On March 30, 2024, Kasie and Rex revisited the beginning of the story. Here are the show notes:

Theme for the day

Get the Opening Right

Agenda

• Quick Catch Up
• The First Line
• The First Page
• The First Chapter
• How many times should you rewrite them?

Segment 1/2

It’s been a couple of years since we dealt with first lines and opening pages and in our revision efforts, we only just touched on where the story should begin and how many times we’ve rewritten Page 1.

So today we’ll look at what makes a strong opening page, how to work through the opening scene in revision, and whether you need to revisit that opening scene in subsequent pages or at the end (kiss the beginning as they say).

We’ve done this topic before, as mentioned, in Episode 94 way back in 2020 and again in Episode 171 but that was in January 2022. So we’ve learned a lot since then. Right?

This time, we’re going deeper in the rabbit hole. I’ve taken the links from our blog and clicked through their links. It’s very meta.

Let’s start with this “How to Start a Story: 10 Tips from Literary Editors” (we should have run these by Heather last week):

1. Start with something unexpected (they gave the 1984 example – clocks striking thirteen)
2. Start with a compelling image (leverage the 5 senses – what does it smell like here?)
3. Start in media res (we did a whole show on this) – get right to the action, just make sure your reader isn’t untethered from the character so much so they don’t care what’s happening no matter how exciting it is
4. Start with something short. An observation that makes us curious enough to read further.
5. Start with a question. But not a question, really, except that it makes the reader question or maybe the main character is questioning something.
6. Start with curiosity. Give enough to make the reader curious but don’t make it so cryptic they’re frustrated by it.
7. Start with building the world and the setting. If that setting is dynamic – a storm coming in, the coast after the storm has receded, the busy terminal of a train depot, etc. Or could a peaceful stroll through a quiet town interest a reader enough to keep reading?
8. Start with something new. So this is that insipid “be creative!” advice that we loathe, but the example of it: I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. Is actually more explanatory. It means to use your writing to say something that hasn’t often been said or to pose an unpopular opinion.
9. Start with tension that has room to grow. So, rather than the literal explosion, something intense that leaves room for the scene to grow or be revisited.
10. Start with something that will intoxicate your reader (I know, I know, ‘how?’). Remember your POV, put yourself in that position, share his/her experience in a way that draws the reader in.

Segments 3/4

So what are the “must haves” for the opening? This quote from Writers Digest suggests: “The 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.” (link)

So let’s break that down:

• How do you create a distinctive voice?
• What is the book’s point of view and how can you express it right away? (with pronouns?)
• The rudimentary plot – is that ‘something’s happening’ as opposed to the character just thinking?
• A hint of characterization – is this in action? Vocabulary? perspective?

Same link, here’s a list (cuz bloggers love lists):

• Build momentum
• Resist the urge to start the story too early
• Small hooks catch more fish than big ones (so don’t raise the stakes too high in the early going)
• Open at a distance and close in (do you agree with that?)
• Avoid getting ahead of your reader
• Start with a minor mystery
• Keep talk to a minimum
• Be mindful of what works (how others have done it well)
• When in doubt, test several options
• Revisit the beginning once you reach the end.