That Hovering Question Mark

Every good story – and every good ad – begins with a statement that triggers more questions than it answers.“I do not like to turn left when leaving my neighborhood…”
“I was a 10-year-old boy holding a flashlight for my father…”
“You are sitting in a candlelit restaurant when you hear a strange noise…”
The second line of your story is where the narrative arc begins. The narrative arc is the sequence of events, the plot. [In a radio ad, sfx means sound effect]You are sitting in a candlelit restaurant when you hear a strange noise
[sfx-open] and the walls are instantly covered with jagged shards of golden light.
You hear another strange noise
[sfx-close] and the jagged shards of light are gone.
Murmurs of wonder flood the candlelit restaurant.
[sfx-open] The jagged shards appear on the walls again, dancing in unison to some silent music that only they can hear.
[sfx-close] And now they are gone.
The crowd applauds this unexpected delight. Smiles are bea