From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

Opening image: Examples

From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Opening image: Examples

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- [Narrator] Let's take a look at some examples of the opening image beat in action. We'll look at some movies first. Inside Out, it's one of my favorite movies and it also has a wonderfully successful beat sheet. In the opening image, Joy is born inside Riley's head, and we immediately see how and why she's obsessed with Riley's happiness. She becomes addicted to it as soon as she sees that first yellow memory ball roll down the ramp. But, a moment later, Sadness appears and Joy's primary source of conflict is made evident; her battle with Sadness. This is a great opening image because we are instantly introduced to the tender, sweet tone of the movie, as well as Joy's biggest life problem, wanting Riley only to be happy. By the end, she'll realize that Riley needs all of her emotions, and that Sadness and Joy sometimes go hand-in-hand, but of course, she can't see that just yet. How about the King's Speech? This Best Picture Academy Award winner has another brilliant opening image. As we open, we see George. He's not king yet, but he will be soon, when his brother abdicates the throne. For now, he's appropriately giving a speech, but it's not going well. George is plagued by a debilitating stutter, and it's evident in this emotional opening image. As he tries painfully to get through the speech, the audience looks almost ashamed, and George is humiliated, because his life problem is not actually his stutter, it's his confidence. If he's going to be a great ruler one day, he has to learn how to build up his confidence and become kingly, and that, in turn, will help his stutter, but for now, that flaw, that lack of confidence, is written all over his face at the start of the movie. But what about novels? Can you have an equally effective opening image when the medium is not visual by nature? Absolutely. Let's take a look at some examples. The opening image, and opening scene, for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, features a hilarious dialogue between Mr. And Mrs. Bennet, the parents of the story's hero, Lizzie Bennet. The tone is definitely humorous and satirical, as is the rest of the novel. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are arguing over whether or not Mr. Bennet will go introduce himself to the handsome and eligible bachelor, Mr. Bingley, who has just moved in next door. Mrs. Bennet hopes that Mr. Bingley will marry one of their five daughters. The conversation immediately gives us a glimpse into 19th century Regency era English society, but also, into Lizzie's life and the pressures she deals with living in this time period. All her mother cares about is her getting married, and she's quite persistent about it, too. Now let's take a look at a more modern novel, one of my favorites, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. The book starts with Becky Bloomwood, our hero and titular shopaholic, opening her Visa bill, and freaking out about how huge it is. It's a hilarious scene where we get a terrific glimpse into who Becky is as a hero; someone who clearly lives in denial, and we get a glimpse at her big life problem, she can't stop shopping, and as the novel continues, we'll soon see that it's a problem that is wreaking havoc in all aspects of her life.

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