I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: each scene is unique from the rest. However, cliches and tropes are everywhere. There’s nothing wrong with them as long as they’re used in a unique way, a special way that tricks your readers into thinking it’s never been done before. With that said, there are some dos and don’ts of writing opening scenes.
Do
Start with the story you’re currently telling. Your readers came to find out what’s up with the blurb on the back of the book.
Don’t
Start with a dream or flashback sequence. Your protagonist doesn’t need to wake up from having the “same dream.”
Do
Open with some sort of action or conflict. Draw the readers in right away with some tension making them wonder what it’s all about.
Don’t
Open with too much scenery or talk about the weather. The description is good, but sometimes we don’t need to know it right away. It can easily be woven into the story throughout.
Do
Introduce the protagonist. Let the reader know right away who they’re going to be learning about, who they’re going to be journeying with and why they should care about that particular protagonist.
Don’t
Introduce too many characters at once. A couple characters can be introduced for sure, but you don’t want to bombard your readers with too many names.
I could go one with more dos and don’ts of writing opening scenes. But I won’t. In the end, you should take this advice with a grain of salt and do what you think is best for your book.
Do you have a few ways to write opening scenes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and if you enjoyed this post, please share it around.
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