Reading Response to Ann Hood's "Beginnings"

  Ann Hood breaks down how to start a story in the best way possible in many different forms and fashions. She starts off with the simple introduction. In this section she explains how the first sentence is tells what the story is going to be about and basically sets up everything you need to know. Or a good one will do that. She quotes a variety of different novels backing her argument. This is a common theme Hood uses in the different sections.
  The following sections really just reiterate the importance of the opening sentence but in these following sections she categorizes them more specifically. These include: the "Old Saw" which is the classic sometimes cliche sometimes its not, opening with character description which is exactly as it sounds, setting, and facts.  Some others one are more specific like media res which is one that I more relate to because it is the one I relate to more because I use it in my writings. It is where you start the story off in the after effects of some plot point. Her best example was Fear in Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.
  But the thing I like most about this essay is before she does into any of this, the very first paragraph, she starts it off by being a little personal. She says how she cannot write anything until she knows her first line. I love this because he levels down to the beginner level writer and shows us how hard and important the beginning is. And also sets up what she is going to write about. Finally she explain the the beginning paragraph that why the beginning of a story is important, it shouldn't overshadow the rest of the story.