Still trying to make a grand entrance

This last week or so I’ve been struggling with getting a manuscript sorted out. Working out what to put in that important bit between the title page and the end of chapter one. A story, like riding a bicycle, is fine once it gets going; it’s the getting started that’s a bit wobbly.

My own efforts are taking on a less confused shape, but getting as far as this hazy, almost there stage has made me think quite hard about the advice that is given to inexperienced writers.

You must never start a story with:

The weather

A dream

Dialogue

No dialogue

Moving house, school, job

Complaining about something.

You must start a story by showing one of the following:

The concept behind the story

The conflict

The character of the mc.

Of course, you have to bear both sets of directives in mind and reconcile the dos and the don’ts. So, for example, in theory you can’t show the character of the mc if he/she is defined by being a persistent complainer, the conflict if it involves moving house, or the concept if it happens in a dreamworld.

Tricky.

How do you judge a story’s opening? Do you need action from the first sentence? Do you wilt if there’s no dialogue before page three? Do you sigh if you get dreams, alarm clocks, removal vans, or teenage angst in the first paragraph? Does a smart/clever/wacky opening line make you wince? How do you feel about the weather?

I honestly can’t say that I have a phobia about any trope. Maybe that’s why it’s taking me so long to get my own opening pages right.