And so it begins. The day is upon us and another NaNoWriMo is here. Feeling feisty and ready to take on the world, I sat my ass in chair, coffee in hand, and started writing. Starting is always the hardest. Finding that perfect first sentence is like finding a unicorn. I’ve been known to look blankly at my laptop for hours trying to find that just-right, magical first sentence that will let loose my writing muse and let the perfect words just flow out of my typing fingers. Thus, this has never happened. That magical first sentence has always alluded me. Today, I just started typing.
One of my favorite writing blogs, Now Novel (www.nownovel.com/blog/), addresses that first sentence dilemma.
- When starting a novel, you have one goal: To create an inviting entry point into your story.
- The sentence needs to be specific enough for the reader to form an idea of where we are and what the story will cover.
- Make the reader ask “who?”, “what?”, “why?”, “where?”, or “when?”.
- Begin with an interesting detail of character, setting or something symbolic of your story’s largest themes that ropes the reader in.
NowNovel also define five types of novel openings: 1) the teaser, 2) the autobiographer, 3) the talker, 4) the announcer, and 5) the scene setter. If you want to read the whole article, click here.
First sentence from Marty Wingate’s, The Bodies in the Library, “I’ll be leaving now, Mr. Burke.” Sounds like a talker opening.
My opening, “I really need to be looking. I mean, like right now.” Maybe a teaser opening.
GOAL: 1,667 words
ACTUAL: 1,706 words
Good writing!
Frankie