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Why It Matters
The first sentence is the most important sentence in your piece. It's the first thing the examiner reads, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. A strong opening creates momentum.
Examples
“Action opening: "Run!" The word tore through the darkness before I even saw who had shouted it.”
-- Starts mid-action“Mystery opening: The letter had no stamp, no postmark, and no return address. Just my name, in ink so dark it looked almost purple.”
-- Raises immediate questions“Contrast opening: It was supposed to be an ordinary Tuesday.”
-- Implies that ordinary is about to be shattered“Sensory opening: The air smelled of salt and something burning.”
-- Drops the reader into a sceneNever start with "Once upon a time" or "One day". These are the most common openings, and they tell the examiner nothing about your writing ability. Start in the middle of the action, with a question, with a sensory detail, or with a statement that makes the reader want to know more.
Practice Exercises
Try these exercises to practise using powerful openings in your own writing. Click "Show Suggestions" to see example answers.
1
Write three different openings for a story titled "The Discovery".
Action: I dropped to my knees and dug with both hands, the soil cold and damp between my fingers.
Mystery: Nobody had opened the box in forty years. There was a good reason for that.
Sensory: The torch beam swept across the cave wall, and what it found made me forget how to breathe.
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Related Techniques
Creating Atmosphere
Using a combination of setting description, word choice, sentence length, and literary devices to create a specific mood or feeling in a scene.
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Foreshadowing
Hinting at something that will happen later in the story, creating a sense of anticipation or unease.
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Short Sentences for Impact
Using a very short sentence (sometimes just one or two words) to create drama, shock, or emphasis.
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