Determine the main event of the story. When writing an opening paragraph in a novel, you should have an idea about what the contents of the story will be. For example, you may choose to write a story about a boy who has trouble with math. He is afraid to ask his parents for help until he performs badly on an exam. Then he tells them, finds a tutor and does better.
Compile a character list. The introductory paragraph not only introduces the concept of the story, but it also introduces some of the main characters. Creating a character list helps you to organize them. For example, in your story, the main characters may be the boy who has trouble with math, who you named Andrew, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Brown.
Create an outline of the events of the novel. In your outline, make headings for the main events. This helps you to decide which information belongs in the opening paragraph. For example, your headings might consist of Andrew knowing that he has trouble with math, Andrew failing the exam, Andrew telling his parents about his problem and then Andrew finding a tutor and improving.
Write the opening paragraph. When you write the opening paragraph of the novel, use your outline to help you put in the information. For example, the introductory information of your outline consists of Andrew knowing that he has trouble with math. Therefore, in the opening paragraph, you will state that Andrew is a young student who enjoys school but has difficulty with math. He wants to please his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and is afraid to tell them that he does not understand the material.
Proofread the opening paragraph in the novel. Read the paragraph out loud to make sure that you find any errors. As you read, make sure that the opening paragraph provides enough information to make the story intriguing, while not giving away information about the novel's outcome. For example, by discussing Andrew's problem, providing the name of his parents and stating that Andrew is afraid to discuss the problem with his parents, you provide information that makes the audience want to continue to read the novel.