The house was three miles from the station, but before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, ‘Aren’t we nearly there?’ And every time they passed a house, which was not very often, they all said, ‘Oh, is this it?’ But it never was, till they reached the very top of the hill, just past the chalk-quarry and before you come to the gravel-pit. And then there was a white house with a green garden and an orchard beyond, and mother said, ‘Here we are!’
The Bolton School Entrance examination is nearly upon us and once again one of the happiest experiences involved with tutoring for the English Examination is the creative writing. This is because the ‘craft’ of creating an engaging opening allows me the opportunity of visiting and revisiting lots of fascinating writers.
And it is very important to work out why/how/ where we simply have to read on!
For first impressions in writing are just as important as in other aspects of our lives, so it is imperative that the opening of your story holds the attention of your reader.
Grab your reader and make them see that your story is worth pursuing!
E Nesbit’s opening above uses one of the most simple yet compelling tactics of all.
- She makes her characters move house in the very first paragraph.
- They have obviously left one home and are on the move to somewhere new.
- Arriving in a new house or home brings change to your characters.
- New encounters will follow and perhaps new meetings with unusual or decidedly magical characters as in Nesbit and David Almond’s Skellig for example.
- So let’s summarize:
1) Make your opening involve either a leaving or an arrival or both.
2) With the change bring in something new, perhaps outside the experience of your protagonists.
3) Use specific details ( as in Pullman) to make your writing vivid and real.
