The First 100 Words: An Essay on Writing

Often we think about a piece of writing too much prior to putting it to the page. The thesis of this article will be the fact that after the 100 words the project will only get easier. This comes from my personal experience on projects as varied as novels, comic book scripts, and non-fiction articles.

The main idea will be fleshed out in these first 100 words. The writer may find the idea has changed, that it is easier to write on, or that a new thought will come to mind to make the process of writing it out easier.

Everything is built upon the initial thought; even if this changes the piece will reflect the initial thought. The writer may not incorporate it until the end, saving the best for last.

If this is a novel, the idea could bring upon a multitude of possibilities for characters, conflicts, and story focus.

It is important to always remember the first 100 words. Many writers will forget entirely upon the initial thought, jumping on the latest idea. It has been said by writers like Peter David that the initial thought is usually from another source, whether it be a non-fiction article the author read in a magazine, a comic book hero, or how a character in a novel will act. There is some truth to this, but all stories have been told before except for the few we alone experienced.

The first 100 words is also the hook. If you approach a story of a wife being beaten by her husband-which does not have to be told in a fiction story, it can be an article on abuse-then the story has a clear hook. The hook can be many different things, and there can be more than one, but save the other ideas for later in the narrative.

Take an article on the dangers of smoking cigarettes. It would be thought a statistic or setting would be envisioned first, but try to focus on real people and their troubles early on. A setting can be an overdone beginning, as seen in newspapers. Pull the reader in with a real person-who acts and feels-and then setup the rest.

It will be easier once the first 100 words are written. The ideas will form, and the narrative will take shape. Once the story is finished, the words in the beginning may be altered, as they should always relate to the completed story.