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Top Tips
Novel and Short Story Writing
The Point of Entry
‘Fiona looked into the mirror, but her reflection had disappeared. Where had she left it this time?'
When submitting your work to an editor, competition judge or publisher, remember - there is only a brief moment to hold their attention so make sure that your ‘point of entry' grabs their attention. The opening sentences here would make a good beginning to a fantasy story.
Obviously, hooking your reader with a good ‘point of entry' isn't a guarantee to success, but it will make the reader take more notice of the rest of the story or book. The editor/publisher will have a pile of stories/manuscripts to read, so make sure s/he is intrigued by yours because of its arresting opening.
Starting with a surprising, humorous moment is often good hook. Here are the opening lines from my short story called The Miracle of Breasts.
‘Miss Adam-Jones' breasts always walked into the room first; enormous and conical like horizontal traffic cones.'
Or begin your story with immediate conflict.
‘His daughter's killer was hiding in the Black Mountains. Clinton knew that he would have to climb them; knew that he would never find peace until he had found and killed him.'
I'm already disturbed by both characters from this dark opening.
Idiosyncratic openings often make lingering hooks. My favourite is the opening sentence of Kafka's Metamorphosis. ‘ As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed into a gigantic insect.'
I can still remember this opening after twenty five years because I wanted to know how and why Gregor was transformed.
Another way to draw in the reader is to ask questions which demand the readers' attention.
‘What's the date?' Martha asked.
‘Thursday, 17th, September.' Samuel looked at her a long time before adding. ‘They are going to hang Nathaniel tomorrow.'
We are immediately confronted with a dilemma which piques our curiosity and are therefore enticed to read to the end of the story. We want to know why they're going to hang Nathaniel. We also know that this story is not set in the present so the reader is prepared [and expects] details that locate the story in the past. [Remember that the names should also reflect the period.]
[An extract from How To Write Great Short Stories]
© Linda M James 2010
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