Skillshare

Creative Writing Essentials: Writing Stand-Out Opening Scenes

Name: Creative Writing Essentials: Writing Stand-Out Opening Scenes
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The Anatomy of a Gripping Opening

Daniel José Older, bestselling author, breaks down opening scenes by analyzing his own work—the first and final draft of his urban fantasy novel Shadowshaper sit side-by-side. You'll learn why scene and story are inseparable, how verb choice reveals character, and how the opening scene establishes momentum that carries readers forward.

The focus on Driving Question—how the opening plants seeds of the larger story—is particularly valuable. Great opening scenes do more than intrigue; they promise what kind of story you're about to tell.

About this course

Ever wonder what makes a great opening scene?

In this 45-minute class, New York Times bestselling author Daniel José Older shows you how to craft a compelling opening scene for your story. Using the first and last drafts of the opening scene for his urban fantasy novel Shadowshaper as a case study, Daniel breaks down the anatomy of a scene and provides clear and useful exercises to help you analyze character, movement, and structure. By the end you’ll have the tools needed to build gripping opening scenes and write cohesive stories! Throughout the class you’ll be learning about:

Microcosms and Macrocosms: how scene and stories are deeply connected
Character Action: what verb choice reveals about your characters
Narrative Movement: how the events in an opening scene set the stage and establish momentum
Driving Question: how the opening scene plants the seeds of your story’s larger question

This class is for storytellers, writers, and anyone who wants to explore the inner workings of strong opening scenes. In the last video, Daniel reads through the rough and final draft of the opening scene of Shadowshaper, which you can download here and read beforehand.