Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Whether it's writing a short story or a novel, finding a perfect way to open a story is always the hardest part. This may sound daunting, but it is not impossible at all! Start with a good idea, or create an idea if you're wondering what you want to write about. Craft your story and characters to keep the focus down, then start writing!

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Creating ideas

1. 

   Ask "What if" questions to stimulate imagination. When you ask yourself "What would happen if ...", you are telling your brain to take an ordinary thing to consider in a new angle. After asking the "what if" question, think of reasonable answers. Remember that each question can have different answers. Keep asking and answering until one of the replies blows your imagination and seems to lead to a broader story. You can refer to some of the questions "What if" below:
   • What if dinosaurs still existed?
   • What if we only have a certain amount of luck every day?
   • What if our hair changes color every day?
   • What if your best friend is a spy?

2. 

   
   
   Ask the question "I wonder" to sketch a fiction written in a realistic way. “I wonder” statements help you discover more deeply why something happened, to whom it happened, and the emotions it might evoke. Regardless of whether the question is broad or specific, it is important that the question and answer process opens your mind to learning new things and seeing old things in a new light. Here are some examples of “I wonder” questions:
   • I wonder what he does in the basement every night.
   • I wonder what it would be like to be a cross-country truck driver.
   • I wonder what life in the Russian countryside is like.

3. 

   
   
   Overheard people's conversations. Listen to people talking in crowded places (like cafes) and discreetly jot down what they say. Use those stories as starting points to build your characters and plot stories. What will the characters' lives be like? What is the relationship between the characters? Once you have a general idea of ​​these characters, create a storyline that focuses on their lives or use those ideas to create supporting characters in a larger plot.
   • If you feel like you are making someone uncomfortable, stop overhearing them and look for another conversation.

4. 

   
   
   Keep a journal to write down your spontaneous ideas. Not all ideas will help you form a complete story, but they can certainly help you create new characters or sub-stories. Don't delete "bad" ideas - instead, you can move on to a different part of the diary that holds the unfinished ideas and then re-read.
   • Please write down your dreams. Dreams or dreamy ideas can be great starting points for a good story!

5. 

   Read as much as possible. Reading is a way to get ideas for developing stories and developing your interests. Do you like stories that start and end suddenly? Is the plot the most important element in your story? Do you focus on setting and portraying the character? Pay attention to how the story opens, how to introduce characters, and how fast or slow the stories you read to start brainstorming about your story.
   • Most literary genres and forms have specific conventions, so make sure to read books and books of the same style you intend to write.

6. 

   Use story creation tools. This tool can help you get started on story writing by offering new, novel, and creative suggestions. Sometimes the support from outside sources is all you need to spark your creativity!
   • For suggestions on common stories, visit http://writingexercises.co.uk/plotgenerator.php
   • For fairy tales, visit http://www.springhole.net/writing_roleplaying_randomators/fairytaleplot.htm
   • For mystery / horror stories, you should try to visit http://tzplotgenerator.com
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Part 2 of 4: Outline the story

1. 

   Outline the plot. The outline of the plot should include a general idea of ​​what will happen and who will happen to it. You can write as detailed or arbitrary as you want. Write at least one sentence for each scene or chapter, depending on the length of the piece, but don't fret about providing every little detail. You will do it later!
   • Craft the entire plot instead of just writing the opening so you know where your story is going.
   • This step is not for everyone. If you feel bogged down when writing a plot outline, you can just start writing the story right away and develop details in the writing process.

2. 

   Make a brief biography for each main character. You can also create a less detailed profile for the supporting characters if you want. Some of the information in your character's bio may never be included in your story, but the facts will help you build the characters completely, and that will make your story interesting. taste more for readers! You can find character profiles and their profiles online, but some of the basics for writing character profiles include:
   • Height, weight, race, eye color, hair color, skin color, health
   • Personal disability, habits, hobbies, way of talking, introverted or extroverted personality
   • The biggest defect, best quality
   • Education, intelligence, short-term and long-term goals
   • The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them
   • What they are most proud of
   • Advantages and disadvantages
   • Relations with other characters

3. 

   Establish context. The setting in the story can create a character's actions, their past and future opportunities.For example, the setting of a story that takes place in rural Brazil would be completely different from the one in space, as these two environments influence what the character can and cannot do. See how the setting can affect the character, and whether the setting changes throughout the length of the novel. Some important issues to consider include:
   • The background in the story takes place in which year
   • Climate and time of year
   • Rivers, lakes, hills, trees and geographic elements
   • The cultural and political environment of the place you have chosen
     • For example, the story takes place in the capital Washington D.C. will probably mention politics.
     • Background story in Paris can refer to fashion or famous buildings like the Eiffel.

4. 

   Choose a perspective in the story. There are three perspectives: the first person (the pronoun "I"), the second person "you / you") and the third person ("he / she / they). The angle of view you choose will guide the story.
   • Are you telling the story through the main character's eyes? If so, your story will be told in first or third person under limited circumstances (pronouns he / she / they still express the main character's thoughts).
   • Is your story told through the narrator's words? In this case, you would probably use the third person to list all of the character's thoughts or not to mention any thoughts.
   • Second-person perspectives are less common, as this way of telling stories can distract or confuse readers. Before choosing to write stories with second-person narratives, you should consult books or short stories that use this perspective.
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Part 3 of 4: Write your introduction

1. 

   Find a starting point. You don't want to start with going backwards into the past that happened for too long or jumping into the future too far. Remember that you are introducing your reader to a new world (even in real fiction), so you need to give the reader a chance to get used to the basics - the name of the main character, the Their character and motivation - right in the first scene or first chapter.

2. 

   Try writing different opening styles. If you don't know how to get started, you can experiment with different starting options. You may have to try it a few times before you find a good opening, but that's always the job of writing!
   • Try starting with the action or the character's appearance so the reader immediately knows who the important character is.
   • Start with an overview of the scene. Describe the sensory details before focusing on the character's life or house.
   • Revealing a character's "secret" to engage readers right from the start.
   • Set out the main conflict right from the beginning to make the reader curious what will happen next.
   • Begin with an important, memorable, or emotional flashback. Be careful, as flashbacks can confuse readers if they don't know it's the past.

3. 

   Draft the quote. Think about what opening you'd like to write. Would it be absurd and funny? Gloomy and ominous foreshadowing? Invite? Surprise? Does it present an overarching truth? Opening stories will help readers form an idea of ​​what is going to happen in the story and persuade them to continue reading. If you feel stuck, check out some examples of popular opening sentences for inspiration:
   • Ridiculous and humorous: "It was a brilliantly cold April day, the clock hit thirteen." Taken from One nine eight four by George Orwell).
   • Foreboding: "It was a strangely hot summer, the summer they executed the Rosenbergs on electric chairs, and I had no idea what I was doing in New York." Quote in Bell jar by Sylvia Plath.
   • Invited: "Call me Ishmael." Quote in Moby-Dick - White whale by Herman Melville.
   • Surprise: "Every child will grow up, except for one." Quote in Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.
   • Holistic truth: "Every happy family is the same, but every unhappy family suffers in its own way." Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

4. 

   Write your opening paragraph. Write the opening paragraph if your story includes a lot of historical or narrative context. If the plot of the story includes the main character, you can incorporate this information in the main narrative. But if the required setting in the story occurs in a different setting, or if the setting doesn't specifically include the main character, you may need to write an opening paragraph.
   • Make sure the opening is necessary and has a significant impact on the plot - if not, maybe better not to write the opening.

5. 

   Avoid releasing all information. You don't have to tell the reader all about the story in the first scene or the first chapter of the story. This can bog down your story and bored readers, just as the lack of information will confuse them. Try to keep your balance and consult outsiders if necessary. advertisement

Part 4 of 4: Keep writing the story

1. 

   Reflect on what you have written. After you write your introduction, think about the whole story and determine if the opening is appropriate. If not, you can change the opening or readjust the story.
   • If you still wonder if the opening you just wrote is effective or not, please consult outside! Tell your readers that you need honest but positive feedback on the parts you have written.

2. 

   Work at least 45 minutes each time. Longer writing times will help you get to grips with the story line, especially in the beginning. Although it is easy to be tempted to occasionally sit at the desk for 5-10 minutes arbitrarily, but this can cause the story to become fragmented or lose the "tone" of the story.
   • Choose a suitable writing place. Try writing at home, in a cafe, library, park, or somewhere else. Determine what is the environment that helps you create the most, a quiet place or where there is music or murmuring voices?

3. 

   Be enjoy! Writing is difficult, daunting, and challenging work, but at the end of the day you'll be happy! Enjoy your story, focus on ideas you like, and write things you will want to read again later. advertisement

Advice

• If you have too many ideas, focus on which one you are most excited about and leave the rest for another day.
• Don't delete the story in boredom. Take a break and then come back to writing!
• Remember that writing is a skill that takes a long time to master. Be patient with yourself!
• Don't stop to correct grammar mistakes or punctuation while you're writing. You can review and fix later so that those little details don't slow down your writing circuit.
• Read stories out loud to find mistakes you might not notice while reading silently. This can also help you see if the story goes well, the dialogue is natural.

Warning

• If you choose to start with flashbacks, you need to make sure your readers know when you are in the present, otherwise you could distract or confuse them.
• Avoid using clichés. Don't start with boring old images, as this will make readers think your story is not very creative.
• Limit the use of exclamation points. Let the story tell itself instead of trying to create excitement.