How Long Should Your Story’s Opening Be?

Many writers often wonder how long or short their story's opening should be. Read this excerpt from Hooked by Les Edgarton and find out what is the proper length for a story opening.

The primary requirement of an opening is that the first line plunges the reader into the story instantly. A slow, leisurely beginning is just not acceptable to readers these days, unless you’re a brand-name author whose fans will pick up anything and everything you write, or unless the book you’re working on is any but the first in a series. In both cases, waiting fans may be predisposed to wade through a lethargic opening; other books and stories won’t be granted a similar amount of patience by the reader. And while a slow beginning may sometimes be acceptable in a novel, rarely will such a beginning be tolerated in a short story.

So, what’s the proper length for a story opening? The answer is: As short as you can make it.

Open the story, show readers the problem via a scene, and then have your character get to work on the problem.

That’s it, pretty much.
Short and sweet does the work best.

Buy Hooked now!