A Well-Layered Opening --Guest Post

 

The Essentials of a Well-Layered Opening

By ACFW on October 15, 2024 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. Establish the point of view of the main character for that scene within the first few sentences by assigning either emotion, visceral reaction or thought to the POV character. This lets the reader know who they are investing their time in. Head hopping can be confusing and slows the pace because it forces the reader to keep track rather than allowing the reader to enjoy the journey. Ground your reader in the setting of their ordinary world as soon as possible with the use of a specific location. Saying the POV character is in a forest isn’t enough. A forest in the Pacific Northwest is going to be different than a forest in Colorado or Vermont. Establish the time of day. A high sun versus a star-filled sky will create a sense of atmosphere for the reader. Is the POV character inside or outside? Give a brief description of what the character sees, feels, hears, and smells, as well as, how they feel about their ordinary world. You don’t necessarily need to use all the senses right away but don’t forget them either.  The reader wants to picture the setting and experience the world you’re creating as if they were there themselves. Establish the goal and/or purpose of the POV character within the first few paragraphs and establish the conflicts that the POV character will bump up against. These can be hinted at or blatantly laid out. This can be done with a few sentences of internal thought or through dialogue. You have three layers here: internal, romantic, and external. Laying out these layers early creates anticipation and tension in the reader and has the reader wondering if the character will reach their goal and overcome the conflict. For the opening of a book, I always layer in the overarching story question early in the first few pages or at the end of the first scene. This gives the reader a reason to stay with the book all the way to the end. For the opening of a scene or chapter, I like to include a brief recap of what has transpired and the reaction of the POV character. This reengages readers who put the book down at the scene or chapter break. 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! Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publisher’s Weekly top five, Nielsen’s Bookscan’s top fifty, have been Amazon Bestsellers, and featured in USA Today. Her books have been finalists in the Romance Writers of America RITA contest, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, as well as a three-time finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers The Carol Award contest. Contact Terri  on her website, or regular mail at the following address: P.O. Box 19555 Portland, OR 97224, or send an email here: terrireedauthor@terrireed.com.                                                               *** 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. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D54JZRKB My prayer is that you escaped damage from the hurricanes or you're  on the way to repair and restoration like us. We were without electricity for 8 days (that was a time of developing patience and having cold showers) but we only have to repair our backyard wooden fence.  We continue to pray for those who suffered much more damage and may still be without electricity.   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  BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elva-cobb-martin Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/elvacobbmarti