In a post on Writers in the Storm, Ellen Buikema shares 10 ways to start your story. “There is no one best way to start your story because there are too many variables to consider,” she says. “But there are many ways to begin.”
For example:
- Start in the middle. “If you can’t think of a beginning, start deeper into the story,” Buikema says.
- Write like a patchwork quilt. Write scenes and piece them together. Diana Gabaldon uses this method for fiction and non-fiction. “The order of the happening has a logic to it (often, more than one), and that will become clear to me as I work,” she’s said.
- Start your story at the end. John Irving writes backwards, starting with the final sentence and working back to the beginning.
- Start with character, action, or a mystery. All tried and true methods to lure in your reader.
- Write badly. Write quickly, without worrying about syntax, word choice, or spelling. Sometimes, getting a finished draft is what you need. Edit later.
