Getting your beginning right

If you start with a bang, you won’t end with a whimper.

– T.S. Eliot

A first draft is a beginning, but how do we begin one? How do we craft that first word, line, paragraph and chapter? There’s no right or wrong solution, but as an author and a Melbourne copywriter I’ve discovered the following helps...

In a piece of writing, the work of the beginning is to hook the reader in, anchor them in the story and convince them to continue reading.

In terms of hooking your reader, the aim is to do this as soon as possible. Your copy is competing not only with that of other writers, but also with Netflix, hungry children, a drink at the pub and all the other distractions audiences encounter — meaning, you need to give your reader a good reason to spend time with your words.

A hook can come in many forms, including a ripper opening line, such as, ‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,’ from George Orwell’s novel, 1984.

A hard working first sentence will open the narrative up, spark readers’ curiosity, pose vital questions and hint at the story to come.

A hook may also come in the form of action. Often writers begin by dropping the reader directly into the heart of the story. America writer, Annie Dillard, for instance, suggests ‘[putting] all your deaths, accidents and diseases… at the beginning,’

But the beginning of a story doesn’t end with the first sentence, paragraph or page. Instead, it is established over the first few paragraphs or in the case of a book, chapters.

For this reason, your beginning must work hard not only to capture your reader’s attention, but also to establish the story. Depending on the form you’re writing in, a few key ingredients can achieve this. 

In longer form fiction or non-fiction pieces, short stories and novels think about:

·      Character: Introduce your main characters in the beginning, and to make the reader want to follow them through the text.

·      Setting: Establish the time and place your piece is set in. Anchor the reader — make them privy to the conventions that govern the world the narrative inhabits.

·      Narrative possibilities: Pose a compelling question or present a dilemma that needs to be resolved. This question or dilemma is what the piece will hinge on.

Finally, keep author, Kate Grenville’s wise words in mind. In The Writing Book she says of beginnings:

‘Writers have to end up making sense but they don’t have to start off making sense. In fact, a certain amount of apparent disorder is healthy in the early stages of writing…

As a Melbourne copywriter I can help you with your beginnings, middles AND ends, as well as SEO website copywriting, business copywriting, creative writing and mentoring, marketing support, and much more.

Get in touch via my CONTACT page or check out my copywriter Melbourne SERVICES. For information on my novels, go to Hello, Goodbye and Small Blessings at Allen and Unwin.