"One day, Tom was kicking a ball at the park." This is not your idea of a gripping opening, I hope. This was the kind of opening you might use when you were in primary one of two. Definitely not beyond.
Then came the influx of the nuggets - "The sun shone like a golden nugget in the clear blue sky." Hundreds of compositions in recent years began with openings like this one. Sigh. It was original for a while, until we read more and more of it. Then it became stale. We started to nit-pick. "The weather has nothing to do with the rest of the story," I would comment.
The above are just two of the types of openings used when writing. Do they look familiar to you? Are you guilty of using these openings? If you are, then it is high-time you change! The introduction is the first impression the reader (especially markers!) gets of your story. Is a run of the mill - something like the tens of scripts they have read before? Is this something different? A good introductory paragraph whets the marker's appetite in what he/she is going to read about.
A mistake made after choosing to write based on a given scenario is to copy the entire paragraph given in the question as the student's opening paragraph. This shows a lack of imagination! Also, do not get the question wrong. Read carefully and be sure to understand the painted scenario so as not to write out of point / focus!
I try to suggest some ways you might wish to use for your writing. Do try a variety of them as they are not relevant for all scenarios. Find mistakes you might make in using certain openings by writing in classroom compositions and that might help you by avioding the same mistakes later in examinations.
Option 1 - Describe weather. This is most common but will only work well if the writer has good descriptive skills. Do link it to the story to give it some relevance. What do I mean?
Example: "The rays of the sun shone mercilessly on Earth from the azure blue sky. Harry and Dino walked home happily after the bell rang and chatted excitedly about what they were going to do that afternoon."
This type of opening is overused and has nothing to do with the boys chatting excitedly!
Try: "The afternoon sun beamed brightly like a thousand-watt spotlight from the clear sky. Clouds were mysteriously missing on this day and did nothing to shield the people on the streets from the powerful rays. Harry and Dino trudged along their daily path in the intense, scorching heat towards their block of flats."
Option 2 - Dialogue. A personal favourite. There are just too many different things you can say that you could hardly find two pieces of writing with the exact same dialogue. Use this to good effect to lead the reader into your story. There is a pitfall, however. Overuse of this in your writing will veer your composition to look like a script for a play.
Scenario: You see two men behaving suspiciously at the void deck of a block of flats on your way home. You felt that they were up to no good and decided to watch them.
1. "Sshh... not so loud!" hushed the lanky man in a pair of dark-blue overalls, peering around for passers-by whom they might have alerted with their actions. His partner, who donned a pair of white workers' gloves,
lay prone on the ground, seemingly searching for something on the cold concrete floor. I was on the way home...
2. "I want you love and I want your revenge," I hummed to the tune of Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' from my earphones. There was nothing like enjoying the great hit from my favourite singer on my usual walk home from school. Lessons were a bore today. Science laboratory lessons were cancelled due to the 'surprise' fire-drill. English and Chinese lessons were dry and could revive the dead in the class, only for him to wake up and dash away into a more peaceful place of rest, away from the droning voices of our form teacher, Mrs. Chan.
3. "I wonder what they are up to..." John pondered when he saw from the corner of his eyes two suspicious-looking men. They were dressed in matching black singlets and dark-blue shorts in the middle of this cold wintry-day.
Three quick examples. Three different dialogues. Each sounding original.
Option 3 - Flashback. I try to avoid this as the opening gives the end away and the reader knows the outcome of your story. The only way to score better is to have an outstanding plot and use wonderful language. That is not easy to do! Moreover, some students just use a simple: "John smiled to himself as he recalled what happened to him when he foiled the kidnappers' plan and landed himself a medal for showing being courageous. This was what happened." What triggered the flashback? Not sure. Game plan given away. Sigh.
Option 4 - Question. Ask a question and make the reader read on to find out. But DO PROVIDE ANSWERS in your writing!
Example: What can the two men be doing, pacing up and down like husbands of wives wheeled in an operating theatre? Walking past block '343', I felt puzzled to see two European-looking men in our old, dilapitated neighbourhood in old Chinatown. Where they touring visitors?
Option 5 - Use phrase, quote, idiom, etc. It must have something to do with your story! You must be well-read to know enough of these to use at the opportune time.
Example: "Lightning doesn't strike twice" I remembered the saying when I saw the men creeping surreptitiously at the neighbouring block of flats again. I had earned myself a hush reprimand the other time when I had my father believe that they were up to no good, confronting the men then, only to find out they were 'lost' and waiting for their friend to bring them to their destination in Sentosa. However, there they were again. What excuse did they have this time?
Option 6 - Open with the climax. Not easy to begin stories like these. If you can write well and describe vividly, you can try this. It opens with the most exciting part of the story and draws the reader into the story from the start. The other parts of the story can be told later in the form of 'flashback'.
Example: Upon seeing the two knights in blue approach, "Big Head" and "Small Eyes" darted in the opposite direction like a mouse seeing a ravenous cat. The two policemen immediately gave chase and hollered for them to stop. With the two suspicious-looking men running for dear life, one could easily guess that they had been trying to break the law, waiting for some opportune time whilst loitering at the void deck earlier.
Pick up model compositions. See which ways they have tried to open. Challenge yourself to use alternative ways. Do you think you can do better?
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