Don't Underestimate the Beginning - Writing and Editing Advice by Greg Luti
Updated: 1 day ago
A writing and editing advice post that focuses on one of the most overlooked parts of a story. In “Don’t Underestimate the Beginning,” Greg Luti explains why the opening of a piece is often what decides whether a reader stays or leaves.
The Beginning Can Make or Break a Story
The beginning of a story can really make or break the entire thing. Is that hyperbolic? Eh… not really. The first part is, in my opinion, the most important part of any piece you write. It is the part that gets the reader in. It tells them that whatever the heck you are talking about is worth their time.
“Hey, you. Yeah, you! Random stranger, who just so happened to stumble upon these words. They are worth your time. I mean, did you read that first paragraph? Am I right?”
Without a captivating beginning, the other parts of the piece don’t really matter, since the reader never really gets that far.
Why First Impressions Matter
Think about the first part of a story, and then compare it to every other part. We talk about the first part as much as we do the other parts combined. When you query an agent, they want the first part of the book, not the last. When a reader starts a new story, they are obviously starting at the beginning. The header for a piece like this can even determine if you read it at all.
And this isn’t just for books, too. How many of us have turned off a song because we didn’t like the first 10 seconds of it? Or how about not finishing a movie because the first scene is dreadful? People judge their interest in an entire piece based upon the quality of the first impression they receive.
My Own Beginnings
I know that whenever I sit to write something, I make a point to have the beginning be pretty good. At least I try to have it be something a reader may like. I do this for my stories too, where I have the first part be something a reader can get pulled into.
My first book, Day in the Life, had no actual action in the first part of the book, but the character’s voice shines through, and the reader is intrigued by what the narrator is talking about. I knew the voice was the grab. In a recent story I am working on, I have two scenes playing simultaneously, so that the readers can get an idea of the two men involved. The two scenes lay out the entire story, and set the tone for what is about to unfold. (I have not announced the title to this story yet) I must admit that the beginning of my current novel, Hit of Henry, is okay, not even that great. Perhaps that is why I am stuck on it right now, since I know that without a good opening, the rest of the piece is playing catch-up.
There are a few questions I think people ask when they hear a story: how does it start? How does it end? And what happens? If you don’t know that first part, then you have to ask yourself what it is you are writing.
Two Things to Think About
There are two things about the beginning to think about for improving it. The first is that the actual writing can be great and get the reader hooked. At that point, the reader may not really bring up the beginning when discussing the book to someone, only that it was very well written. The second thing is what the reader says the start of the story is about. That is the elevator talk. That is the comments at the table that friends have about the book.
“Well, what is it about?”
That… that question is something you should be able to answer when you are writing your own book.
I say this advice about beginning parts, for stories and online pieces like this one. The same idea applies. Yes, there is no story here, but without something to draw the reader in, there are no readers at all.
I compare this to fishing…. You can talk all you want about the size of the boat, the quality of the engine, the lines you are using, but if you don’t know where you are going to find those fish, and get them to come to that area, then you are in trouble. You need to get the fish by the boat before you worry about cooking them.
Famous Openings
I can think of one start to a story that is so well known that we use the line as a separate statement. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” The beginning of the Dickens classic, A Tale of Two Cities, where the opening has become so iconic you will see people in videos and in other forms of media say it as though the line has no story connected to it, as though it is a separate entity entirely. Now, the line is so poetic that it can stand by itself, but it also draws you in and makes you want to read more of the tale.
I also remember reading the book Catcher in the Rye as an adolescent and thinking that the first 15-20 pages of the book read smoothly. The writer really knocked that part out of the park, so much so that someone read it and thought, “You gotta make this an entire book.” There is a flow to the first part of that book that is timeless, more than anything that happens in it. And yes, that is the part of the book where the narrator introduces the term phony (or fake person) to the audience.
How to Improve Your Beginning
So what are some things you can do when you are writing next time, to improve your beginning?
Get something you can point to that you know the readers will like. It can be the setup. It can be the style. It can be the mystery. Whatever it is, make sure that there is something that a reader can grab on to.
If you can, save some good lines for the opening. You know what I am talking about here. Poetic lines that can be by themselves on a post, or a poster. These lines have a life of their own. They give truths about life to the reader that are not necessarily related to the story. That is good. Keep a few of them for the opening. You want as many good lines as possible in the first part of the tale. Dickens had the lines for his book. Salinger had the term for his. Good execution of a good beginning in a good story can go a long way.
Once you know the grab, see if you can insert the beginning into the elevator pitch of the story, the thing you tell people the story is about in a short amount of time. How does the beginning sound then? Does it sound like something someone would want to read? Would you want to read that book? If the answer is yes, then the opening is doing its job.
Keep something from the opening for later. Don’t just write a cool beginning, and have a clever elevator pitch and then leave it alone. Remember a part of the beginning that you are going to refer to later in the story. That is a smart way of making the beginning not only readable but functional in the story you are telling.
Don’t Treat It Like Just Another Part
I can’t stress to you how important the beginning is to whatever you write. Don’t treat it as just another part of the story. Just another thing to put together. Know that those words matter more than the other words, and take the proper steps to help yourself improve them where you can.
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