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Narrative Opening Writing

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Narrative Opening Writing

A storm is building outside a small pizza shop. Plan and write an opening that makes a reader want to continue. Work through the clues, then create your own version.

Spot the opening moves

Strong openings often establish a setting, introduce a character, use precise details, and hint that something is about to happen.

1.Which opening gives the clearest sense of setting and creates the strongest question in the reader’s mind?

The pizza shop was open.
Rain drummed on the shop windows as Mei reached for the envelope marked with her name.
Mei liked making pizza and went to work.

2.Choose the two details that are sensory details a reader could imagine using their senses.

The rain rattled against the metal awning.
The envelope contained a secret.
The warm smell of melted cheese filled the shop.
Mei was curious.

3.Read: “Hemi pushed open the back door. The shop was quiet. He saw a light beneath the storeroom door.” Which sentence is the best example of a hook that hints at a problem or mystery?

4.Improve this plain sentence by adding one precise sound or smell: “Tane stood in the pizza shop.”

Plan your own opening

Use the pizza shop scene, or change one detail to make it your own. Build an opening with a setting, a character, sensory detail, and a hint of trouble or surprise.

5.Invent a character working in or visiting the shop. What do they want right now, and what might worry them?

6.Write one vivid detail for each sense that could fit your opening: sight, sound, smell, or touch. You may choose any two senses.

7.Choose a first sentence that will draw a reader in. It could begin with action, dialogue, or an unusual detail. Write your sentence.

8.Write your narrative opening in 5–8 sentences. Establish where and when the story begins, introduce your character, include at least two precise details, and finish with a hint that something is about to happen.

9.Reread your opening. Name one word or phrase you chose carefully, and explain how it helps the reader imagine the scene.