Intros are very important, because they are supposed to keep the reader reading. Even though you should give books a chance and try to read the whole thing, if the intro is incredibly boring with nothing of substance to offer, I'm quitting it. In this post I will be talking about and rating different book intros out of 10. These definitely aren't all the types of book intros that exist, but these are just a few that I've noticed in a lot of the books I've read.
The Dramatic Scene Intro
This sort of intro is the attention grabbing one, where it throws you into the action and tells you to read the rest if you want any context. This is a really entertaining intro and
great for getting people to read past chapter 1. One book with this example is Purple Hibiscus, where we landed right in a dramatic fight between Jaja and Papa Eugene. This is honestly a 10/10 intro for me. It is entertaining and keeps me reading, curious about the reason why the dramatic thing is happening.
The Scene Description Intro
This is one where you often don’t know what is happening, and you won't really know until chapter 2. It usually begins with lots of setting descriptions and flowery sort of language. This can be demonstrated in The Picture of Dorian Gray, where Oscar Wilde takes his time to describe to you exactly what he is picturing in his mind. I find this sort of intro useful, because it helps the reader know what the author is trying to do, and can provide helpful context to the characters. Overall I give this intro a 8.5/10 because sometimes I'm not in the mood to hear about all the different pretty colorful flowers, and I just want to get straight to the point about why I'm here. However, when I have the patience for it, it is typically pretty relaxing.
The Author and You Intro
This is the intro where it is just you and the author in the beginning. These are typically 3rd person, because for 1st person it's more like reflecting and talking to themselves, rather than the actual reader. The kind that I'm talking about is the “dear reader bla bla bla bla bla” and they proceed to give you a personal introduction about whatever the story is. When I read a book with this type of intro, it feels like you are sitting on a high balcony in the theater with the author, just watching everything play out. I give this intro a 9/10 because it can feel a little cheesy at times, but it is overall entertaining to be all buddy–buddy with the author while you two watch everything happen.
The “Hey You're Probably Wondering How I Got Here” Intro
This is probably one of the cheesiest intros there are, where it’s supposed to be the dorky “lovable” protagonist explaining to you their crazy situation they're in and how that happened. This intro is typically used for kid’s chapter books, which is okay, but god forbid I ever see one of those again at the age I am at now. The reason it's fine for kids is because it is a sort of watered down dramatic scene intro, that introduces the witty and relatable main character in an interesting way. Overall this is a 6/10 intro for me because I just get flashbacks to my middle school self and find myself cringing on the floor.
-Lucia Menegon-Garcia
Hey Lucia! Great blog post, personally I enjoy the dramatic scene intro. Though a bit stereotypical, it serves its purpose well.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a well-written post! I love the way you ordered things and are presenting them, and overall this is a really interesting topic to think and talk about-- and I completely agree, the intro should by default be good if the author wants to catapult the reader into the actual story, as the sentiment of the story in whole should be broadcasted and introduced in the INTRODUCTION either way. Amazing post! Dramatic scene intro's all the way.
ReplyDeleteHi Lucia! This was a really fun blog post, and a really creative topic to write about! I agree that the "Hey, You're Probably Wondering How I Got Here" into can be a little cringe, and my favorite intro is definitely the dramatic scene intro because that makes me more eager to finish the book. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Lucia! I have definitely seen these types of book introductions, and they set up the scene for the book. You described them really well. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Lucia! This was a fun blog post and I've never fully thought about all the different types of book intros. I personally like the dramatic scene opening, as it is a really good attention getter. Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteHi Lucia! This was a really entertaining blog post. I agree that the “Hey You're Probably Wondering How I Got Here” intro is the cheesiest because it is really give "I'm the main character" vibes. I also relate to quitting the book if the intro is boring (I've definitely done it a few times, too).
ReplyDeleteMy favorite intro is probably the dramatic scene intro, since it brings excitement to the book from the beginning, and makes you wonder about the context of the action. Very interesting blog post.
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