A Strong Beginning.

Start Somewhere.

Don’t fret too much at first, just start where you think the story needs to start. When you first write it it will probably be somewhat underwhelming but that’s the magic of writing you can change it as much as you want.

As you get farther into writing the real beginning will become more noticeable. The tough part is being willing to throw out or rewrite the beginning you originally created.

Finding the right start.

Once you’ve laid out the story in more detail you’ll find that there is a major event that kicks everything into motion. Someone dying for instance. I like to start here because it immediately tells the reader what the book is about. A common mistake writers make is writing about too much fluff.

If a story starts when your protagonist answers the door, there is no reason to write about them waking up, showering, shaving, eating breakfast, taking the dog out, and reading the news paper on their way to answering the door. Just have them answer the door.

Start with the main character.

Some suggest describing the setting or showing some devastating event that drives the plot. These are fine but I wholeheartedly disagree that these be the focus of chapter one. The focus should be the main character, everything else is icing.

The main character could be interacting with the world around them to help show the setting. Or the main character could be reacting to the devastating event that drives the plot. The key is that the focus is not the events or the setting, it is the character.

Good luck in your next story. If you enjoyed reading or found this helpful check out the rest of my blog here.