5 ways
Published on Sep 06, 2019
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‘If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.’
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‘Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.’
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo
Introducing readers to a memorable
narrator-protagonist
Photo by Антон Воробьев
This is a popular way to start a story about a character grappling with internal conflict. These novels typically use first person narration.
Photo by Антон Воробьев
This opening is effective because we get a strong sense of the character’s personality in his terse use of curse words, slang and adjectives (‘crap’, ‘lousy’). Being addressed directly by the narrator creates a sense of closeness and familiarity.
Photo by Zach Guinta
Give your character a distinctive voice:
The grandiose language of Humbert Humbert fits the character, as do Salinger’s teen’s own cynical words.
Photo by Zach Guinta
Show what matters to your character/narrator from the start:
Holden values authenticity (‘if you want to know the truth’).
We get a sense of Humbert’s creepy obsession with Lolita through his rapture at even saying her name.
Photo by Zach Guinta
‘It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears’ house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they’re chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead. There was a garden fork sticking out of the dog.’
Photo by Shunsuke Ono
Beginning a novel with crucial memories
Photo by Roman Kraft
Often novels open with narrators recalling memories that are core to the plot. This is especially common in novels where a single, unforgettable event casts its shadow over the rest of the book (e.g. the murder in a murder mystery).
Photo by Cecile Hournau
Framing an event in your story through a character’s memory gives it weight. When you begin your novel with your main character remembering an earlier scene, it’s thus important to choose the right scene.
Choose a scene that shows a dilemma or choice, or an emotional experience that is bound to have consequences for your character.
Photo by Cecile Hournau
‘It was a pleasure to burn.
‘It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venemous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.’
Photo by JefferyTurner
Starting a book with ambiguous action
Photo by Jakob Owens
A little bit of mystery or confusion at the start of your story can help to reel readers in.
At the same time, make sure your opening isn’t so mystifying that the reader bails
Photo by Kamila Gornia
This method prolongs a mixture of suspense and confusion
Photo by Kamila Gornia
Give the reader answers to at least one (or some) of the ‘5 w’s’. We might not immediately know who is doing the burning (or what they’re burning), but Bradbury gives us a strong why: Pleasure. The relish with which Montag burns the books is clear
By the end of the first paragraph, give the reader a little more clarity.
Photo by Kamila Gornia
Leading into your story with a purposeful prologue
Photo by Chrystian Guy
‘Prologue’ literally means the ‘before word’. This separate introductory or prefatory section in a novel has several uses:
Giving broad historical context that paves the way for the main story
Showing a scene or event preceding the main narrative, whose consequences ripple through the following story
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the rest of the story will be about the swirl of events that spin out from this event.
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Opening with the unexpected
Photo by infomatique
Look for some great first lines
copy them down and describe why they are effective
Photo by Annie Spratt
Cassandra’s choice of sitting place is unusual, intriguing us to read the next sentence. Whichever way you choose to begin your novel, getting the reader to read the second sentence is the first, crucial feat.
Photo by infomatique
Choose one of the brainstorms and unlock the story inside using one technique.
Photo by Martin Adams
