Story Development - Writing Beginnings - Part One

There are different reasons why people may choose a book to read. Lets look at some of these reasons:

(1) The title looks interesting. (2) The plot summary on the back of the book sounds intriguing. (3) You like the author and the way he/she writes. (4) The size of the print is easy to read. (5) The genre is your favorite type of story no matter what.

There are also reasons why people might not choose a book. Lets look at some of those reasons:

(1) The print is really small. (2) The plot summary on the back doesn't sound intriguing. (3) The author isn't a favorite of yours. (4) The genre isn't interesting. (5) The title seemed interesting, but you decide it wasn't.

When you choose a book to read, you want a book that intrigues you. Most readers will pick up a book where the title catches their eye. For example, it sounds suspenseful, and you want to grab it and start reading.

There is more to a book besides the cover and what me seem to be appealing. What about the beginning of the first chapter? How does the author begin the book? Is it interesting? Does he/she begin with narration, description, dialogue, or what?

Lets look at some examples of beginnings of some stories. Which story beginning seems intriguing?

(1) The house was a two story white house with blue trim. In the front yard were two large oak trees. A privacy fence enclosed the back yard. Two small cars were in the driveway. Nobody was around, but two people, Abby and Sadey, lived there.

(2) Abby approached her apartment door and found it slightly ajar. She slowly opened the door and stood in shock as she saw that someone had invaded her privacy. Her living room looked like a tornado had struck. She entered the kitchen and saw the cupboard doors open and everything on the counter tops. Fear began to overwhelm her as she continued through her apartment. She entered the bathroom and saw a body lying in her bathtub.

Which beginning seems to be the most intriguing? Why did you choose that particular beginning?

If you said number two, you are right. There is more suspense built into the first paragraph than there was in number one. There isn't any action in number one.

Imagine what it would be like to read a few pages in the beginning of a book where there wasn't anything but description. It would be boring. Readers want to start reading something that hooks them. They don't want to continue reading something that is boring.

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