How to Begin

There can be a lot of pressure on beginnings. To begin with a bang, to hook the reader, to say the clever thing, the poignant thing, the right thing.

The power of a good beginning is undeniable but it can also feel like a big burden and with all that pressure on just a few innocent words it can be easy to clam up and not say anything at all for fear of saying the wrong thing.

I’m a sucker for a beginning. I love the first page of a new notebook, the first sentence of writing a new story, the first week of a new year. It’s all so shiny and fresh and full of potential. There’s a lot of pressure to get the beginning RIGHT but beginnings can also be fun and exciting. They don’t have to be anything more than simply a place to WRITE.

With the beginning of the new year I encouraged myself to really look at the beginning of stories. What types are out there, how do others start their stories and how can they inspire you to begin your own story.

I hope you will find them as inspiring as I do and reassure yourself that a beginning doesn’t have to be a burden, it doesn’t even have to be brilliant, it just has to be a pace to begin.

A story needs to start somewhere

Sometimes the perfect opening line just comes to you and other times you find yourself staring at a blank page trying to remember what words are. In those moments the fear of starting wrong becomes so great that we fail to start at all. What do I write? What do I write? WHAT DO I WRITE?! When I find myself in that type of funk I have to remind myself that the answer to that question is ….nothing.

Nothing I write in this moment will feel good enough so just write something, ANYTHING, to get the story started. You can always go back and change it if you have a better idea. That being said, sometimes our original ideas prove to be just the right one.

In the beginning …

What kind of party are we invited to?

The beginnings that I like best are the kind that let me know what sort of story I’m in for. Are the opening lines funny? Spooky? Dramatic? Is it irreverent, lyrical, serious, magical? After all, I’m going to be sticking with this book for a few hundred pages so I would like to know what kind of party I’m invited to. Do I, metaphorically, need to be dressing for a costume party or do I need a ball gown to attend? Whatever you choose to write about in your opening lines, ask yourself if you are staying true to the style of your story. Openings are important but it’s just the first peek into the story so don’t try to be anything but honest. Let your guests know what they are invited to so the right people stay and read on.

Stories that start at the End

You don’t have to start your story at the beginning. Sometimes the best way for your particular story to start is right slap bang in the middle of your protagonist’s crisis point or even after the main event has occurred. Starting at the end can be a great way to hook your reader and then the journey is revealing how your character got there. WE know a murder was committed, but how, and by who? We know the police are banging on the door but why? These beginnings always make me feel like the writer has grabbed me by the hand and yelled “hold on! Here we gooooo!” which can be a really fun and exciting way to start a story. So if you’re not sure where to start, consider shaking things up and start at the end.

Start with a Shock

What’s the most surprising, exciting, wonderful or upsetting thing that happens in the whole story? We often hold onto that for the juicy middle but what if you reveal it in the opening lines? What is your story’s core? What’s the main event? What’s the big message? Let us know what you’re all about straight away, no messing around, and then the reader knows you aren’t going to throw any punches. If that’s just the opening line, what else are we in store for? If you can make the reader gasp on the first page then they’ll grasp on till the last page.

A Story Like Mine

A story doesn’t have to start with a bang. Most stories don’t, most of them start just like yours and mine. And that is something that can hook a reader too, a sense of connection. Finding something that we can all relate to is a great way of welcoming your readers in and letting them know, this story is for you, I see you, I understand you and you are welcome here, with me.

Vibes

Ask yourself, “how do I want my reader to feel?” When they read that opening line, what kind of atmosphere do I want them to step into? This is particularly effective if you are writing something with a touch of magic, suspense or the supernatural. This is also a chance to let your reader get to grips with your particular writing style. Do you write in a very lyrical, poetic way? Do you use short sharp statements to create effect? In the same way that music can affect the mood of a film, how do your opening words vibe out the opening? Personally I love an opening line that gives me goose bump vibes by using a beautiful turn of phrase or a bit of spooky foreshadowing .

Beginnings are exciting but it’s often not until we’ve reached the end that we really see our true beginning. Try to hold onto the fun of creation and not put too much pressure on your opening lines, or on yourself. After all, it’s simply a place to start from and you can always go back and change it later. Just keep writing till you get to the end because, much like life, it’s the end that often lets us understand the beginning.