Tuesday Tidbit: Why should you wait to write your memoir’s opening?

Reading time: 50 seconds

Consider waiting to write your memoir’s opening until after you’ve completed your rough draft. Most people do.

Why?

Because crafting the lead (the hook, the opening, the beginning) can be challenging—or even exasperating—so, many writers pin it down after they’ve composed most of their piece.

Two reasons to wait:

First: Sometimes within the writing of a story, it evolves into a different story. You didn’t set out to tell that story, but it’s good, it’s important, it’s a keeper.

In that case, if you had created an opening at the outset, you’d have wasted your time. That’s because a different story needs a different hook.

Second: Often an idea for the lead comes from within already-written paragraphs and chapters. Be alert—watch for it! When you find it, go to work crafting your beginning.

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve covered two types of leads:

The Quote Lead, and

The Scene-setting Lead

(Click on those links if you missed those posts.)

But there are more!

Be sure to come back Thursday and I’ll tell you about additional types of leads—

• The Action Lead,
• The Anecdote Lead,
• and The Statistics Lead.

There you have it, your Tuesday Tidbit.

Related posts:

Does your memoir’s beginning pass the test?

Does your opening make your memoir a must-read?

If you don’t get this right, you’ll lose readers.