A Beginning Is Not an End

As many of us know, the beginning of anything is often the hardest to write. Luckily, we have Wrimo

Mackenzie Bitz with us to today to share with us her top tips on how to write attention grabbing opening paragraph:

The end.

Not the sort of thing you’d expect to read in an opening, is it? But writing an opening can sometimes feel like a grim ending. Writers toil and suffer over openings because we’re told it’s necessary to catch a reader’s attention from the start. I’ve read from numerous agents that they’ll read the first line or page of a novel and quickly reject based off of how uninteresting or unoriginal it is.

Some of you may wonder, “How can this be? I’ve read plenty of openings that weren’t good. “Why can’t I be the exception?” Because you don’t want people to be bored from the very beginning. You’re better than that, and you should always hold your writing to a higher standard. After all, the beginning is a preview for what is to come—a taste of what the reader should want to experience. When you watch a movie trailer, the ones who made that trailer hope people will say, “Oh, that looks like a good movie.” Otherwise, no one will go to watch it. Your opening should resonate with intrigue, and there are many ways you can accomplish this.

Unless you have an amazing, surprising, or interesting opening already in mind, do what I do: Write the entire chapter or piece and then go back and tinker with the opening. You probably won’t get it right in the first or second draft, but you’ll get closer to where it needs to be. Really pinpoint where you want to start the story. Is it the most interesting part of a characters’ beginning? Is it a slow introduction? If it is a slow introduction, how can you make it enticing or interesting? When considering what the best openings are in a novel, it’s usually the one that makes you question things without sounding too confusing.

If you begin the novel within a fast-paced event for the sake of shock value, it could end up jarring readers instead. You want the readers to question things without getting frustrated. That could stem from a single, profound statement, or it could stem from one word. Whatever it is, make sure it’s relevant to what’s happening with the characters, and don’t make it too overwhelming or confusing. 

For example: “Jenna was Diane’s favorite grandchild. It was too bad she killed her.” 

With that sort of opening, possibly for a mystery or thriller novel, the readers question many things. Why was she killed? Was it an accident or purposeful? From there, readers will be motivated to keep reading. 

A lot of writers stress over making their opening a spectacle, but it doesn’t need to be amazing. It just needs to be interesting, and usually how readers respond is what makes it amazing.

To summarize: 

Start with an interesting paragraph, situation, or line.If you’re struggling to come up with something interesting, write the rest of the chapter and then come back to it. Try to write an opening that asks questions without being too overwhelming or confusing. Like with everything, all it takes is preparation and practice. 

With that said, the end.

Mackenzie Bitz is a writer with too many stories to tell and an avid reader with too many tears to contain. She has written many unpublished books and works every day to hone her craft and expand her literary knowledge. Currently, she attends the low-residency Creative Writing MFA program at Mississippi University for Women. In the future, she hopes to write and teach full-time.

Top photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash.