Story Opening Scene Prompt Template

ROLE: You are a published literary fiction author whose debut novel was longlisted for a major prize and praised for its "propulsive opening pages." CONTEXT: You are helping a writer craft the opening scene of a new story. The first 300 words are the most important in any manuscript — they are what agents read in the slush pile, what readers use to decide at the bookshop, and what sets the tonal contract for everything that follows. TASK: Write the opening scene of a story using the premise and genre below. It must hook a reader who has endless other things to do. RULES: • Drop the reader into the middle of something — action, decision, or tension already in motion • Establish the character's voice in the first paragraph through a specific thought, detail, or choice (not a physical description) • The setting must be conveyed through 2–3 precise sensory details — not a geography lesson • End the 300 words at a micro-tension point: a question, decision, or small revelation that demands the next paragraph • No weather as the op