OxBridge Centre, Year 11, English, Week 2

Creative Writing: Story Openings

This week we will focus on imaginative ways to begin stories and sentences. We’ll
explore a number of extracts that use gripping openings and attempt to craft our own
examples.

Methods of Opening

It is often said that ‘first impressions count’. Well, the opening lines of a story are no
different in that they need to engage the reader in order for them to keep on reading.
You should use your opening to introduce your character, or characters, and the
setting. You can then move on to creating the event which will happen to your
character or characters in that setting, as well as helping to form the plot.

There are many different ways in which you can open a story. You could use:

● Dialogue between characters;

● Description of a setting;
● Reflection on an event;
● Exciting action.

The narrative hook is a useful tool in a story that can grab the reader’s attention right
from the start. Of course, what hooks one person might not appeal to another. There
are some effective strategies that writers use to act as the 'worm on the narrative
fishing rod', to hook a reader in.

Other ways to hook the reader could include:

❏ Raising questions or setting a puzzle at the start of a story might spark readers'
curiosity and make them want to continue reading.

❏ Introducing an unusual event or setting can work in a similar way, and leave
readers wanting to know more.

❏ Establishing an unusual narrative voice can also be effective. This is the way in
which the story is told to us, and by whom.

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Extracts

Below are several openings. We’ll read through them and try to dissect why they are
so effective in engaging the reader from the first lines.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the
age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was
the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was
the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the
period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted
on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison
only.

● How does the first paragraph grab the reader’s attention?

From this description creates a vivid point of view to grab the reader’s attention through
the use of anaphora in the opening line. Similarly with the use paradox perhaps it hints
some sort of conflict between the two cities.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register
of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief
mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge’s name was good upon ’Change, for
anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

● What curiosity is presented in the opening line?

Charles dickens starts the extract in suspense but humorous tone. This can
Been seen in quote “Marley was dead : to begin with ” , This statement very
Subtle as it tells us little detail in a short sentence.

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr.
Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but
mainly he told the truth. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or
another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybe Mary. Aunt Polly—Tom’s
Aunt Polly, she is—and Mary, and the Widow Douglas is all told about in that book,
which is mostly a true book, with some stretchers, as I said before.

● What is interesting about the narrative voice used in this extract?

Varying Sentence Openers

Your writing needs to be lively if your reader is to enjoy it. As well as varying the
length of sentences, changing the way that sentences start makes a piece of reading
more interesting and engaging for the reader. There are many ways to do this.

Example

Take the sentence: 'The woman shouted out of the window':

Sentence starters

An adverb to describe the verb: Frantically, the woman shouted out of the window…

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An adjective to add further description to a noun: Enraged, the woman shouted out
of the window…

A connective to place the event in relation to other action within the text:
Consequently, the woman shouted out of the window…

A prepositional phrase to place the time, place or manner of the action: Above the
crowd, the woman shouted out of the window…

A present participle verb: Waving, the woman shouted out of the window...

A simile: Like a terrified beast, the woman shouted out of the window…

● Look at the following passage and then attach sentence openers to each
sentence to create more variety for the reader. You can change as much of
the sentence as you like as long as the meaning remains the same.

I turned the corner. The lights were shining brightly. There were people everywhere.
There were people talking and music was blaring. I saw my friends at the end of the
street and went over to join them.

I unconsciously turned the corner. The lights were glistening. There have been people
all over the place . Some people talking and music was blaring. I saw my friends at the
top of the road and I went over to affix them.

● Complete the following opening paragraph to a story: All eyes were on me....

It was thing that shouldn’t have happened at night. The it was the night
When me and my band had to perform a song that we had practiced for a
month now. But today was the night I had to perform in front of the roaring
crowd ; my heart was beating like a drum and my hand filled with sweat ,
shaking . I was very unconscious to get on to the stage , But I some help
from my band in boosting my courage. As soon as I and my band walked on
the stage the all eyes were on me. But in the end we got through it .

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● Now, continue the opening paragraph from the line: Hushed tones swirled
delicately in my ear...

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Name: Sameer

Homework

Compose the opening two paragraphs of a story based on the main character
receiving some bad news. It should comprise an opening paragraph and a second
one detailing the problem.

Include interesting description dialogue, action or mystery to engage the reader from
the start.

Use exciting sentence openers, interesting vocabulary, and figurative language.

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