Writers\' Forum - 04.2020

Writers’FORUM

EXERCISE

FORUM

EXERCISE

FORUM

EXERCISE

be suffi cient. It will be enough
to put the reader in the picture;
too much fl ashback at this stage
would slow the story right down.
Don’t forget, the reader is
itching to get to Sarah’s to fi nd
out what’s happened. With
fl ashback, it’s a matter of striking
the right balance. Exposition can
always be threaded through later.

The four W’s
It’s advisable, at this opening
stage, to check whether you’ve
clearly set the scene. Have you
covered the four Ws?

■Who is our main character?
Jane, who is uneasy about Sarah.
■Where are we? Outside. Jane
is hurrying down a leafy lane
■When is it all happening?
Present day, early morning
■Why start here? It’s a point of
change: Sarah’s phone call spells
trouble

The type of opening
This will depend on the tone of
the story, of course. For instance,
commercial magazine short
stories often open with direct –
often dramatic – dialogue:

‘Sorry, Mum, uni’s not for me,’
Dan said. ’You can’t make me go!’

That beginning indicates the
tone of the story to come and
brings in the confl ict. A couple of
classic openings, which illustrate
this beautifully:

Hale knew, before he had been
in Brighton three hours, that they
meant to murder him.
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

It is a truth universally
acknowledged, that a single man

in possession of a good fortune,

must be in want of a wife.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The set-up

Ask yourself what change –

leading to potential confl ict – will

be introduced in your fi rst scene?

You might fi nd it easier to

create the required tone if you

use fi rst person. Writing your

story from their outlook, any

change will show itself straight

away because ‘I’ is experiencing

it and you’re in their thoughts.

(A tip: have you made it clear

to the reader the sex of your ‘I’

character? So easy to overlook!)

Some possible situation

changes you might use to enhance

the fi rst scene:

■Your main character meets

someone who will turn their life

around

■Your MC learns something

distressing

■Your MC is involved in some

action against their will

■Your MC is suddenly engulfed

in an emotional crisis

■Some event occurs that will

lead to change in your MC’s life

Your opening scene is very

important, but don’t let it stop

you progressing. You can always

go back and revise the beginning

till you’re satisfi ed.

Aim to make the editor or

publisher reluctant to put your

manuscript down!

A

Select one of the following situations and

write the opening scene of a short story.

Suzi, mother of a six-year-old daughter, has fallen out with Jamil,

who also has a little girl. The children are upset about it because

they are good friends. There is a row at the school gates and one

of the girls runs off.

In a pub, Fran meets Anneka, a workmate, who is there with her

new boyfriend. Anneka, new to the area, has been starry-eyed

about the guy to her colleagues. But Fran recognises him; he is a

local man who has recently done time for assault.

First, you’ll need to decide whose viewpoint you will

tell it from. Also, at which point will you start the story?

Afterwards, be really self-critical and ask yourself whether

your opening is enticing enough to make a reader read on.

Notes

Completed / / My rating /

B

Select a published short story and study

the beginning. Does it make you read on?

Could you improve it? If not, why not?

Notes

Completed / / My rating /

Barbara Dynes’ latest

book, Masterclasses

in Creative Writing,

is published by

Constable & Robinson

at £9.99

You can’t take up a page or so to Starter’s orders

get it across – there is not time.

Your hook has to be there, right

at the beginning