From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Opening image: Explanation

Opening image: Explanation

From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Opening image: Explanation

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- [Lecturer] The opening image is not surprisingly the opening of your novel. It's the first scene of your story. Remember, a scene is one piece of information given to your reader or one action happening in the story. You'll see what I mean when we get into the examples lecture after this. For now, let's take a look at what should happen in this scene. First of all, the opening image sets the tone, style, and mood of the story. If it's a funny book, this beat should be funny. If it's a suspenseful book, this beat should be, surprise, suspenseful. This is where your voice or writing style as the author shines bright and gives the reader a clear picture of what they're getting into. Most important though, this beat provides us, the reader of the story, with what's called a before snapshot. This is a glimpse at what your hero's life looks like when the story begins. We need to know where your hero is starting, so we can understand where they're going. In other words, to have a…

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