The Essentials of a Well-Layered Opening
by Terri Reed When I first started on this writing journey, I attended many workshops where the speaker said to start your openings with dialogue. Other speakers touted that opening with action was best, while still others said setting is the way to go. Personally, I’ve opened books, scenes and chapters with a variety of different approaches. I don’t believe there is one perfect way to open a book, a scene, or a chapter. Each story is unique and has its own needs, which is the beauty of reading more than one book from different authors. No two stories have the same needs, just as no two authors have the same voice. How boring would it be if all books started the same and had the same author’s voice? I shudder to think about it. When I’m asked about the best way to begin a book, scene, or chapter, I say use whatever works for your story. However, with that said, there are certain criteria that I try to make sure I include in my openings, but how you do that is up to you. Here is my essential checklist for the openings of a novel, a scene, and a chapter.
As you can see, the openings of books, scenes, and chapters have many layers. What the reader sees in their mind’s eye, physically feels, smells, or tastes in response to the descriptions all depend on what words you put on the page. Don’t forget to make them impactful!
*** Howdy dear friends, I hope you writers enjoyed the above. I print such articles and study them to hone my writing craft, even after 8 novels! And if you've missed it, my Book 6 in Charleston Brides released in September. Grab it today from Amazon and escape into Gideon's and Helene's Charleston plantation life for quite an adventure and ROMANCE.  She fled from a gilded cage, only to find herself trapped in a marriage of obligation. As we head into the election, I am praying fervently for America to return to God. Here are the two signs I designed for our front yard:  Hugs and Onward, Elva  Elva Cobb Martin is a retired school teacher, a mother, and grandmother who lives in South Carolina with her husband, her high school sweetheart, Dwayne. She grew up on a farm in South Carolina and spends many vacations on the Carolina Coast. Her southern roots run deep. A life-long student of history, her favorite city, Charleston, South Carolina, inspires her stories of romance and adventure. Her love of writing grew out of a desire to share exciting love stories of courageous characters and communicate truths of the Christian faith to bring hope and encouragement. She always pauses for historic houses, gardens, chocolate, and babies of any kind. Link to her books on Amazon https://amzn.to/3jdvHFu Connect with Elva Website: http://www.elvamartin.com Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/elvacobbmarti |
Terri Reed’s
Philip Winchester is this hero's name, I think. Wonder what kind of gun is he holding? Hope he doesn't pull that trigger or he will surely break a lot of hearts.
