Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Good Openers

Trying to decide how to open my story. Should I have a supporting character waking up outside discovering she has a horrible sunburn. The main character was to wake her before she burned, only to discover she's asleep beside her in a lawn chair. The secondary character is obviously angry.

Or,

Opening with an internal monologue from the main character.

I also want to switch point of veiws between the main characters, is there a non-confusing way to do this?

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Permalink Reply by Aries on May 16, 2011 at 10:40pm

Juliet McKenna changes perspective in her books constantly. The central protagonist is referred to be first-person pronouns, whereas the secondary protagonists use third-person.

Kinoko Nasu however sticks with first person in Fate/Stay Night. In the Unlimited Blade Works story, you think Shirou is having dreams about a battlefield, and later on it's revealed it's someone completely different.

Another way to do an opening is to have it be set in a future, or an alternate future. For example, the opening episode to Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann has an opening (skip to 2:10) in which an older Simon is waging a war against an incredibly powerful unknown opponent, but that doesn't happen as the anime goes on. (What really happens will blow your mind), it's especially effective in stories where someone takes a level in badass, or is a future badass.

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