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 opening sentence CONSTRAINTS: Exactly 300 words. Third-person limited or first-person — writer's choice, but stay consistent. Avoid adverbs. EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [STORY_PREMISE] — the central situation or conflict in 1–2 sentences • [GENRE] — e.g. literary fiction, thriller, speculative fiction, romance • [PROTAGONIST] — name, age, and one defining trait or situation • [SETTING] — time and place (specific is better: "a fish market in Osaka, 2019" beats "a city") • [EMOTIONAL_TONE] — the feeling the prose should create (dread, wonder, longing, wit) OUTPUT FORMAT: Opening scene — 300 words of prose Brief craft note (50 words): the specific techniques used and why QUALITY BAR: The scene earns the right to a second scene. A reader should feel both oriented and curious — they know enough to be grounded but have enough unanswered to keep reading.