🥑 scene starters!

How do you write a good scene opener?

None of us want to become accidental winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest (2024’s winners, for a good laugh). The grand-prize winner:

Let’s start with an assumption: every scene in every book was written with the goal that someone will actually read it. Which makes the first line really important.

When you’re fishing, the hook needs to be connected to the pole if you want to catch anything. Same rule applies to catching readers with your own scene hooks.

(I don’t fish.)

The good news: you don’t have to nail it on your first draft. That’s what revisions are for!

Once you’ve outlined or written your scene, ask yourself these four questions.

1. What’s the purpose of this scene?

2. What do I want the reader to feel during this scene?

3. What do I want the character to feel during this scene?

4. What direction (or misdirection) is this scene giving the reader?

We’ll dive into each of these questions (and a few others) in appetizer form, because one or more of them will lead you to your perfect hook.

Next time: find your purpose.

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^{Avocado Bites is a publication of Avocado Tree Press, LLC, that helps you revise your stories one bite at a time. We love working with indie and traditionally published authors on fiction manuscripts—and if that’s you, welcome to our target audience.}

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^{Addison Horner is the chief editor of Avocado Tree Press. Here’s his newsletter. It’s different but still pretty good.}