I like that you point out how the genre, mood, tone and audience all play a part in how to shape the opening of a story. Sometimes I find opening lines in some books a bit gimmicky? If that makes sense? Like the writer is trying too hard to grab your attention... but maybe that's just me. If I'm going to be manipulated, I don't want to be able to tell... I want to remain blissfully ignorant of the fact 😂 if my attention is grabbed too hard I switch off. But the stories that do this well have a sense of authenticity to them.... like that is genuinely the narrative vibe and personality of the story, so that's OK. And the ones that are a bit gimmicky don't seem able to maintain the initial vibe. Halfway through the first chapter it's like you're reading a different writer's work. I always tell my students that it's about voice more than anything. Does the story have a personality (another way of daying mood/tone, I guess) and can you tell what it is right from the start? Opening lines/scenes are hard to do well, but so important because they really are make or break for engaging most readers/audiences.
Opening lines can absolutely feel gimmicky, and that's one of the hard parts. In that sense, it's just like you said, it's all about voice and tone. With Shangri-La Frontier, the tone set by the face kick is carried on throughout. If they were to do a face kick and then revert into a quiet and somber tale of love lost, and never get back to that tone, that's definitely gimmicky. Which ties into what you said, about the authenticity and genuineness.
I 100% agree with you about feeling manipulated. I think I'm a tad over-trusting with openings, though. If I'm hooked, I can't wait to see how they utilize that hook. But if I don't see it justified within a few pages, I give up. And maybe I even get a bit angry, because I do feel manipulated.
I did really enjoy going back and looking at the openings for a lot of manga that really worked though. It's a great medium to study too, because most manga do a catchy intro before the initial title drop, which is a fun study in how a big time series decides to open.
I must be in the middle category, being an early millennial where my attention span isn't quite as fucked as other to come, but I liked the opening of Fellowship of the Ring, the explaining of the mythology really piqued my interest for what was to follow, so much that I brought all the books and read them multiple times. Would it work in a comic? Maybe not. But movies and books have a different sense of time and acceptance to them.
I can just picture modern publishing seeing the intro to LOTR and saying "this is a prologue, ditch it." It does suit Fellowship well, it just comes from a different era and I do not see many stories of any mediums getting away with lengthy introductions these days. A recent example, I was speaking with an author friend, Mateo Askaripour, about his new book "This Great Hemisphere," which is a tremendous read. And it was a truly exceptional prologue that blew every prologue I've ever read out of the water. And I asked him how he was allowed to keep it, since publishing is so adverse to prologues in general, and to lengthy introductions, and he said he'd actually had three prologues, and had to cut it down to one.
Not sure why I felt the need to share that, but it felt kinda relevant! In the end though, it all comes down to what suits the story best. And I guess, in the end, what publishing or Hollywood wants doesn't have to make a difference. Just depends on what the goals for storytelling are. I feel like I'm rambling, but you bring up a good point, and it's making me think, so thank you!
I like that you point out how the genre, mood, tone and audience all play a part in how to shape the opening of a story. Sometimes I find opening lines in some books a bit gimmicky? If that makes sense? Like the writer is trying too hard to grab your attention... but maybe that's just me. If I'm going to be manipulated, I don't want to be able to tell... I want to remain blissfully ignorant of the fact 😂 if my attention is grabbed too hard I switch off. But the stories that do this well have a sense of authenticity to them.... like that is genuinely the narrative vibe and personality of the story, so that's OK. And the ones that are a bit gimmicky don't seem able to maintain the initial vibe. Halfway through the first chapter it's like you're reading a different writer's work. I always tell my students that it's about voice more than anything. Does the story have a personality (another way of daying mood/tone, I guess) and can you tell what it is right from the start? Opening lines/scenes are hard to do well, but so important because they really are make or break for engaging most readers/audiences.
Opening lines can absolutely feel gimmicky, and that's one of the hard parts. In that sense, it's just like you said, it's all about voice and tone. With Shangri-La Frontier, the tone set by the face kick is carried on throughout. If they were to do a face kick and then revert into a quiet and somber tale of love lost, and never get back to that tone, that's definitely gimmicky. Which ties into what you said, about the authenticity and genuineness.
I 100% agree with you about feeling manipulated. I think I'm a tad over-trusting with openings, though. If I'm hooked, I can't wait to see how they utilize that hook. But if I don't see it justified within a few pages, I give up. And maybe I even get a bit angry, because I do feel manipulated.
I did really enjoy going back and looking at the openings for a lot of manga that really worked though. It's a great medium to study too, because most manga do a catchy intro before the initial title drop, which is a fun study in how a big time series decides to open.
I must be in the middle category, being an early millennial where my attention span isn't quite as fucked as other to come, but I liked the opening of Fellowship of the Ring, the explaining of the mythology really piqued my interest for what was to follow, so much that I brought all the books and read them multiple times. Would it work in a comic? Maybe not. But movies and books have a different sense of time and acceptance to them.
I can just picture modern publishing seeing the intro to LOTR and saying "this is a prologue, ditch it." It does suit Fellowship well, it just comes from a different era and I do not see many stories of any mediums getting away with lengthy introductions these days. A recent example, I was speaking with an author friend, Mateo Askaripour, about his new book "This Great Hemisphere," which is a tremendous read. And it was a truly exceptional prologue that blew every prologue I've ever read out of the water. And I asked him how he was allowed to keep it, since publishing is so adverse to prologues in general, and to lengthy introductions, and he said he'd actually had three prologues, and had to cut it down to one.
Not sure why I felt the need to share that, but it felt kinda relevant! In the end though, it all comes down to what suits the story best. And I guess, in the end, what publishing or Hollywood wants doesn't have to make a difference. Just depends on what the goals for storytelling are. I feel like I'm rambling, but you bring up a good point, and it's making me think, so thank you!