Psst, Reader, want to know the secret to an epic first line?

The secret that most storytellers would trade their firstborn or favorite furry baby for?

The secret I wished I’d known so much earlier?

Lean in close and I’ll share it with you.

Don’t try to write one from the start.

Yep. That’s it. Honest to coffee, I’m not screwing with you.

Because trying to spin literary gold out of nothing is way too much pressure to put on yourself right from the get-go and will only end in tears and blank pages.

And I, like you—and most storytellers out there—had to learn this one the hard way.

So many great story ideas died before they ever got a chance to become real stories. Because I’d struggle and get frustrated and give up while trying to create my awesome story opening.

Then I’d lose interest in it and abandon the idea for something shiny and new and less tainted by failure.

Or I’d write something and then way down the line *cough* after the first version of the book was out in the world I’d come up with a much better opening.

It was a struggle. Like pushing a big ol’ boulder up a hill and I was desperate to find a better way of doing things.

Fast forward to today where I’ve learned to write my scenes, chapters, and even whole books before coming back to write the opening lines last.

Yes, you read that correctly—last.

Because it’s a lot easier to edit a story into something awesome than it is to create gold out of nothing.

But what do I write for those opening lines?

If it’s the start of a story or chapter it’s usually a bit of action or dialogue to ignite things and get the plot moving. You can see examples of this in my 2 short works on Wattpad, What is Your Desire? and 2 Turtledoves.

But what about scenes?

My work They Come at Night is a bit more unusual in that it’s not a standalone novel, but a weekly episodic series of vignettes that are usually only a scene long.

So I’m going to use one of those past episodes, Reader, to show you how you can use this technique in your own storytelling. I’m also going to combine it with the 3 Core Elements of a Scene technique I outlined in Quest 12 of the Storyteller’s Saga.

LEGENDARY CHARACTER + ACTION = OUTCOME

So let’s get started, shall we?

Episode 17’s prompt was Ominous, so first I had to decide what my 3 Core Elements would be and came up with:

Legendary Character: Korik

Action: Fleeing through the Wurm Wood

Outcome: Korik is captured by Gunther and his horde

I then wrote 600+ words of Korik fleeing through the Wurm Wood—the place he fears most and swore he would never return to—from someone he fears even more. Ultimately he is captured by Gunther and his horde.

After ending the episode on a cliffhanger that would leave readers hungry for next week’s episode, I tried to put myself in the same headspace as the character. He’s slightly disoriented and frantically running through the woods in the fading light of day as it’s beginning to rain. Now, what could I say that would also make the reader feel slightly disoriented?

And this is what I arrived at:

Notice how the sentences are short and almost like half-formed thoughts? They’re the sort of thing someone might think if they were running for their life.

An opening like this will immediately draw a reader of the series in because Korik is acting contrary to his established character (this is Episode 17 after all). And only 4 episodes earlier he was very sure of himself and the actions he took and now he’s convinced he’s a dead man.

And remember: If you write in a style where you’re ending episodes or chapters on cliffhangers it’s important to start the next one with action or tension as well. Just something to keep in mind.

If you want to read all of Episode 17: Ominous in its entirety you can here.

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So, Reader, now you know the true secret to writing an epic first line is to write your scene, chapter, or story first then craft that opening line as the cherry on top.

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Your cohort in storytelling,

Kat Vancil

🐱

PS 👉 If my 3 Core Elements technique resonated with you, then check out my free 5-Day Story Creation mini-course. It’s like the * version of this technique.
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CREATE A BRAND NEW STORY IN JUST 5 DAYS!

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