When it comes to writing the short story There are two important structural patterns to remember: the beginning and the end. Although there are other guidelines, the ‘beginning and ending’ of a short story are considered among the most important to storytellers. These guidelines apply to novels as well, but with a story a writer has a limited number of words to deliver an intriguing story. So how can a writer create a dynamic opening or beginning for a story?
The opening paragraph of a story should be designed to capture the reader’s imagination and inspire them to read more. The opening paragraph also acts as a crucial gateway through which your reader must enter in order for him or her to successfully journey through your story. There are many ways to start a story: setting, character description, action, statement, idea, or asking a question.
Adjustment
Your setting could be a location: a windswept beach, a dark dystopian city, a magical underwater world, or a simple hobbit hole as described by JRR Tolkien on the opening page of The Hobbit – “In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit. It was not a damp, dirty and disgusting hole, full of worm remains and a smell of slime, nor a dry, bare and sandy hole with nothing to sit on.” or eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort.” Setting the scene in the first paragraph creates a mental image for the reader. Human beings are primarily visual creatures, and since most books do not provide images, what The more dramatic you make the setting of your story, the more the reader will be able to visualize your setting.
Character description
The opening lines may introduce your main character, for example: “She leaned back against the cold, damp stone wall. The heavy brass chains around her ankles chafed painfully. Her porcelain skin was now pale and haggard, with deep lines etched around her eyes and mouth, and her once-glorious golden hair now hung in tangled tendrils around her face.Her stomach growled loudly as the guard shoved some dry sandwiches through the hole in the door, but the The smell of the prisoner’s stinking urine in the next cell made him gag. He would starve tonight. A vivid description and use of the senses: touch, sight and smell make an effective start to his story.
Values
Starting your story with strong action is a great option, as it pushes the reader into the thick of the story. “The barking of hunting dogs grew closer as she ran through the dense forest. Like a madwoman, she pushed her way through the low, sharp branches that scraped her skin, until she was suddenly redeemed by a burst of bright sunlight as he stumbled out of the woods into a small clearing.”
A declaration.
The iconic opening statement in Charles Dickens’ A tale of two cities is dramatic, poetic and memorable, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the age of belief, it was the age of disbelief, It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of our despair, we had everything ahead of us, we had nothing ahead of us, we were all going straight to Heaven, everyone was going straight to Heaven. other side…”
Introduce an idea.
What about Jane Austen’s first line in the classic novel, pride and prejudice – “It is a universally recognized truth, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in need of a wife.” Starting your story with an idea can really get your reader thinking. Although they may not agree with your idea, they may be forced to read on to see where this idea will take them.
Asking a question.
“Where is daddy going with that hatchet?” Fern said to his mother as they set the table for breakfast. charlotte’s website, E.B. White. Starting your story with a question creates intrigue in the reader’s mind. You have provided them with a question that must be answered and they must engage with the whole story to discover the answer.
I have provided just a few tips on How to write a dynamic opening for a story. It will capture the imagination of your reader.
Happy writing!