What are your Favorite Story Openings?

[MFontana]

When reading a story, book, or the like, what are some of your favorite styles of openers?
In Media Res (In the thick of the action)?
Slow Introductions (You wake meet up in the tavern)?
Or some other kind of opening?

Personally, I tend to favor the 'In Media Res' style of opening, but a slower-burn could be just as enjoyable when its executed well.

As for why, well, I like to figure things out with the protagonist, and tend to achieve that better when the story starts in the thick of it with a mystery behind it, and the adventure ahead.

 

[CinnaSloth]

A chapter one with a twist ending.

You're following along with a character. They seem cool, and interesting. They're intelligent, and people seem to like them upon meeting them. It's a normal, average day. They're shopping, eating, laughing, and things seem light hearted, and fun. This character is going to meet up with a harsh reality in a moment, you may think. Wrong. Night comes along, and they're staring out from their balcony at a nearby inn within the center of town. They're smiling, and waving at passersby below.
The town clock hits midnight, and the bells toll.
The character smiles.
Ding~ dong~ ding~ dong~ The bell chimes in the distance.
They light a cigarette, and flick the match off the side of the balcony. The fire flickers, and waves, and burns, hitting the ground below as the character leaves the town, flaming, and roaring, buildings collapsing, children crying, women wailing, and the tragic sound of the people slowly fading into the distance as the town falls to rubble. The heavy trunk of a tree blocking the gates from being opened.
The character chuckles, the same friendly smile they'd given to every single person they'd come across earlier that evening.
This is the antagonist. Not the hero. Not the protagonist.
-And they just wiped out an entire city.. for no apparent reason.
With nothing, but a smile, and a wave.

End Chapter one.

 

[essenier]

sp

When reading a story, book, or the like, what are some of your favorite styles of openers?
In Media Res (In the thick of the action)?
Slow Introductions (You wake meet up in the tavern)?
Or some other kind of opening?

Personally, I tend to favor the 'In Media Res' style of opening, but a slower-burn could be just as enjoyable when its executed well.

As for why, well, I like to figure things out with the protagonist, and tend to achieve that better when the story starts in the thick of it with a mystery behind it, and the adventure ahead.

The spoiler opening. Something that won't happen until 100 chapters later.

To be honest, I actually hate them because I just have to read the novel until I get to that spoiled part. But you know what's more annoying? When the spoiled Chapter 1 is not even published yet!

 

[TinaMigarlo]

I'm perfectly happy with a slow burn opening. I might be getting to know things about the character that will serve me well later on, to know what makews him tick. Its like in music, an extended intro, typically lighter in theme, gives more "weight" to the piece. Andf so I tended to write like that.

this, however, does not make everyone happy. I was chastised, castigated, and damn near all but castrated for it on the site I came from. Everyone espoused basically the "fantasy fiction formula" (a real book, BTW) which basiucallyu states, with smarmy smug authority, mind you... you *must* put your character in peril, in the first paragraph. Preferably? In the first sentence! No exceptiopns!

that made all those agents and publishing houses that say they read the first page, and into the trash it goiies if it doesnt get somewhere right the fuck now and hook the reader immediately. print readers or even people that pay for e-books are more willing to wait a little to build up, but WN? by and large, no.

The theory of this comes from screenwriters, and it got applied to novels now. that said, in a movie? you see it a *lot* an opening action sequence with high stakes and drama. Then you get to the build up to the rest. other rules in the fantasy fiction formula are equally smug and smarmy. You're not tolkein, limit yourself as a new author to 200 perhaps 300 pages, tops. Its all the book equivalent of "dont bore us, get to the chorus... two and a half minutes, and bring it to an end. Done."

*shrugs*

so I started learning to make tighter paced novels. Now I have to go back and invent a "punchy" perilous first chapter, or no one wants to read it. otherwise i can't save an otherwise good story. It can feel as if the author is making a nine course big meal, and everyone is yelling at him to just whip up a happy meal so they can eat on the run. But? I want readers, so I'm forcing myself to adapt to this.

I like both. p[unchy opening, or slow burn where I get to learn about the character(s) a couple chapters that seem slice of life to me, but I'm probably learning things the author wants me to know. I feel as if everyopne has learned to yell "navel gazing!" just so they have something that sounds authoritative to be a critic about, sometimes.

last site I was on? This stuff is *mantra* and *dogma*. Here, I'm seeing I might have enough heretics around who will permit me to do such things, i don't know how to act. you guys might spoil me.