The KEYS to Great Beginnings

Leads  Leads are the light in a dark room that allow the readers to begin to figure out what will happen in your story.  Selecting the right lead for your story is VERY important.  If you do not hook your reader in the first page or two, then the will most likely put down your story.  You must decide what type of lead will work for your story.  Will you start slow and quiet? OR Will you start startle the reader to attention with an odd fact or disturbing detail?

Different Types of Leads  There are several different types of leads that an author can use.  The Big Potato Lead, Snapshot Lead, Thoughtshot Lead, Dialogue Lead, Astonishing Fact, and Posing a Question Lead

Big Potato Lead  Big Potato Leads jump right into the middle of the action or story and they leave the reader wanting more.  “And suddenly everything stops.” Runa - Allison James  “Every so often that dead dog dreams me up again.” Dog Heaven – Stephanie Vaughn  “They murdered him.” Chocolate Wars – Robert Cormier

Snapshot Leads  A snapshot lead creates a picture in the readers head.  “The doorman of the Kilmarnock was six foot two. He wore a pale blue uniform, and white gloves made his hands look enormous. He opened the door of the yellow taxi as gently as an old maid stroking a cat.” Smart Alec Kill – Raymond Chandler  “A thin crescent moon, high in the sky, shed faint white light over Dimwood Forest. Stars glowed. Breezes full of ripe summer fragrance floated over nearby meadow and hill. Dimwood itself, veiled in darkness, lay utterly still.” Poppy – Avi.

Thoughtshot Lead  Thoughtshot leads start with a thought inside of a character or you the narrator.  “As a boy, I never knew where my mother was from- where she was born, who her parents were.” The Color of Water – James McBride.  “Up until I turned twelve years old, the kind of friends I had were what you’d expect. They were my own age more or less. Most of them were born here in Serenity along with me. And all of us went to the same school together.” Onion John – Joseph Krumgold.

Dialogue Lead  A dialogue lead start with a line two of dialogue.  “Your father has meet with an accident.” Barn – Avi  “Where is Papa going with the ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White

Astonishing Fact Lead  An astonishing fact lead is a lead that presents a fact that is powerful or unusual.  “Try to imagine a star so big that it would fill all of the solar system within the orbit of Earth, which is 93 million miles from the sun. A star so turbulent that its eruptions would spread a cloud of gases spanning four light-years, the distance from the sun to the nearest star. A star so powerful that it glows with energy of 10million suns, making the brightest star ever observed in our galaxy, the Milky Way.” At the Core of the Milky Way, The Brightest Star ever Seen – John Noble Wilford

Posing a Question Lead  A posing a question lead asks the reader to think about a certain topic.  “Have you ever imagined what it would be like to play in the NBA? To glide down the court, matching strides with the greatest basketball players in the world? To hear the roar of the crowd as you throw down a dunk, or swat an opponent’s shot into the bleachers? It’s every kid’s dream. And for the fortunate few who make it to the NBA, it’s a dream come true.” NBA Game Day – Joseph Layden and James Preller