I'm writing a book. What is a good opening sequence?

Question

I'm writing a book and my opening sequence is a bit soft. What do I need in it to grab your attention? What do you like to have in an opening sequence in a book you read?

Answer 1

Start out in the confessional, "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been two years since my last confession." Then get into details, but near the end of the book we discover that, even in the sacrament of confession, the REAL killer was lying...to convince himself perhaps, or perhaps because he mentally blocked it.

Answer 2

Depends on what type of story you're attempting to write. I don't recommend you use any kind of gimmic. The idea of grabbing a person is somewhat overrated; if you're trying to write a tacky James Bond novel it fine.

My best suggestion to creating a better opener is to concentrate on your writing. If you aren't eloquent, it doesn't matter how much action and sex you stuff in the opening. Your darn opener will flop if you don't write it well, so concentrate on writing it well.

For instance the most famous opener of a novel was, "It was the best of times; It was the worst of times." This works not because it has a lot of action, but because it is eloquent. Another example to illustrate the point is for you to think of a speech you really enjoyed listening to? It isn't likely that the person's speech involved sex, drugs and action. It was likely the eloquence and delivery of that speech which made it most engaging.

Best of luck! When in doubt go for substance and not fluff!

Answer 3

The first sentence could be :I'm writing a book.
And the second: What is a good opening sequence?

I bet it is very original and that it has NEVER been used before. So grab it before I do. I give you 24 hours head start!

Answer 4

A bit 'paperback' if you will, but I kinda like Clive Cussler, who always opens a story with something from the past that has an impact on the book.

Example :

Book may be about hunting terrorists in Iraq, and stumbling upon gold in the process.

Start of book is therefore about ancient Eastern Princess who is murdered by her lover for her gold, but who buries it and is caught and killed by her father.

Or something like that.

You know what I mean.

I always thought the start of his books were quite entertaining, like a little story wrapped in a bigger one.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Choose something dramatic...something scary or something funny. It depends on what u'r writing on. And it also depends on who your audience is going to be. The prologue or the opening that i like should be mysterious...when i write, i like to kill someone off in the prologue. That always creates a mystery as to who did it and what was the motive and it also gives ur reader a reason to keep reading on. Best of luck with whatever u'r writing :-)

Answer 6

A catchy quote by someone in real that is connecting to the story or some catchy lines inside the book itself.

Answer 7

a person awakws by the ring tone othe phone early morning before his normal time to awake,is baffeled by what he hears from the othe end and springs upto his feet and picks the paper to read something specific as told by the calle and suddenly thinks something and calls a friend in police or ther for how to about with the situation.

Answer 8

Depends on what your book is about. What made you want to write the hero's story? What about the antagonist makes you want to hate him/her/them? What's happened to the hero before the story begins?

Try writing a biography of your hero and antagonist. That should help. If not, feel free to email me or IM me at [e-mail]. Tell me about your story, and I'll see what I can do to help.

Answer 9

It depends on the subject u’ll write about

Answer 10

i like a book to start out exciting