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How Do You Start A Story?
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Emily V, Head Mod
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Jan 28, 2012 09:30AM
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I talk as if introducing a new person to an old friend. It helps me to get in a groove. Mostly because middles are what always get me!
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I always try to start with a line that will grab peoples attention. I also try to avoid big wads of info right off the bat; if I ever come across that in the beginning paragraphs of a book I almost always put it down.
I agree with you, Aprille. That first line is all important and any opening info must be immediately germane to the story and the scene. Imagine you (the writer) has just transported the reader into your story. They have to be hooked enough right from the beginning to want and need to follow along. All necessary info can be added after the readers have fallen in love or hate with your main characters. Just my opinion. ;)
Characters are the backbone of stories. So, all my stories begin with characters. Given that, the first line is always about my key character.
Save the beginning for the end. The beginning is the single most important part of the entire book because you have to convince readers to keep reading. Ok, I will confess that I'm not a writer but rather a reviewer, but I have read beginnings that totally knocked it out of the park and beginnings that had me reaching for the snooze button.
I think the big difference is if the author has a clear vision. If you don't have a clear vision for the story, you should work on it more. I can say that it's usually pretty easy for me to pick out an organized author from an unorganized one. What is harder to tell is between the organized authors which ones used an outline and which ones didn't. Some highly organized and very focused authors do not need to use an outline, but if you're struggling to write parts of your manuscript, you should flesh out an outline for the entire story. Tackle it with an outline, and it will be much easier to fill the much smaller gaps left by the outline.
Still, the beginning of the story is usually easiest to write when you've written the rest of it. There are people who just, like I said, have such a clear vision for the book that they can just wham-bam the story from the beginning to the end. There's no shame in not having a clear vision. It happens to everyone, just stay organized and focused!
Right in the middle! I usually have scenes I want to put in, and I work on those, even if they don't end up in the book, it's a hook into the characters. Then I go back to the start and build something. First line is always the most important part.
Tony wrote: "Right in the middle! I usually have scenes I want to put in, and I work on those, even if they don't end up in the book, it's a hook into the characters. Then I go back to the start and build somet..."I agree - I often find I re-write beginnings when I'm going through edits as the first one you write is just to get your writing flowing and start the story - it's usually the last thing I re-edit when the whole thing is clear.
I always have an image in my head that is the inspiration for the story, and that's where I start writing. I don't worry about getting it right right away because that's what happens during the editing process. If you asked me about any of my opening scenes, I can tell you exactly what image I had in my head that get the ball rolling. :)
For me, a story normally starts off with a random thought sparked by an image, a situation in life or a conversation. I've never had to sit down and think 'what can I write about?' I have a little journal of book ideas, and many first pages written because I've just had to get something down in writing.
The "hook" is the most important aspect of the beginning of any book, and it needs to come as soon as possible. Once I have a plot figured out, I go back to how I want to start it. And relating to that, what's the most eye-catching way I can do so. The first line hook is unparalleled in it's power to capture the reader in your grasp and them him there.
I usually am sitting...doing something else that is really irrelevent and I come up with a brilliant idea. (I used to take notes about it...and still kind of do) but now I write a synopsis with a few key sidenotes....I keep a running tally of all my book ideas and choose one I have the most ideas for.
I seldom visualize the beginning of a novel. Usually I have an idea for a happening or series of happenings upon which the novel is based. Writing their progression almost always leads to clarification of their point of origin (as to the story flow..)
cough! cough! Gosh, I'm sorry. That was a horrible bit of talking.
What I mean is that the flow of the story helps to clarify things that have caused its course.
An example: I'm working on a story right now involving the death of a young man and its effect on his family, including a younger brother and his father, who receives the word late. My first image of the story was the young man's death and his father's initial reaction. As I filled that in, I was able to picture how the fellow ended up in the position in which he was killed.
Ultimately, I realized that the best way to start the story was to show the father taking leave of his sons, with some instructions to the older one. The older son (who dies) has shown uneasiness with his situation, which ultimately leads to his death. It works, but my first image was of the father's initial, anguished reaction.
Another story involves a colossal statue crashing down into the middle of a festival throng. The mystery progresses from there. In that case, that scene is chapter 1 - but there is a prologue set several decades before the provides clues to the mystery,
cough! cough! Gosh, I'm sorry. That was a horrible bit of talking.
What I mean is that the flow of the story helps to clarify things that have caused its course.
An example: I'm working on a story right now involving the death of a young man and its effect on his family, including a younger brother and his father, who receives the word late. My first image of the story was the young man's death and his father's initial reaction. As I filled that in, I was able to picture how the fellow ended up in the position in which he was killed.
Ultimately, I realized that the best way to start the story was to show the father taking leave of his sons, with some instructions to the older one. The older son (who dies) has shown uneasiness with his situation, which ultimately leads to his death. It works, but my first image was of the father's initial, anguished reaction.
Another story involves a colossal statue crashing down into the middle of a festival throng. The mystery progresses from there. In that case, that scene is chapter 1 - but there is a prologue set several decades before the provides clues to the mystery,
Aprille Legacy wrote: "I always try to start with a line that will grab peoples attention. I also try to avoid big wads of info right off the bat; if I ever come across that in the beginning paragraphs of a book I almost..."That's always a good thing to do. One of the most memorial openings I remember is from a Jayne Ann Krentz book. "He was the ugliest man in the bar, and he had his eye on her. It figured."
I love that opening.
Personally, I try to open with an action line.
I also agree with Aprille. Just one good sentence will keep the reader going. I don't like to read a gob of words at the beginning.
I always thing of S.E. Hinton's opening line to the Outsiders. "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman, and a ride home." It's so simple, but it left a definite feeling and impression in my mind. So that's what I strive for. I try not to overdo the intro. I pick something and focus on it. And I always think, "Is this my special interpretation of the S.E. Hinton line?" If not, I rework it until it feels like it is.
Dean Koontz has some great opening lines.... "Tuesday was a beautiful California day, full of sunshine and hope, until Harry Lyons had to shoot someone at lunch."
...is one of my favourites.
Although my hands down winner goes to James Herbert and The Magic Cottage:
"Do you believe in Magic?"
I'm new to writing so for the time being I'm just going with whatever feels right. For the moment my 1st chapter of my first ever book starts with "There was that buzzing noise again. God it was annoying."
Sharon wrote: "I'm new to writing so for the time being I'm just going with whatever feels right. For the moment my 1st chapter of my first ever book starts with "There was that buzzing noise again. God it was ..."Emily wrote: "It's something many of us struggle with. How do you do it?"
I try to start every book with a strong hook, strong enough to keep someones interest from the very frist sentence.-
Chapter One (from The Macgregors)
"Carson," she murmured, lying in bed saying his name into her pillow. She didn't want to move, not just yet anyway, still feeling the warmth of the afterglow of their lovemaking. "I am getting married in two months.We must stop this."
-
Chapter One (Home For the Night)
Life began to unravel for Sarah Winchester on April 1st, 2011. That was the day her husband, Richard Winchester, died. Initially she thought he was playing an April Fool's joke on her when she got the phone call at lunch. He was like that, always playing practical jokes on her and the kids… but he was not going to fool her this time.
The beginning has to grab you, wake and shake and make you want to read more.
Hope it helps.
BDM
Sharon wrote: "I'm new to writing so for the time being I'm just going with whatever feels right. For the moment my 1st chapter of my first ever book starts with "There was that buzzing noise again. God it was ..."That sounds like a good opening line.
These are all great ideas and examples. Just enough inspiration to get me started on my second book.
Author wrote: "These are all great ideas and examples. Just enough inspiration to get me started on my second book."
Starting a story is the hardest part of all, except possibly finishing it well! I find the best thing is just to launch into writing it, and then come back and edit. It can be quite daunting to try and get a punchy, attention grabbing beginning from the very start.
I usually start with a line of dialogue. Then I look at the line of dialogue, take a lap around the living room, and try to make it wittier.
Once the optimum level of wittiness is achieved, then I start the writing in earnest, with frequent breaks for snacks, internet research on old girlfriends, and general self-loathing.
Writing is hard.
Hey, other authors. We should start a discussion that contains only the first line of our books. No cheating, no second lines.
Stan wrote: "Hey, other authors. We should start a discussion that contains only the first line of our books. No cheating, no second lines."Oh, and see which one people like best? I like that.
I'll email the mods. I think this could be really really interesting!
Starting stories is the easy bit for me. I've got dozens of openings for stories, and usually a pretty good handle on the ending. It's joining those dots with the bits in the middle that gets on my nerves!I usually just go for it. Start writing and see what happens. Sometimes the first line I write won't be the first line of the finished story - on one occasion my first line ended up in the final scene. I try and do the 'memorable first line hook' thing, but I can't always be bothered. I don't much see the point of titting around and showing off when you're supposed to be establishing mood, character and setting in the opening lines.
Titles come last for me. A few years ago I wrote two short stories with the (I think) brilliant titles Throwing Up With the Joneses and Jake the Pig, I've just never been able to beat them and I never will. So my newer stories tend to have cursory 'that'll do' titles.
Random thoughts from a very disorganised writer, sorry!
I agree that writing is hard! I have so many ideas but a lot of them seem to just stop...starting is the easy part.
Sometimes I'll start with an action and other times with dialogue. Usually my characters take over and do what they need to do or say.
sometimes I'll write a beginning, carry on with the story and realise the beginning wasn't where the story starts, so either I change it later or write the proper beginning once I get to the end.
I have ideas and work around those. I know where the characters need to go. It is getting there that is tricky:)
I like openings where the characters are doing something or going somewhere. This inevitably leads to why they are doing what they are doing.
Stephen Godden Tales of the Shonri: City of Lights, starts typing with no idea even what genre he's in. His results are stunning. I do a rough plan, then go and live in each scene before I write it. Expect Civilian CasualtiesThe Evil and the Fear. It works for me.
Janet Allison Brown The Walker's Daughter, plans with a degree of rigour that stuns me - as does her work.
It's up to you how you start. It's also a good idea to try each of these techmiques for unusual results.
I usually have an idea already in mind but as for starting it ehh usually don't have that all ready to go. I do know that when starting off writing a story I read somewhere that you have to make the opening sentence gripping to pull the reader in. It's got to start off good. That first sentence of the story really have to drive forward to make the reader be like "hey this is gonna be good I can feel it"
I usually have an idea of the genre and storyline, roughly, before i put pen to paper.
For me, being a romance author, it always begins with a couple. And writing mostly paranormal, I normally have some idea of the world I want to write (i.e. selkies, Greek gods, contemporary). I try to think of the worst two people I can throw together... and then I throw them together and watch the sparks fly! Hopefully those sparks do fly. If they don't, I have the wrong two people.
I start it towards of the story. I try to hook the reader with the very first sentence- My latest book starts with the sentence- What do you mean you're married?"
I start it towards the end of the story. I try to hook the reader with the very first sentence- My latest book starts with the sentence- What do you mean you're married?"
Bryan wrote: "I start it towards the end of the story. I try to hook the reader with the very first sentence- My latest book starts with the sentence- What do you mean you're married?""That's a good starter Bryan
I always carry a notebook. I'm constantly bombarded with new story ideas, not all of them good, lol. I take one and start writing. If it naturally grows, I run with it. Otherwise I just set it aside. I only have two novels published, but have four more complete on my computer and am currently working on another.
During the middle of the night i suddenly woke up with an idea. I thought that i would remember it (as you do) and so fell back to sleep. Come the morning and i had completely forgotten ~ now, i concequently have my notebook with me at all times!
In my latest book, I'm starting with a remembrance. Kathy is trying to remember when she first realized that her parents and siblings were probably dead. Obviously, I'm trying to hook the reader as I continue with the more mundane events leading up to this tragedy.
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3...It starts telling where you are, what time it is, and how it all began.
(Thats how I start :) )
Books, Blogs, Authors and More
Books mentioned in this topic
Tales of the Shonri: City of Lights (other topics)Expect Civilian Casualties (other topics)
The Evil and the Fear (other topics)
The Walker's Daughter (other topics)
