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Q&A

Posts tagged openings

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Q&A The problem with beginning

I don't mean "sitting down to write", I mean the literal beginning. The story itself starts with my protagonist running. I need to get him to run, then I'll have the rest of it sorted. But won't st...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Irysik‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Canina‭

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Q&A Is the first page of a novel really that important?

I am reading in a few blogs like this that the first page of the novel is really important if it has to get published. Is this true? Can a good story not compensate for an ordinary first page. I h...

6 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by codeNewbie‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by DPT‭

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Q&A Using a different POV just for the opening line

I'm currently working on a short story with a dramatic "twist" ending. I use the quotation marks because, unlike a conventional plot twist aimed at surprising the reader, the intended target of the...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by motosubatsu‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Trying to avoid being cliché

Has opening a story with something like "I hurtled to my death", "I had destroyed the earth", or other outlandish statements like these become cliché? And if so, what are some alternative methods t...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Theocles of Saturn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What are the pros and cons of starting a novel with internal dialogue?

I'm thinking about starting a novel by having the first sentence be internal dialogue. What are the potential problems this could raise? What are the benefits? By internal dialogue I mean somethi...

2 answers  ·  posted 10y ago by user8335‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Opening a story with a reference to what someone just said followed by a setting description

An example: Naomi's words hung in the air as I gazed out of the hotel window. The mountain lay quietly in the dark, like a calm, sleeping giant. A cluster of city lights glittered beyond. I...

1 answer  ·  posted 10y ago by Alexandro Chen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is the opening of this story intriguing, "dark" and smooth? [closed]

Disclaimer: I'm not an Native English Speaker. This is my fifth attempt of writing a short story (the previous ones are set in the same "universe" as this one). I would like to know if the reade...

2 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Alexandro Chen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Will this opening and dialogue grab the reader's attention? And how can I improve it?

Disclaimer: I'm not an native English speaker Here is the first part of a short novel I'm writing. For the description I wanted the reader to have an idea of the place first and then let him know...

1 answer  ·  posted 12y ago by Alexandro Chen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction openings
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Q&A Does this beginning hook the reader? [closed]

Guide lines Q no. 4: This is supposed to be the opening part, but certainly not the whole of the first chapter or page for that matter... I'm not exactly sure anyone would take 30 seconds to read t...

2 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Mussri‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Critique: Intro/Prologue to my Novel-in-Progress

all. Please forgive me, for I'm afraid I'm a novice when it comes to writing fiction. I wanted to get the community's thoughts and recommendations for improving the below passage. I realize it n...

3 answers  ·  posted 13y ago by Matt Caldwell‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A "Dear Stack Exchange, I am very disappointed in you" - How to construct a strong opening line in a letter?

In light of recent events, I intended to write a simple letter of complaint to StackExchange. The obvious thing to do would be to write an opening with the fact such as It came to my knowledge ...

6 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Does the following opening grip you?

Of all the people who wanted to join the trip, Paola was the the last I expected would come. It surprised me. We barely knew each other at school, and I was pretty sure she wasn't interested in ...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by Alexandro Chen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to derive a first sentence from a story?

There is much advice out there on "how to write a killer opening line". Usually these blog posts or how-to-write book chapters list examples of first sentences from recognized masterworks or group ...

4 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do you drop a reader in the middle of nowhere at the beginning of a story?

My story begins with a little girl waking up in a creepy and probably very haunted house in the middle of nowhere. She has no memories of how she got there, what happened or what the place even is,...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by noClue‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question openings
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Q&A How to open a serious speech?

I need to speak at the unveiling of a memorial plaque (this one, incidentally). I have an idea of what I want to say, and how I want to arrange it. My struggle is with the opening. I have spoken ...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Translating worldbuilding into an interesting opening

I've once heard there are 2 types of writers, and I am definitively an architect. I can write down a few hundred pages of worldbuilding and characters, but I scrap most of my stories after the firs...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Azzarrel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What is the structure and important points to cover in a first chapter?

I feel like I have everything except the first chapter; once the story is underway I feel like I know where to go, but I'd like some guidance in getting it all started when the reader knows nothing...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Angel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to open a novel?

Looking at the function of the beginning of a novel, it is clear that it should hook the reader and draw him or her into the story. Different techniques for achieving the hook have been described, ...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to trick the reader into thinking they're following a redshirt instead of the protagonist?

I'm currently planning a "magical girl" story, and I thought of an interesting way to start it, rather than launching straight into the backstory. It opens with a woman in her mid-thirties, complet...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by F1Krazy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Should the opening of a short story mirror the ending?

When I was in school, my English teacher told me that a short story's beginning should mirror its ending, or at least the conclusion should in some way parallel the starting point of the story; but...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Strategy Thinker‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is my opening chapter too short?

I've just started writing my first proper novel, I've written short stories and started to write before, but never really had the motivation, but now I have a new, interesting storyline to write ab...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Connor Wilkinson‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Do these starting paragraphs make you want to keep reading? [closed]

OK, first, I'm not a native. So, what you do by instinct and a bit of research, I do by extensive research, including accents and dialog style. I’m dead. ‘But you have a chance,’ I was told, ...

2 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Mussri‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to improve this introductory paragraph (to fit writing standards and grab the reader's attention)?

A clock is striking 4:00am at a psychiatric clinic. The darkness, the silence, and absence of people makes it look like a morgue. A young mental health professional is sitting in a cha...

2 answers  ·  posted 13y ago by Alexandro Chen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction openings
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Q&A Why is "It was a dark and stormy night.." not a good opening?

Also, why has it spawned an award for bad writing?

1 answer  ·  posted 13y ago by theTuxRacer‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question openings
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Q&A Prologues with no protagonist - How can they work?

It is my understanding that novels should generally start right off with the protagonist. The story is about the protagonist, after all, not something else (This obviously changes a bit if the PoV ...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to think of a good beginning?

I've been thinking about my story for a while now and the problem I've run into is that I'm not sure how to start it. It isn't that I can't think of how to start it, I actually have a million ideas...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Allan Smithy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How well would this beginning sell the book to readers? Not necessarily for money [closed]

Disclaimer: English isn't my native language. A while back, I posted this and this. I got... well, reviews. While not outright helpful (ie. indirect, which is the whole point of critiques, I guess...

1 answer  ·  posted 12y ago by Mussri‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Building a scene and readability

When building a scene at the beginning of a chapter for instance, before character interactions take place, what are the important elements to consider, and how long should the description be, befo...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Lanet Rino‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Should I describe a character deeply before killing it?

So, I have this little story I would like to tell. It's about a girl and how she's forced to take a journey with the man who has just killed her father. I'll skip the details. The point is I'm no...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Andrea Panda Zen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to avoid introduction cliches

I'm writing a research paper in one of my math classes about the P vs NP problem. I feel the introduction to my paper sounds like a cliche. This is my intro: In the field of mathematics, there ...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Mettal‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Abandoning the Ordinary World

As I understand it, when considering the Three-Act Structure, the first half of Act One prior to the Inciting Incident is used to show the reader the 'Ordinary World'. In the story I am working on...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Arkenstein XII‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Having Trouble Writing An Opening Scene With A Shy Character

I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with the opening scene for a fantasy story I'm writing, about a mousy but passionate girl from a family of entertainers who inherits the entertainer's blood. ...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Shikinoyume‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Alternatives to starting a sentence with well [closed]

I'm new to narrative writing and especially have trouble with dialogue. I too often am using the word well to start a character's sentence after receiving some information to then ask a question ab...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Seth Painter‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A First Chapters protocol

I am a first time novelist with writing experience. I have an idea for my novel that begins with an important scene which actually plays out in the middle of the novel. Should I write this as a pro...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Del Barras‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do you deal with Chapter 2 when Chapter 1 is a volcano opening?

I know the logic behind volcano openings and why they’re problematic (they set the expectation that that level of action and excitement will continue; they’re a hard act to follow; they make a prom...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by GGx - Reinstate Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How Can You Use "In Medias Res" To Beautify Your Amazing Masterpiece? [closed]

How do you write out the second build up without killing the essence of the masterpiece? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Medias Res?

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by Phantom‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How many pages should cover the Ordinary World of the Protagonist?

How many pages and chapters should cover the Ordinary World also known as the normal world of the Protagonist? Ordinary World is the term used in the Hero's Journey for the ordinary world the hero ...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Seanchaí‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Delerium too much like a dream?

My novel starts with the character believing she is outside, naked, because she is delerious. After less than a page she realizes where she really is. She was delerious because she fainted and sh...

0 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Denise Smith‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question openings
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Q&A When opening a book

I hear a lot of things about how one should give the name of their character early in the writing setting etc. My question is is it ok not to name your character, not to be specific about your sett...

0 answers  ·  posted 10y ago by Samuel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question openings fantasy
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Q&A Writing a punchy paragraph opening / beginning

I am writing a paper and always want to find ways to write a punch opening for my paragraph. I'm not sure how to take an informative paragraph and find an exciting lead-in that will encourage the r...

0 answers  ·  posted 10y ago by drhanlau‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭