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We all know the most important sentence in a story is the very first sentence. It has only one goal: to convince the reader to read the next sentence and then the next until they are fully immersed in your story.
The goal is simple, but executing the goal with success is a challenge we’ve all agonized over. It’s easy to obsess over the beginning and wonder if you’ve started in just the right place with the right scene or narration. Maybe it seems perfect to you, but beta readers tell you it’s not a good enough hook and you try to make it bigger and better, flashier and more action-packed.
Stop.
The opening of a story doesn’t have to be flashy or be a big, attention-grabbing action scene. A good opening holds readers interest because it does one thing very well: it establishes the narrative urgency of the story. It immediately lets your readers in on the most important thing they need to understand in order for this story to take place, feel real, and becom