When it comes to writing, there are no hard and fast rules—every ‘rule’ proposed by writers has been broken at some point. However, there are timeless principles that can serve as valuable guides to crafting compelling stories. For me, the most important principle in writing is this...
...captivate immediately!
If you aim to hook a publisher (or any reader) in the first 30 pages, you must grab their attention and keep it. The key lies in following three essential steps that ensure your opening pages are irresistible.
Recently, I completed a course hosted by Barbara Kyle on this topic. I wanted to share my top 3 takeaways. Credit to Barbara for sharing her knowledge and expertise. You can check out her website here: https://www.barbarakyle.com
Step 1: Create a Clear, Inciting Incident
The first step to captivating your audience is introducing a clear, inciting incident. This event tips the main character’s life off balance and sets the story in motion. It doesn’t have to happen in the very first sentence, but it should occur as close to the start as possible. The goal is to start with something that matters deeply to the protagonist, giving readers an immediate emotional hook.
Do: Start with an event that directly impacts the main character’s life and forces them into action. This is the ‘point of no return’ that makes your readers invested in what happens next.
Don’t: Start with a lengthy backstory. Readers don’t need to know everything about your character’s past before they care about their present. Instead, weave the backstory in gradually, revealing only what’s necessary as the plot unfolds.

Example: ‘The Wizard of Oz’ by L Frank Baum
In ‘The Wizard of Oz’, the inciting incident is the tornado that whisks Dorothy away to the magical land of Oz. But the story doesn’t open with the tornado. Instead, it begins by describing her life on a bleak, flat prairie with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry and her beloved dog, Toto. The emotional connection created by Dorothy’s relatability makes the stakes of the tornado—and her subsequent journey—more meaningful to the audience.
Example: ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn
Another excellent example is Gillian Flynn’s ‘Gone Girl’. The story begins with Nick, the husband, waking up to find that his wife, Amy, is missing. This is an inciting incident, and it happens almost immediately. What makes it so powerful is the way Flynn crafts tension and mystery from the very beginning.
We are thrown into Nick’s perspective, and the first-person narration reveals his thoughts as he grapples with his thoughts and confusion. The opening chapter doesn’t just tell us what’s happening; it layers the scene with suspicion, unease, and a tinge of foreboding. How? Because Nick’s thoughts about Amy are unsettling. He describes her head—the shape of her skull, her brilliance, and her manipulative tendencies. This creates a sense that something isn’t quite right. The reader is hooked, not just by the mystery of Amy’s disappearance but by the complexity of the relationship and the undercurrent of tension between the characters.

Furthermore, the author doesn’t rush the scene. Instead, she builds intrigue by weaving in small details that hint at larger truths. This careful pacing draws readers in, making them eager to turn the page and uncover what’s really going on.
By introducing a clear, emotionally charged inciting incident early in your story, you’ll hook your audience and keep them invested. The key is to start with something that disrupts the status quo and makes readers want to know more.
Stay tuned for the next two steps in crafting irresistible opening pages; Part 2 will be released next week!
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