How do I start my story?
Ah, beginnings. There’s all kinds of advice out there about where to start and if you read a lot of books and stories, you know that different writers start at different places. The story usually dictates where you will start. If it’s a more involved story, perhaps we’ll need some back story, a little bit about what happened to bring the character to this point.
Or, you may start in the middle of the action (this is one of my favorite methods as a reader, as well as a writer). Get the reader right into things – an argument, a discovery (something literally found or perhaps a discovering about another person or the character him or herself), a revelation of some kind. And it’s a great idea to start writing a scene or two that you feel ready to write. Perhaps one of those will start to feel like the beginning, a place to open the story. If not, and you can get to the end of the story or book, then by then you should have a good idea of where to begin and you’ll go back and write your opening.
Here you’ll find questions, answers, and tips about starting your story.
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