Good Beginnings: Interesting Characters

Transcripts
1

Crafting a Great Beginning: How to Introduce an Interesting Character

Hi friends! I’m Allison Spooner, self-published author of The Lost Girl: A Neverland Story and The Things We Cannot Change, a story about the ghosts created by addiction.

I’m currently working on a workshop presentation about how to create a great beginning for an upcoming conference, and one of the key elements I’m focusing on is introducing an interesting character. Let’s be honest—if your opening doesn’t set up a character that readers find intriguing, you may lose their attention before your story even gets off the ground.

Today, I’m sharing a little excerpt from The Lost Girl: A Neverland Story to show how I approached crafting a character who grabs attention right from the start. I’ll also break down what makes this type of introduction effective.

Why Interesting Characters Matter in Beginnings

We’ve all heard the advice: “Readers need to care about your characters.” And while this is true throughout your story, it’s especially critical at the beginning. Readers won’t stick around for the brilliant twists and turns in Chapter 10 if they aren’t invested in your protagonist from Page 1.

But what makes a character “interesting”? It doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be likable or extraordinary. Instead, they should feel compelling in some way—through their personality, circumstances, emotions, or conflicts. Something about them should make a reader curious: Who are they? What’s going on in their life? Why are they in this situation?

An Example: Angela from The Lost Girl

Let me share the opening lines of The Lost Girl to illustrate how I tried to set up my protagonist, Angela, as an interesting character immediately:

“The moment Angela’s feet pressed into the soggy earth of her destination, she wanted to turn around and go home.”

“The moment the damp air touched her face and the sound of waves crashing against cliffs reached her ears, Angela knew her mother’s bizarre plan had worked. And she immediately wished it hadn’t.”

Why This Works to Introduce an Interesting Character

Here’s why I believe Angela comes across as an intriguing character right from the start:

  1. Unconventional Feelings:
    Angela clearly doesn’t want to be where she is. From the very first line, readers know this is not an adventure she’s excited about. This immediately raises questions:

    • Where is Angela?
    • Why doesn’t she want to be there?

    Here’s where context adds to the intrigue. Readers already know from the book’s title (The Lost Girl: A Neverland Story) that Angela is likely in Neverland—a place usually associated with magic, fun, and childhood wonder. But Angela doesn’t seem thrilled to be there. In fact, she wishes her mother’s plan hadn’t worked at all.

    This subversion of expectations—her reluctance to be in Neverland—sets her up as an interesting and unexpected character. After all, what kid wouldn’t want to go to Neverland?

  2. Immediate Conflict:
    Within the first two sentences, we see that Angela is already at odds with her surroundings. She’s in a mysterious place, but instead of feeling wonder or curiosity, she feels resistance and longing for home. This internal conflict makes the reader curious about her backstory. What brought her here? Why doesn’t she want to stay?

  3. Hints of a Larger Story:
    Angela mentions her mother’s “bizarre plan,” which worked—but she wishes it hadn’t. This light touch of exposition plants seeds about the circumstances that brought her to this moment. The opening lines don’t explicitly explain her backstory, but they provide intriguing hints that leave readers wanting more.

Lessons for Introducing Your Own Characters

If you’re writing your own opening, here are a few tips for making your characters stand out right away:

  1. Put Your Character in an Unusual Situation:
    Drop readers into a moment where something unexpected or unconventional is happening to your character. Show their initial reaction and hint at how it connects to their deeper story.

  2. Raise Questions:
    Give enough information to ground the reader, but leave an air of mystery. What’s happening? Why is the character reacting this way? What’s the bigger story behind this moment?

  3. Subvert Expectations:
    Don’t be afraid to buck the norm or challenge established tropes. If your setting is something familiar—like Neverland—consider how your character’s perspective on it might differ. Subverting expectations makes your character more memorable.

  4. Hint at Conflict:
    A good beginning often sets up the first glimpses of the character’s internal or external conflicts. These hooks show readers that the story is going somewhere and encourage them to stick around to see how everything plays out.

Sharing More Tips Soon

This example from The Lost Girl is just one piece of what I’ll be sharing in my workshop. Creating a great beginning isn’t just about characters—it’s about weaving together tension, conflict, momentum, and captivating details to hook readers from the start.

I’ll be sharing more tips, examples, and insights from this presentation soon, so be sure to stay tuned. If you’re a writer looking for actionable advice on crafting openings (or any stage of the writing process), I’ll be posting content here regularly.

Closing Thoughts

It’s always a little weird to use your own writing as an example—it can feel self-serving at times! But if you’ve created something you’re proud of and have lessons to share from it, don’t hesitate to use it as a teaching tool. I wouldn’t have been asked to give this presentation if people didn’t connect with my stories, and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with you.

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful rest of your day! As always, feel free to comment with your thoughts or questions—I’d love to hear from you and help however I can.

Stay tuned for more advice on creating unforgettable beginnings!

Reference