It’s no surprise that my favorite openings often start with a sense of the character, point of view, setting, and conflict. A tall order to get that much information into the first sentence, but as Jeff Vandermeer says, “A good piece of fiction teaches the reader how to read the narrative from the first paragraph.” I want my reader to engage with the main character as soon as possible. I try to make them the voice and eyes of the camera of the story. Vandermeer also says that “the reader stares through a telescope focused close in on some particular object, person, setting, or another element.” I typically want this focus on my main character, what action they are taking to open the story, or how they are directly seeing the world of this story.
Withholding the Backstory and Context
Withholding the Backstory and Context
Withholding the Backstory and Context
It’s no surprise that my favorite openings often start with a sense of the character, point of view, setting, and conflict. A tall order to get that much information into the first sentence, but as Jeff Vandermeer says, “A good piece of fiction teaches the reader how to read the narrative from the first paragraph.” I want my reader to engage with the main character as soon as possible. I try to make them the voice and eyes of the camera of the story. Vandermeer also says that “the reader stares through a telescope focused close in on some particular object, person, setting, or another element.” I typically want this focus on my main character, what action they are taking to open the story, or how they are directly seeing the world of this story.