Post #7 – Memoir and Fiction, Writing Alchemy – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Reach out of the page and grab your reader by the arm. Tell her your story in such a riveting way that she sits down, absorbed with your tale, only standing up hours later. Maybe she’ll stay up all night, reading your book.
That’s what all writers want. The question is how do you craft an effective opening? Since late 2008, I’ve sought answers to that important question. I’ve interviewed authors just about openings. Kendra Bonnett and I have interviewed authors of recent memoirs who responded to questions about their books. I always put in what has become my signature question about openings. I’ve also blogged about this topic under the title of Opening Salvos on Story Circle Network’s blog, Telling HerStories. If you click on this link, you’ll have access to my 17 blog posts about memoir openings.
Although I’m sure I’ll return to this topic from time to time, this is my final post about effective memoir opening sentences and paragraphs for some time. With our new Custom Search feature (see right column) on this website, you’ll always be able to search for my blogs on openings as well as other topics that specifically interest you.
As my temporary farewell to the topic, I want to share with you this video on the subject. It is the seventh Writing in Five in our Writing Alchemy series. I hope you enjoy learning about William Zinsser’s take on creating strong leads.
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