Your Opening Scene

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hang in there, Friday is just around the corner. Today, I'm talking about your opening scene. There are certain obligations you, the writer, have in those first few pages, and I'll go over the most imperative four. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

When you're browsing a bookstore, do you just read the blurb on the back of the book, or do you open the cover and read a couple of paragraphs to see if you might like what's inside?

I'm betting you do a little of both. Well, the people who plan to read your novel will likely do the same thing. Why not hook them with a little bit of oomph? There are a couple of things people don't even know they're looking for, but if those things are missing, their reader brains will shut off and your book will be stuck back on the shelf or dropped back on the table.

Some of these, I bet you even do on accident. Besides the tips on using powerful words, from a post I wrote on the first one hundred, you have to set certain things up. If you missed the post before this one, I recommend checking it out, too.

1. You have to hook the reader into the story. This goes back to that post on the first one hundred words. These words should be powerful and resonate deeply in the soul. Perhaps even introduce the central conflict or present a question that will be answered later. Either way, you want them to keep reading.
2. Consistency is the ruler of all else. Your beginning should set the tone and establish rules you'll adhere to later on in the story. Don't have the reader walk into a suspense thriller only to throw them into fairy land a page later (unless it's a fantasy thriller with killer sprites that slash people to death with razor wings). You get the point here. Also, don't use a hook that has nothing to do with the rest of the novel. Readers will feel, rightly so, they've been hoodwinked.
3. Give the central conflict. Your reader wants to know why they should keep reading. If Jane is going to plod through the book with no direction or goal, it probably won't be something many (any?) people would enjoy spending time on. There's room for some action. If you're using a prologue, this is where you can show the blood, guts, and gore (if that's what your book is all about) just before the bad guy escapes and leaves a path of death in his wake. Yes!
4. Hint at the ending. Have you ever been stuck at the end of a story that's flown from your fingers up until that point? It might be time to start reading your manuscript from the beginning. If you've crafted it well, you'll have an idea of where it's going by examining where it began. Readers like that, too! When they have a vague idea of what might happen, they're intrigued enough to buy the book to find out. Think "central conflict" as mentioned above.

Don't backstory dump on your reader! Please. Readers aren't stupid. In fact, many of them are highly educated and well read. They know how to infer things from the text. You don't have to spoonfeed them every single detail. Especially in the first chapter. Trust that your audience is intelligent, and your writing will take on a whole new level of awesome.

Did you know any of these? What's your favorite hundred opening words of all time?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Your First 100 Words

Good Tuesday to you all! Today, we're gonna talk about the first 100 words of your novel, why they matter, and what you can do to help them out. No jabbering today on my part; grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

I know you've heard it a million (billion?) times: Your first 100 words are everything.

No, they aren't, but they're a crucial part of the whole.

Think about it. When a reader picks up your book on the shelf, the first thing they read is the back, right? Before they pick up a sample digitally, your synopsis is what they read. Once they're past that hurdle, they'll flip the book over, open the front flap, and read a couple of paragraphs. Or, in the case of a digital book, they'll download the sample, open it, and read the first couple of paragraphs.

If they enjoy it, they'll buy. Look at caviar. People like it, they pay a LOT for it.

So, your first 100 words are important, yes, because they're what will get you the sale.

I guess you could say they're one third of your most important elements. Yeah, the other two are your synopsis and last 1k words (I'll go into the last 1k sometime soon).

So how do you beef up those first few paragraphs to make them something readers are dying to get more of?

Move the reader. Give them a wow moment.

Engage the five senses, and use powerful words.

Let's try a little exercise. In this, I'll try to set the tone, hint at the genre, give a great example of my writing style, set the POV, and give a bit of a setting.

My eyes opened to find total darkness.
All my limbs began to tingle, and my breath came in ragged gasps. There was no light for my pupils to adjust to.
Not one tiny speck of illumination.
Those nightmares I had when I was younger were in my face; all too suddenly a grim reality.
I tried to sit up, to get away from the oppressive inkiness, but my head hit something that felt like wood.
Automatically, my hand moved to touch the spot, and I scraped my knuckles across the timber, making them itch with a thousand splinters.

~98 words~

Okay, now we'll have to edit this to read a little more powerfully. Ready?

My eyelids lifted, and darkness assaulted me. Oppressive, thick, suffocating. Even after a moment of lying still, not one speck of illumination could be harvested to penetrate my pupils and assist my sight.
Nightmares I'd had slammed into me full force, and I tried to rise. Something wooden smacked my head, forcing me to remain supine. My hand moved to comfort my battered forehead, only to end up itching with a thousand splinters as my knuckles scraped the timber.
I shook, wondering what I'd done to deserve my mother's punishment again, aware of the tears that were ruining my mascara.

~100 words~

Notice I got more description and feeling into the second pass. If I went over it again, it would probably remain pretty close to what I have here.

Things you know or can safely assume:

• This is a young person in a dark place (some kind of box?), with at least a piece of wood that's so close she can't sit up.
• She's lying on her back.
• This isn't the first time she's been there.
• She's afraid of creatures from nightmares or total darkness.
• First person, past tense.
• There is zero light to be had, which conveys the person is buried somehow, and it leaves the reader wondering.
• This is a punishment for misbehavior - But what?
• She's old enough to wear makeup.
• She's crying
• Probably a contemporary thriller or horror story.

From the first attempt to the second, I condensed passages, used better (stronger) words, and gave you more lead-in.

Read them again and see if you can pick up on the things I changed while conveying the same tale.

Flow wasn't sacrificed, and the sentences are more varied in the second part.

Would you want to read more?

That's the idea. You must convey to the reader many things, but it has to sound natural and leave them wanting to turn the page for more.

So, your first 100 words aren't everything, but they're crucial.

Try this exercise on your own, then go here and copy/paste your text to see if your word count hits the mark.

Post your results below! I'd love to see what you come up with.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo