes up for a second time.
3. Avoid getting ahead of your reader.
One of the easiest pitfalls in starting a story is to begin with an opening line that is confusing upon first reading, but that makes perfect sense once the reader learns additional information later in the story.
The problem is that few readers, if confused, will ever make it that far. This is not to say that you can't include information in your opening that acquires additional meaning once the reader learns more. That technique is often a highly rewarding tool. But the opening should make sense on both levels-with and without knowledge the reader will acquire later.
4. Start with a minor mystery.
While you don't want to confuse your readers, presenting them with a puzzle can be highly effective-particularly if the narrator is also puzzled. This has the instant effect of making the reader and narrator partners in crime. An unanswered question can even encompass an entire novel. Take a look at ADStarrling's opening sentences.
"My name is Lucas Soul.
Today, I died again.
This is my fifteenth death in the last four hundred and fifty years."
5. Keep talk to a minimum.
If you feel compelled to begin a story with dialogue, keep in mind that you're thrusting your readers directly into a maelstrom in which it's easy to lose them. One possible way around this is to begin with a single line of dialogue and then to draw back and to offer additional context before proceeding with the rest of the conversation-a rare instance in which starting close up and then providing a panorama sometimes works. But long sequences of dialogue at the outset of a story usually prove difficult to follow.
6. When in doubt, test several options.
Writers are often advised to make a short list of titles and try them out on friends and family. Try doing the same with opening sentences. An opening line, like a title, sometimes seems truly perfect-until you come up with several even better choices.
It does no harm if you revisit the beginning of your story once you reach the end. You'll be amazed how much you could tweak here and there.
~*~
That's it for today folks, we sure do hope that it proves useful to you, our dear readers.
Read any good stories lately with an amazing opening scene? Well let's hear it in the comments below .
#MakeAWriterHappy ☺
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