3 Excellent Simple Ways to Start Writing a Story
The beginning of our stories is crucial. It’s the appetizer for the entire dish. If it’s not tasty, chances are the rest of the meal will have the same bland flavor.
And nobody wants to spend their time reading a bland blah story.
The beginning of your story must be engaging, intriguing, and packed with a punch.
BUT the first page, sentence or even word can be the most agonizing part of the writing process because there is so much riding on it.
But there’s no need to worry.
Relax and let these 3 methods aid you in starting your story so that the reader is hooked from page one.
#1 Start somewhere in the middle.
Though you might not know where to begin, or even how you want your story to end, you may have certain scenes already in your mind.
Start with that. Start with what you have in your mind and let the story unfold before you and them.
Don’t be afraid to start with what you have. Make your idea a short story first. You can expand on a short story later. Get it written down.
Don’t wait to write down your ideas, just write.
If it’s a great idea your mind will keep toying with it and take it further. If it is a dud, you will most likely forget about it or lose interest.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll write it down today. Forget about it for 3 years and pick it back up and write the next big seller. You just never know.
As you move forward with your story you’ll have a better idea of where to start. And as you mold your characters and thicken your plot, you just might get the inspiration you need for the perfect beginning.
Our stories are going to go through A LOT of editing before they are done, so don’t worry.
There will be many moments along the editing part where parts of the story get changed. And you can always go back and add or take away from the beginning.
Sometimes a story can take an unexpected turn and you decide to start the story in the middle and do flashbacks instead of starting where you thought was going to be your beginning.
The point here is don’t be afraid to start writing down your ideas and start writing the story because you are worried it won’t be good enough.
If you let that fear drive you, you’ll never write anything and rob yourself and the world of another good story.
#2 Begin with the title in mind.
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Though it may seem a little too binding, starting with the title can actually give you the freedom you need to start your story.
When you pick a title, it will give you the direction that you need to put the pen to the page.
Starting with your title in mind gives you a good heading for the journey of your story.
You know where you are and where you want to be so you can begin sailing.
And while you’re writing you can always have an epiphany and go back and revise the title.
If you didn’t go ahead and make a title at the start you would have to make something up at the end and you’ll have missed out on possible title inspiration along the way.
Another good reason to start with the title is that you’ll be starting with the end in mind.
In most projects, this is a wise system of thinking. Start with the end in mind.
#3 Start with a literal introduction.
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Though it may seem too obvious, sometimes the best way to start is the easiest way.
This is a very specific method, but it is a tried and true method.
Also, this method is simple and it’s a great way for anyone to start a story even if they end up chopping it out later.
It’s an easy and simple starting point for anyone writing a story.
By starting with an introduction you are introducing a main character and a major problem or question for your reader to be curious about.
For example:
“Hi. My name is Hayden, and I’m here to tell you my story.”
“Hi. I’m Ray, and I’m hiding a secret.”
“I’m Brett, and you won’t believe what I just overheard my teacher say. My life will never be the same again.”
Can you see how easy it was to give our character a name and instantly introduce a curious secret or an interesting life-changing idea?
If we are going to hook our reader we have to be interesting from page one or they’ll never make it to page two.
Don’t make starting a story harder than it has to be.
In conclusion:
remember, these methods are only to help you start the writing process.
You always have the power to rewrite, fix or evolve the story any way you please. So don’t let that first sentence get you down. Instead, go ahead and start, even if you don’t feel it’s the best.
Nothing is set in stone.
Get moving forward and give yourself more to work with than just the paralyzing question of “where to start?!?!”
We hope this short post helps you!
Happy writing!
Other Popular Posts you might just love to read through:
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Interested in starting a blog of your own? Check out Bluehost.
If you enjoy Simple Ways to Start Writing a Story and writing fiction, you might love owning a domain of your own where you can write about it? Ever want to own your own domain name (Yourname.com)?
Bluehost hosts your blog so that you can own your domain and make money blogging. Check them out only if you’re interested in making money blogging; otherwise, go for a free blog instead 🙂
Try Grammarly, The Free tool that should be in every writer’s toolbelt.
3 Excellent Simple Ways to Start Writing a Story
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Interested in starting a blog of your own? Check out Bluehost.
If you enjoy Simple Ways to Start Writing a Story and writing fiction, you might love owning a domain of your own where you can write about it? Ever want to own your own domain name (Yourname.com)?
Bluehost hosts your blog so that you can own your domain and make money blogging. Check them out only if you’re interested in making money blogging; otherwise, go for a free blog instead 🙂
Try Grammarly, The Free tool that should be in every writer’s toolbelt.