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Chapter 007 A Good Opening

last update publish date: 2020-08-08 00:27:56

Now that you’ve got a theme, some characters, and a framework, you can start to build the opening of your story.

This is an age of E-books. Readers don’t pick their books like how they used to in a book shop where they could go through whichever part they like before they make a decision. In this age, the decision is made after only the opening. It’s just a click away if the reader doesn’t like what they are reading. So an intriguing opening is your only change to get the reader to start on your book.

It’s understandable that a writer who loves movies would go with an opening of a depiction of a setting. Like a smoky office, or a bloody dead body surrounded by alarming siren… DON’T DO IT! And NEVER open your book with a date like “2049, AI started a war on the human” or like “The sky is deep dark…”, because readers would expect a drowsy description of a boring and useless background following this. Open your story with an action, or a catalogue filled with conflicts. Present the readers the most exciting moment, the fiercest fight, the moment of the outlaw jumping off a bridge, or the ONE crucial shot.

For instance, this is the opening of Cold Showers:

“Jayda Wright tried to hold back tears as the board announced her partner of the most reputable law firm in the United States; Saunders and Co.”

Now this, is an okay opening: the protagonist comes out in the first act, and instead of a depiction, the story sets off on an action. The heroine is made the new partner of the law firm, and the readers can FEEL, the excitement.

It may take you many versions before you can land on a good opening. Don’t rush into it. Make sure your opening is the best you can do when you submit a story for publication.

The curiosity of a reader pushes them to keep on reading more than any outside promotion on a story.

If you want to stand out among thousands and thousands of books.

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