How do you decide how to start your story?

jerico 2024-10-09 05:41:16 UTC #1

I've had this question in mind for a while, so I really want to hear what fellow writers have to say.

Ever since I started writing, I always wrote down different opening scenarios on how I wanted to open my story to catch my readers attention, but sometimes I have so many opening scenarios I get overwhelmed and lose focus. At one point, for a story I decided to stop writing, I wrote 5 possible opening scenes.

How do you decide how you want to present your first chapter? Does it come before you plot your story or after?

Lensing 2024-10-09 06:21:33 UTC #2

There are many options and that depends on the story.
I like very short previews because I also like that when I read or watch something.
A preview without explaining anything and which looks exciting gets me hooked
right away. Something that leaves me thinking wow that looks exciting I can´t
wait to see how it came to this scene and how it will develop and gives me a taste
for the tone of the story

stiatent 2024-10-09 06:33:03 UTC #3

As you rightfully said to catch reader attention
Ask yourself what feelings and impression you want readers to have when they read the first 5 mins of your story? Something to grab your target demographic too, maybe an important place character or theme, tease and pique the reader curiosity with bits so they'll want to know what happens next, avoid info dump as that gets overwhelming.

Usually, I think about what would set the overall mood and what maybe viewers should expect ahead. Not after I plot the whole story, but after I have a general Idea of what the story's overall tone and core themes are.

Actually for my webcomic on here, i made the 1st episode after I did the 2nd one.
While it captured the two main characters (brothers) in their day to day lives 'before all hell breaks loose' it just didn't feel like a perfect representation for the overall action-horror vibe. So instead made this the 2nd episode.

So the Idea hit me to instead make a 'new' 1st episode based on a clip from a later episode (abt 3-4 episodes later) where things get intense. To avoid confusion the date on episode 1 is the 6th April and Episode 2 is the 5th April, and since the MC uses a camcorder, at the end of Episode 1, we see the camera effect rewind "back to where episode 2 starts with the brother mcs in their day to day".

If you choose to use a sneak peak from a future scene there should be clear indication/transition to differentiate it from the actual starting episode, to avoid confusing the reader.

vfaqvrf 2024-10-09 13:40:43 UTC #4

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

SpookySky 2024-10-09 13:45:53 UTC #5

In all honestly... I had had a dream >_< Every story Ive written is based on a dream of that world. If there was no starting point that makes sense for me to write, then I write down everything I know about it, their characters, their setting, even the ending if I know it, and I work my way backwards and play it out multiple times.

If you know any similar stories to the one you're trying to tell, read those books and compare how they started and what feel more like you.

Leyelle 2024-10-09 14:34:59 UTC #6

Mm, for "Damsel in the Red Dress" and "Crystal Blue" the openings came to me naturally, so I'll just talk about "A Dozen Morning Glories" 's opening.

Because the main character is an editor for romance novels, I wanted to make the story have excerpts from lots of novels that she's working on. Some of these stories mirror or represent the things taking place in the actual life of the main character and some are kind of joking parodies of romance cliches. The opening line is kind of a combination of both of these ideas. Hence:

‘It wasn’t that I didn’t want to fall in love with him but that I couldn’t, and I knew I never would. We were too different. Like a ray of sunshine and a gray cloud, his very presence threatened to ravage my world.’

aceofdandelions 2024-10-09 14:49:37 UTC #7

For 'Into the Gallows', it was sort of meant to be a one shot because the prologue was the scene I wanted to write so bad back in 2021. I had an idea of the story, and wanted to work my way into THAT scene. But fast forward to 2024 and I'm working on a mystery, crime-fighting story (a completely different project ), and I'm just...completely blocked. You know what happens to your phone when there's no WiFi? The feeling is like that. Lost and so, so frustrating.

So I checked on some drafts, saw the pitch for Into the Gallows, and was like, "oh wow old me pitched this REAL good, lemme greenlight this right now, because aside from the being the pitcher i am also the executive board of this one-man writing team LOL"

I was fucking around in that make-believe corpo scenario in my head that words just kind of flowed and all of a sudden shit was playing in my mind like the first episode of a BL series and I had 30 mins to convince production that we need funds for this!! There is demand! BY ME!!!

And by the time I was finished with the prologue, I was so pissed that it ended there that I wrote another chapter. And another. And now I ditched the crime-fighting WIP to finish this. The prologue was titled love at first death sentence, and ironically, it was also like that for me, as the author. I fell in love with it, first sentence off the bat.

And if y'all don't believe me, it's really the title AND the first sentence! I stand by this! I was even cackling like a madman because my mind was like, "you're pulling shit out of your own ass man HAHAHA YOU CANT DO THIS THAT'S NOT A DECENT OPENER"

But I was all like, "Try me."

That sounds cool but it's just a very dramatic rendition of the rapid firing of the synapses in my brain

PROOF:

MelancholicOtaku 2024-10-09 15:16:39 UTC #8

For The Lost Forest it started out as a short story for a writing prompt for a writers group. Once I realized that hey I really enjoyed writing the characters and the world that they live in, I decided to go ahead and begin writing my novel. I did some random brainstorming ideas, some of the ideas are good for later use, I wanted to get my basic ideas down. After the brainstorming session I wrote chapter one at least two to three times before my final rewrite. Although a part of me will always think that hey maybe I should rewrite again.

Gdhgj 2024-10-09 15:58:43 UTC #9

Over time, I developed a formula for writing my first chapter. It may sound stupid, but to grab the reader's attention, I first throw them directly into the MC's life. The introductory chapter should contain the following:

The MC's beliefs and misbeliefs (just like Ebbie Emmons often suggests).
A sprinkle of background—not too much, just enough to make the reader care about the character. This ties back to number one.
A situation that leaves the reader wanting to know more. By the end of the chapter, the reader should be curious about what happens next.

For me, the first chapter needs to make the reader care about the character. Once that connection is done, you can capture their attention without deviating from the plot. The plot should be seamlessly integrated into this process, leading naturally to point number three, where the reader is left wanting more, so that's the hook. The first chapter of my story in the link of my profile has that formula you can check it out to see what I mean (no need to sub of course, just a demonstration)

aquashark 2024-10-09 16:02:26 UTC #10

i shroud my beginning in mystery. i have an action fantasy novel called echoes of the abyss and its supposed to be a series with lots of mystery.

so what better to do then to have a main character who is an amnesiac. when I started the story I decided, lets hint at how he got his amnesia and how he was transported to this new place. the beginning is basically just supposed to start everything off and show your readers how different your story is compared to others.

kyupol 2024-10-09 16:23:15 UTC #11

I do a scene to get attention. Usually something heavy...

AngHell opens up with a school shooting "newscast". Gets the mood going to something intense going on...

My other comic, MAG-ISA opens up with a fictional scene from the 2003 Iraq War. Again... war. Something that was also a controversial subject at the time I released MAG-ISA (2007)

MAG-ISA's sequel... PARA-SAYO, opens up with a couple trying to escape... chasing scenes in movies are always exciting

Brood Knight... opens up with the MC angrily questioning the existence of God. Another controversial topic that's been argued for a very long time

ameliacovet30 2024-10-09 16:50:11 UTC #12

What works for me is I write a short prologue from the past. It's like, this book starts twenty years into the present, then introduction would be what had happened in the past.
For my first book (not on Tapas) it opened up with the second character as a boy dying on fallen leaves (autumn) when he was a child
And the book started with autumn so...
Second (Love Like No One's Watching on Tapas) opens up a year before the actual story begins.
If you're stumped, you could try starting from the past or even from the middle and go from there. At least that's what I do.

Cass 2024-11-05 01:18:48 UTC #13

I actually don't know. I like to write... flowingly(?) (That's not a word but I don't know how else to put it). So I don't have an exact way to start it.

bolodibuja 2024-11-05 03:27:05 UTC #14

When I get an idea I chew it on my mind for a bit, thinking about possibilities, a tone, a genre, the characters, and then I think about the ending. It's only after I have an ending that I start thinking about the beginning of the story.

ShidoDraws 2024-11-05 04:08:57 UTC #15

For me to even start on a story I would have to ask myself, "does my story have an ending? If so, where does it start? Who's the protagonist and why are they the protagonist? Is this story for my enjoyment or is it something I want people to see? Where should I stop writing the story? Does the ending compliment the beginning? Which perspective am I writing the story in? Do I want to write a sequel? Should there be a prequel? If I want to write a sequel/prequel why do I want it? Does the reader need to read the sequel/prequel? How do I write this story without feeling burnt out? What makes me feel burnt out? Can I adjust anything to help with my workflow?"

Long story short, I just ask myself questions. Lots and lots of questions. If I can't answer any of them then I won't even start the story.

Tubacabra 2024-11-05 06:31:23 UTC #16

I don't make plans. I just jump right in. So, I guess as far as writing goes, I follow the old adage: "Man plans, the heavens laugh."

Edit: If I don't make plans, the heavens can't laugh.

megumibex 2024-11-05 08:43:36 UTC #17

I don't plan my stories out in full before starting, but at the barest minimum, I need to know what "first big problem" the MC will face is. Once I have that, the beginning is simply "when does this problem become apparent to the MC?".

In The Barbarian's Tale, we start with the MC and his buddy messing around in the woods. The reader learns a little about the MC's personality, a little about the world... Then, when they return home, The Problem appears. Rae's estranged father is dead, and he needs to return to his childhood home and accept his inheritance.

mohdadeebace 2024-11-11 18:53:06 UTC #18

The best way I think is to start a story, is to make it relatable.....

️ DO GIVE IT A TRY tTO VOLKERMORD ️

An action-packed science fantasy like no other—where words and art collide to create something bold and new. Experience a story that pushes the boundaries of storytelling, merging dynamic visuals with a gripping narrative.

In 2158, the world is on the brink of collapse.

Global tensions between Arga and Yuropa are about to ignite a catastrophic Third Territorial War, but something far worse strikes first—a world-splitting apocalyptic event wipes out half of humanity, as leaving only chaos in its wake. The survivors are trapped on one side, cut off from the other by a blinding, impassable light. As survivors huddle within Dome cities, monstrous creatures emerge, tearing apart what remains of society.

Amidst the destruction, a group of soldiers embarks on a dangerous mission.

Their goal: reclaim what has been lost and uncover the terrifying truths that lurk behind this new reality. With time running out and death around every corner, these warriors must risk everything to protect the remnants of humanity.

️ One boy holds the key to salvation or destruction. ️

Darius, an ordinary young man, suddenly inherits the power of a weapon capable of changing everything. But will he rise as the hero humanity needs—or will darkness consume him?

Destiny calls. Darkness awaits.