How do you write a great introduction for your story? An opening that draws a reader in, establishes the voice of your main character, and whets your reader’s appetite for more?
Whether it’s an agent, publisher, or the person browsing Barnes and Noble, a reader will likely make the decision to keep reading based on your opening paragraph.
So, you want to make that introduction as enticing as possible.
Something the reader hooks into that refuses to let him or her go.
Ideally, it’s the opening sentence or paragraph in your book. Because that’s often all a reader will give you before they decide to invest their money and time.
In this episode, learn how to hook your reader in your opening paragraph. We’ll cover 4 types of story openings that capture the readers’ attention and have them wanting more.
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Episode at a glance:
[01:19] Learn about 3 different readers you want to entice with your story opening, and why the first paragraph is often where most decisions to keep reading – or not – are made.
[03:10] What are readers wired to respond to in your opening lines? Learn what seduces a reader and compels them to take your book home, and what we mean by the narrative hook.
[05:35] What’s the number one misstep many writers make with their opening? Conflating drama with an explosive big event that arrives too soon. Learn how to use the hook to simmer towards a big event, and hold the reader in rapt curiosity.
[07:24] A central defining event can hook your reader in your opening lines, and arouse their curiosity to learn how it happened and why. We’ll draw examples from memoir and fiction.
[13:22] Dialogue is a great way to start “in medias res” – in the middle of things. See how starting a story with a conversation in process can keep readers hanging on every word.
[16:18] Learn how to convey an honest human experience and make an instant connection with you reader.
[20:47] Readers crave surprise. It’s all about juxtaposition, the clash of ideas, and thwarting their expectations. That’s what gives the reader something new, original, and irresistible.
Also Listen To:
Episode 83: 4 Ways To Open Your Story
Links Mentioned In This Episode:
Shame by Annie Ernaux
16 Categories of Desire by Douglas Glover
Reasons To Live by Amy Hempel
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron
Feed by M.T. Anderson
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I loved this episode on how to hook readers from the opening paragraphs. Yóur efforts to provide examples of craft keep me returning to your podcast. Thank you.