Episode 174 - How to ruin our story's first sentences. episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 18, 2025 · 26 MIN

Episode 174 - How to ruin our story's first sentences.

from Essential Guide to Writing a Novel · host James Thayer

A story's first sentence should make the reader ask, "What's next?"  They should propel the reader into the story.  Here's how to do it right and how to do it wrongly.  Also, three master writers show us how to describe a setting.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.Support the showBuy the master class.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 18, 2025

Embed this episode

A story's first sentence should make the reader ask, "What's next?" They should propel the reader into the story. Here's how to do it right and how to do it wrongly. Also, three master writers show us how to describe a setting. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episod...

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

Episode 174 - How to ruin our story's first sentences.

0:00 26:29

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Essential Guide to Writing a Novel?

This episode is 26 minutes long.

When was this Essential Guide to Writing a Novel episode published?

This episode was published on July 18, 2025.

Can I download this Essential Guide to Writing a Novel episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!