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Writers want opening chapters that showcase their voice, introduce an unforgettable character, and make readers desperate to continue.

But a strong voice can become self-indulgent. The narrator may entertain the reader without moving the story forward, explaining too much, repeating the same joke, or delaying the moment when something actually happens. In a writing competition, where judges are actively looking for reasons to stop reading, those extra words can cost you.

In this episode, Jeff Elkins coaches author Scott Williamson on the opening of his darkly funny fantasy story about Auntie Pearl, a 300-year-old witch trying to turn a corpse into tea before her aging body falls apart.

They explore how to tighten an opening without stripping away its personality, create intimacy between a first-person narrator and the reader, and withhold information to build mystery and narrative promise. Jeff also explains why writers should address one reader at a time, avoid telling readers what they are thinking, and keep present-tense narrators from revealing knowledge they cannot possess.

The conversation also examines how vulnerability can make a monstrous character lovable, how a child character can become an engine for change, and how dark humor can keep physical suffering entertaining rather than exhausting.

Watch this episode if you're revising an opening chapter, entering a writing competition, developing an intimate first-person voice, or trying to make readers fall in love with a character who does terrible things.