10-second review: What is the most effective way to begin stories? “The most common mistake we writers make, especially in first drafts, is to back into the tale and wait too many pages to start the real story. Start with a bang, not a whimper. That play on TS Eliot’s famous line from ‘The Hollow Men’ offers fiction writers good advice for two major reasons. A bang-up opening to the narrative not only hooks the reader but also helps focus the writer’s tone and intent on what follows. Noted writers have long affirmed just how crucial the opening is…. But the best way to master a good opening is to see how classic authors…have done it best.”
Source: S Dimeo. The Writer (April 2005), 31. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers.
Comment: How about a creative writing unit on opening paragraphs in classical and contemporary novels? RayS.
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