Where the Promise is Given
If a book is well-written, it begins with a promise to the reader. And by the end, the promise is fulfilled.
For example, in To Kill A Mockingbird, the first sentence is the promise:
“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”
The rest of the story is a masterpiece with a simple, underlying promise about how Jem got his arm broken.
The Promise in Mystery
For detective or crime-related mysteries, the promise leads to who committed the crime. And is filled with clues that sometimes inform, or mislead, the reader until the end of the story.
In Agatha Christie’s mystery, The Moving Finger, the opening line is:
“I have often recalled the morning when the first of the anonymous letters came.”
From there, Christie weaves the story of who wrote the letters and why, and who received them and why.
The Writer’s Promise
While studying the craft of writing, I’ve learned that danger or intrigue is usually the most compelling type of promise that draws readers into a story.
Lee and Christie certainly succeeded in the examples above.
Like many writers, I’ve realized that the opening — the promise to my readers — is the most difficult part of the book to write.
Joyce Carol Oates is credited with saying, “The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.”
So as I continue to draft my story, I wonder if the current opening (which I’ve rewritten too many times) will be in the final version.
But I pray to stick to my quest: to write a compelling story, beginning with a hook that promises the reader a great adventure, and ends with that promise fulfilled.
What books have fulfilled the promise of the opening?
The Promise In Every Story – What books fulfilled the promise in the opening? Share on XJoni Vance is an award-winning author of fiction, essay, and poetry. She loves mystery, history, and how God reveals Himself every day.
May God reveal the mystery of His love in your life story.
I think we all agonize over that first sentence–we want the perfect hook. Thanks for sharing insight on this important aspect of our writing.
Thanks for sharing, Katherine. And good luck with your writing – and the first line of each work!
Thanks for your insights, Joni. In reading your blog, I too thought about the opening of the Bible. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The rest of the Bible shows how He is sovereignly in control of history and mankind. He has a perfect plan and He is working it out.
Thanks for reading and sharing, Phyllis. 🙂
I decided to look and see if the Bible fulfills that promise. And it does! In the first book… Genesis… Eden is lost. The whole Bible is about restoring what was lost, and the only one that could do it— Jesus. Then in Revelation 22, my Bible heading is Eden Restored. The Bible is really God’s story… what was lost… what was restored… and how He did it.
Thanks for sharing, Jane. I appreciate your support.
Thanks, Joni. I love re-reading those great opening sentences.
I appreciate you reading my post and commenting. Your writing support means a great deal to me.