• Home
  • About
  • Degree Programs
  • Library
    • KN 2025
    • Degree Programs
    • Presenters
    • Browse KNU
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • Pricing
  • Login
Join Now

Opening a Story with Emotional Stakes

Writing Craft
2019
Featuring Alexandra Ivy

This audio session is available to KNU members.

Explore Membership Options

ABOUT THIS SESSION

 

A strong beginning does more than catch attention, it establishes stakes and emotional connection. Alexandra Ivy walks writers through crafting openings that engage readers immediately, from the first line through the first chapter. This session focuses on creating beginnings that feel purposeful, compelling, and firmly grounded in the heart of the story.

MORE LIKE THIS

 

Voices on the Page: Stories, Craft, and Creative Insight
Claire Applewhite, D.A. Winstead, Honora Finkelstein, Patrick Kendrick, Paul Parsons, Randy Rawls, Steve Brayton, Susan Smily
2012
Writing Criminal Protagonists Readers Can Follow
Nik Korpon, S.J.I. Holiday, Sean McDaniel
2016
Elizabeth George on Craft, Character, and the Making of Enduring Mysteries
Deborah Crombie, Elizabeth George
2012
Inside a Bestseller’s Thriller Process
Jeffery Deaver
2010
When Does Sex Belongs in Crime Fiction?
Alexandra Sokoloff, Harley Jane Kozak, Judi McCoy, Sheila Connolly
2011
Finding and Developing Story Ideas That Last
Alan Henderson, Don Bruns, Kathleen Easley, Scott Pearson, William Mooney
2010
The Modern Private Investigator
Gar Anthony Haywood, Karen Keskinen, Michael Wiley, Sara Paretsky
2014
Writing Crime Comedy: From Comedic PIs to Capers
Amanda Pavlov, Gabrielle St. George, J.B. Manning, Lawrence Allan, Lois Winston, Mike Faricy
2023
©2026 American Blackguard, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Copyright Policy | Manage cookie settings