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Book openings are hard.By this I don't mean breaking in a thick paperback or turning on the Kindle app.
Opening with the hero dangling from a window ledge makes for a great mental image, but what then? Once he saves himself, it's hard to top that action. So you want to open with action, but not too much action.
Definitely do not open with," It was a dark and stormy night." Setting should color the action.
Is it best to open in the protagonist's POV? You need to introduce the protagonist, reveal his initial need / goal. Hint, if not show, who or what opposes her? Whom can s/he count on for help?
The reader needs to be (get) hooked.
I cut chapters from my WIP's opening. Then paragraphs. I'm still trimming words. Striving for that just-right opening that entices a reader to keep turning the pages. To read the opening and say, "I want to buy this book."
What do you think makes a perfect story opening?
I agree that the opening should hook the reader, but I don't think the first line is the only hook. Rather the first couple of pages should pitch the reader right into the 'action', and then, once hooked, you reel them in and/or keep them dangling, with more hooks, cliff-hangers etc!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Paula.
DeleteI agree that you need to start with a hook. I always try to start in the middle of a scene. The first few pages are definitely not the place for a ton of back story.
ReplyDeleteThe first line of my first book was actually the last line of the chapter when I first wrote it. During my first critique session, I had lots of comments about my story not starting in the right spot.
I got it right eventually! :)
That's made me wonder if I ought to do that with my current wip, Debra! I think I might just use the last line of the chapter as my first sentence :-) Thanks for putting that idea into my head!
DeleteI'm really bad with openings. I've started leaving them for the end.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, jen!
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who trims whole chapters!
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, I'm 'collecting' scenes from the previous drafts of my current wip, and trying to weave them all together, so I'm not just trimming chapters but completely rewriting them!
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