Five Ways to Write an Opening that Shines

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

Just how good is the opening of your story? It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, it HAS to be amazing. 

Think about it this way: If you, as a reader, aren’t immediately drawn into a book, how long does it take you to put it down? I usually give the writer a pass if the first line isn’t stellar, but if the next one after that, and the next one after that, doesn’t hook me, I often won’t read any further. 

So, here are five ways to make that opening—and the rest of the book!—shine:

1. In medias res

This is Latin for “in the middle of things.” In so many words, you may not need to start at the beginning and go through every detail. Star Wars (the very first movie) starts with a dogfight in space. Shakespeare in Love shows us poor Will struggling with writer’s block. They are perfect examples, allowing the reader to figure out some of the previous details without them being spelled out. Starting in the middle isn’t set in concrete but, especially in a book with lots of action, it can be the perfect opening. Here’s another one, from one of my stories: “He stepped back into a deep shadow and turned up his collar to hide his face.” We don’t know why for a long time because his pain is also the conflict. But it sets the reader in the middle of the action, right where we want them.

2. Set the tone

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” –Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. This is, of course, one of the most famous first lines in history, because it lets us know that we’re going to hear about an unhappy family and what they go through. Another one is While You Were Sleeping, a great movie with Sandra Bullock. Her character, Lucy, tells us about her sad “unimportant” life, where she wants a family. The tone is beautifully set, showing that we can expect a sweet story with a happy ending, although we’ll have to wait until the end to find it.

3. Introduce conflict

Galaxy Quest (yes, I love sci-fi!) starts with the crew of the TV series waiting to be introduced at a ComicCon-type convention. There is immediate and loud conflict between the characters—Tim Allen’s character is a pompous hypocrite, Alan Rickman bemoans his fate as a “hack”, Signorney Weaver’s character obviously has an unpleasant past with Tim Allen, etc., etc., etc. The conflict is set up and continues throughout the entire story.

In Pride and Predudice, we’re told that “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” We know instantly that this book is going to be about the conflict a young woman experiences as she tries to meet the societal mores of her time period.

4. Establish voice

This is one of the most important. You, as the writer, have your own voice, but your POV character, whoever that is at the very beginning, has a voice also. Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye is a cynical and angry young man. We know that immediately by his words. Using one of my stories again: “I woke as I usually did from the dream: my face and pillow soaked with my tears, my fingers bleeding from the bite of my teeth to force my silence, to dampen my cries of despair.” Very dramatic, huh? 😊 But my fantasy heroine, Zara of the Birds, is a dramatic teenager with a boatload of problems. 

5. Create a question

In Moby Dick, we’re told to “Call me Ishmael.” Why? Who is he? Why do we need to know his name? The name itself is associated with stories in the Old Testament. Will that be part of the book? What questions can you raise with your first sentence?

A few things NOT to do. 

1. Don’t put a lot of description and/or backstory in the first couple of paragraphs. Both of these slow the action down and can put a reader off. If you must use backstory, consider a prologue or something very, very short that is directly attached to a character. 

2. Don’t shock the reader. Well, maybe once in a while you can start a paragraph with something like this: “We shot dogs. Not by accident. We did it on purpose.” –Phil Klay, Redeploment. But that technique is like putting salt into a stew. You can overdo it.

3. Don’t worry too much about that first page until you know what the book is about. You might have to completely finish it before you really know the information you want. You can always come back and do it later.

Bottom Line

Think about your story, your reasons for writing it, who your audience will be, and what you really want to say. Your first pages will reflect that, so it helps immensely for you to be completely sure.

What’s your favorite first line? 

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Five Ways to Write an Opening that Shines from @SarahSallyHamer on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Sarah (Sally) Hamer, B.S., MLA, is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories, whether through fiction or through memoir. Writing in many genres—mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, medieval history, non-fiction—she has won awards at both local and national levels, including two Golden Heart finals.

A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for over twenty years, she also teaches online for Margie Lawson at www.margielawson.com. Sally is a free-lance editor and book coach at Touch Not the Cat Books, with many of her students and clients becoming successful, award-winning authors. You can find her at hamerse@bellsouth.net or www.sallyhamer.blogspot.com