What’s a good opening? The hook. That is if you want your readers to be drawn into the beginning of your story. Once you have their attention, impactful writing can draw the reader into the rest of the story.
Begin by introducing your main characters (protagonist or antagonist) and usually one of them could be under a stressful situation. They may be in a fire fight shooting it out or some other crisis. This is also where you can bring in the antagonist if you have already begun with your protagonist . And this is where we as the reader decide to pick sides. At this point you can introduce what’s at stake. And you can string it out slowly to add more tension. Next add the setting and the extent of the conflict and that will set the tone of the entire story.
One of the authors that does this very well is Gregg Hurwitz. I’ve enjoyed Orphan X and the Nowhere Man which he has written.The Survivor is another of his works. The opening chapter is one of the most engaging I’ve read as it’s compelling and it draws you into the story quickly. To me it’s one of the best story openings I have enjoyed in quite some time.
Nate the protagonist is about to commit suicide because of an incurable disease. A tragic event snaps him back and he comes alive. His military training kicks in and he takes out a number of robbers to finally save a little girl. The last robber before he escapes gives him a dire warning; that Nate will pay dearly for his intervention. I was hooked. That’s how a great story should begin. It seems to me that the underlying theme here is “No good deed goes unpunished.”
I have recently just begun reading The Survivor and I am absolutely excited about another great read. All writers should be aspiring to grab the reader right away as that is what’s in a great opening. To achieve it, start developing your skills. The information above is pretty well everything you will require to assist you in beginning. Then as your talents get honed the writing will get better.