By Craig Faustus Buck
Bang out of the gate. Or else.
Are you one of those readers who scan the first paragraph of a
book and puts it down if it doesn't grab you? I am. If I'm feeling
ornery, I'll give the author only one line to snag me. So, as a writer, I
make a point of trying to write openings that pop in order to avoid losing
those readers who are as quick to judge as I.
A lot of writers like to set the scene before diving into a story,
but most readers aren't interested in what a character feels or how a setting
looks unless they're already invested in that character or wonder about that
setting. As Elmore Leonard famously advised, "Never open a book with
weather."
I write noir. Perhaps cozy, romance or
"literature" readers have more patience than my readers, but
hardboiled fans want to be grabbed by the throat and hurled into a story.
One way to do this is with a twist.
A twisted open implies right up front, that more surprises are in
store. I like that in a story. Sue Grafton used the device to launch an
empire. Here's how she opened A is for Alibi: "My name
is Kinsey Milhone. I'm a private investigator, licensed by the state of
California. I'm thirty-two years old, twice divorced, no kids. The
day before yesterday I killed someone and the fact weighs heavily on my mind."
She lulls you with a straightforward description of a
single-divorced detective, then smacks you awake with the unexpected.
It's a soft open for a noir thriller, but doesn't Gloria pique
your interest?
Michael Connelly opened The Poet with a
suggestive concept: "Death is my beat. I make my living from
it."
How can you put that book down before you've satisfied your
curiosity about the narrator? Make readers wonder and you buy time to
hook them on your story.
These are just two of a multitude of possible opening tactics, but
I've run out of space. Bottom line: hit 'em fast and hard and where they
least expect it.
_______________________________________________________
Craig Faustus Buck is an L.A.-based
journalist, nonfiction book author, TV writer-producer, screenwriter,
short-story writer and novelist. Among his six nonfiction books, two were
#1 NYT bestsellers. He wrote a short film that was nominated for an
Oscar. He was one of the writers on the seminal miniseries V:
The Final Battle. His first noir
mystery novel, Go Down Hard, will be published May 2015 by Brash Books and was first runner up for the Claymore Award
at Killer Nashville. His indie feature, Smuggling for Gandhi,
is currently in preproduction. His novella, Psycho
Logic was published May 1 by Stark Raving Group and his short
story, Dead
End, the novella's prequel, is a current Anthony Award nominee. http://craigfaustusbuck.com
Twitter: @CFBuck
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