Give us an emotional connection to the character through action before you give us the factual connection to the character with exposition.
We attach to feelings before we attach to facts. A name, a job title, a backstory — none of it lands until we've felt something alongside the person carrying it. Action gives us that feeling instantly: we watch someone hesitate before knocking on a door, and we're already curious about them before we know a single detail. Try this: open with a character quietly leaving money under a napkin before you ever explain who they are or why they're short on cash. We're hooked by the gesture first, and the explanation later becomes payoff instead of setup. The caution: don't withhold identity so long that the action becomes confusing rather than intriguing. A little disorientation draws readers in; too much just makes them stop reading.
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