The Claim
Start with an assertion
Some novels begin with a claim, some observation about the nature of things. It is not an irrefutable fact, but it is articulated with the same certainty. Below are two of the most famous.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
— Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
— Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
In Austen’s quote, the claim is tongue-in-cheek. A wealthy single man is not necessarily seeking matrimony. However, this comic assertion tells the reader something about the world within the story and it hints at base opportunism.
Tolstoy’s quote, in contrast to Austen’s, seems to be a conviction. An analyst might quibble about the evidence needed to support his position, but everyday readers will likely find that, while never having given the matter thought previously, they share the same opinion. Happy families do seem similar. They are supportive. They are loving. They show kindness, honesty, and respect to one another. Unhappy families, on the other hand, have a thousand ways to misery.
Is Tolstoy’s claim true in all situations? Of course not. Does it matter? No.
Opening a story with a claim does not tie the plot to the pronouncement. It can merely set the mood or reflect something important about a character’s perspective. An opening claim can even be indefensible yet beautiful and, being beautiful, receives no complaint from the reader.
Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some, they come in with the tide. For others, they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time.
— Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
Most people are not writers, which is a shame. When I say it’s a shame, I don’t mean that the world is poorer for not reading everyone’s scribbles. Talent, tragically, is in uneven supply. What I think is that people should be in the habit of writing, even if the words are secret and never shared. Writing a book is an excellent exercise for self-understanding, and writing one hundred thousand words will unearth your own claims about the nature of things.
