WHat are other ways to start a story?

Question

Other than One day or Once upon a time?

Answer 1

Sketch the details of your main and potential characters - start with looks, mannerisms, background, etc. Write the details down - or even draw them if you are a visual person.

Then take your main character or characters and imagine them in some new odd/out of the ordinary (out of your current work's context) places or scenarios – anything goes! Write down ideas on what would have to happen to your type of character or how they would react to the scenario you placed them in.

This may seem futile, but it will help you flesh out your characters further and give you insight into what you may want to happen to this type of character in a potential story. You may even come up with multiple story lines and can see if one of them just seems to be the best or easiest to continue

Strong well-crafted main characters can inspire readers to love your story as well as drive you to write a great story for these imagined beings to be in! :-)

This should get you going. Then you may want to write an outline of you story (a kind of synopsis), including the ending. I have heard that John Irving writes his endings first, down to the last line, and works backwards. The idea of the outline is to give you goals as you proceed. Writing the ending first may give you the "spark" you seek - and also

Answer 2

I've often heard that any great story starts in he middle.

Take the opening line from Stephen King's 'The Gunslinger': "The man in black fled west across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." Immediately, it forces the reader to ask questions - who is the man in black, what is he fleeing from, is the gunslinger folllowing him or hunting him?

Other good openings for fictional works might start with someone waking up, as 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. There was a rather obscure, but quite talented short fiction author who began each of his stories with the word 'And' to denote that there was an entire story to the protagonist, but the reader was only privy to this small portion.

In short, there are countless stories floating around out there, and at least as many openings to them.

Answer 3

The first line of a story is the most important and most difficult line to write.

I recommend something short and poetic that gives a feeling for the entire story or the main character(s) such as Melville's "Call me Ishmael." Ishmael is never motioned again, but sets the tone for the narrator.

Answer 4

Start with an action. Show the character in the middle of something.

Answer 5

you can do something like a description like the lightning was bright across the dark sky, or by letting the reader know where the story is takling place like i walked down the quiet hallways of my house. explore other books! good luck!

Answer 6

I would say start with your ending, how it will end & just back track to the beginning