How should a story start

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The road to Hell may be paved with good intentions, but the road to my destination was littered with my clothes.

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Damnit mom! I can see your nipples and bush showing from twenty yards away. Those were my thoughts as I climbed out of my lover's SUV and saw her running up to greet us.

Quote by LakeShoreLimited
>Hmm, interesting you say that. I find the start of your competition story quite incomprehensible!<

It is comprehensible but, as he said, the word count limit meant it had to be quite stripped down. (No pun intended.) It's exactly at 1,000 words. The sex act does seem to take up the entire text but, yeah, that's one way to handle the tight restriction.

I didn't plan it that way but in my story readers at the start may ask, "Where the hell is 205th Street?" (I'd have the same problem if it was set in London or Berlin.) It's not until the third paragraph where I mention coming out of Manhattan, so it has to be one of the outer boroughs of New York. Near the end, I mention Bronx Boulevard, so that finally pins it down. It was mostly inadvertent however.

Quote by Ensorceled


I thought your intro was fine. Then again, I know where 205 St. station is. That used to be the train to Yankee Stadium and Stan’s Sports Bar! My confiscated Mets hat might still be there.

I admire stories (and novels especially) where the entire story can be spun out of the first paragraph. I rarely do this because I don’t have the skill, but it’s breathtaking when it happens. Something to do with Chumba’s advice about putting the conflict front and center, something to do with the idea of inevitability - set X event in motion, and Y result is destined to happen, even if you don’t see it coming until after.

Quote by LakeShoreLimited


Only to Yankee Stadium? You didn't go far enough north! And you learned not to wear a Mets hat at Stan's Bar. Some people take these sports issues a little too seriously.

Spinning out the entire story from the first paragraph? I'm looking at some random stuff I have. Nabokov almost does it in Lolita, but you really need the second and third paragraphs to truly get it. A pretty good start anyway.

Fear of Flying has her flying to Vienna with 117 psychoanalysts. Close, maybe. Updike rarely does it; he's usually too busy describing the setting, but that's okay.

I like that first line in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (I don't have a copy now.) I think it's, "We were just past Barstow when the drugs took hold."

Quote by Ensorceled


Fear and Loathing is a great example.

Ever read Daniel Woodrell? His best book is probably Winter's Bone. Really worth checking out. Anyway, here's the first para of Tomato Red. The vast majority is one sentence, which mirrors the action perfectly. I'm a sucker for a long bravura sentence.

"You're no angel, you know how this stuff comes to happen: Friday is payday and it’s been a gray day sogged by a slow ugly rain and you seek company in your gloom, and since you’re fresh to West Table, Mo., and a new hand at the dog-food factory, your choices for company are narrow but you find some finally in a trailer court on East Main, and the coed circle of bums gathered there spot you a beer, then a jug of tequila starts to rotate and the rain keeps comin’ down with a miserable bluesy beat and there’s two girls millin’ about that probably can be had but they seem to like certain things and crank is one of those certain things, and a fistful of party straws tumble from a woven handbag somebody brung, the crank gets cut into lines, and the next time you notice the time it’s three or four Sunday mornin’ and you ain’t slept since Thursday night and one of the girl voices, the one you want most and ain’t had yet though her teeth are the size of shoe-peg corn and look like maybe they’d taste sort of sour, suggests something to do, ’cause with crank you want something, anything, to do, and this cajoling voice suggests we all rob this certain house on this certain street in that rich area where folks can afford to wallow in their vices and likely have a bunch of recreational dope stashed around the mansion and goin’ to waste since an article in The Scroll said the rich people whisked off to France or some such on a noteworthy vacation.

That’s how it happens.

Can’t none of this be new to you."

Quote by LakeShoreLimited


Oh yeah, I just looked at them on Amazon. I probably can get one or both at the library; the New York system will send it to your branch if they have it somewhere. I might buy one of them, but I hope to be moving eventually and I'm trying to cut down on the stuff I already have.

I think the best ever introduction to a novel is "last night I dreamt of mandalay" it certainly impressed the master, Stephen King, who used it in his haunting novel "Bag of Bones" it draws you in at once, where is Mandalay, why should we dream of it? Awesome classic. I personally am instantly turned off by a narrative that intends to engage you, kind of like getting a phone call about extending warranty.

I like ounce upon a time.

This forum line up will have me all over these pages On my days off, pulling the stick stuck up your bum and musing up your hair  

Quote by Liz

Quote by sprite
one of my fav. starts to one of mine.

Beside us raced the hurricane. 140 mph of sheer twisted speed, barely able to keep up with the rented Corvette we’d picked up in Toledo, let alone my amphetamine fueled brain. Under the dashboard was enough acid and ecstasy to turn an entire nation of jihad spouting Islamists into black-eyed love monkeys. Wrapped up in tinfoil and enough duct tape to open our own OSH to keep those drug sniffing bastard Nazis commonly known as german shepherds at bay. Not even my sharp nosed companion could spot the scent over the stink of dog sweat and urine that permeated the vinyl seats of the rental car, neither as strong as the stench of desolation that had driven spikes into our brains via our nostrils.

I think you were channelling Hunter S. Thompson, lol.

There are not many novels whose opening paragraphs have stuck in my mind. But the one below did, from John Cowper Powys's 1932 novel A Glastonbury Romance, which I read way back in 1977.

And yet it is written in a prose style that would give pundits of How to Write manuals nightmares.

I only started writing this year and I’m not very good at it. I really have no idea what I’m doing. Unbelievably, some of my stories do quite well. For what it’s worth, I start with a picture. I look up royalty free pictures on Google until one speaks to me.

For example, my latest story features a pretty lady being undressed by a man. I tried to imagine how that came about. When I have a rough idea I write the last paragraph, the punch line. Next I write the opening paragraph, and then fill in all the gaps working backwards from the punch line.

As I’m not a very good writer I also like to keep them short. I don’t like to use swear words. I believe I’ve only ever used the “F” word twice in over fifty stories. This may be the reason I get quite a lot of one and two star votes. Thankfully most are three, four or five. Three and above is good for me.

My highest scoring story had over one hundred and forty votes, and that only had one “F” word in it. Again I wrote that story in the same way, picture first and so on and so on. All I know is it works for me. Basically, it's all about the picture for me.   

Quote by verity100

I only started writing this year and I’m not very good at it. I really have no idea what I’m doing. Unbelievably, some of my stories do quite well. For what it’s worth, I start with a picture. I look up royalty free pictures on Google until one speaks to me.

For example, my latest story features a pretty lady being undressed by a man. I tried to imagine how that came about. When I have a rough idea I write the last paragraph, the punch line. Next I write the opening paragraph, and then fill in all the gaps working backwards from the punch line.

As I’m not a very good writer I also like to keep them short. I don’t like to use swear words. I believe I’ve only ever used the “F” word twice in over fifty stories. This may be the reason I get quite a lot of one and two star votes. Thankfully most are three, four or five. Three and above is good for me.

My highest scoring story had over one hundred and forty votes, and that only had one “F” word in it. Again I wrote that story in the same way, picture first and so on and so on. All I know is it works for me. Basically, it's all about the picture for me.   

You don't have to always do lengthy stories to be a writer. Sometimes it's better to be concise. One can one can do a pretty good story in about 3,000 to 6,000 words I think. The same goes for chapters in a series; it may be better to keep those on the shorter side.

And the sheer number of chapters can make a difference. There is a guy on another site who has seventy-seven chapters already; I think there is another one with well over a hundred. Can they justify that? I don't know; I haven't attempted to read them yet!

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Quote by LakeShoreLimited


Oh yeah, I just looked at them on Amazon. I probably can get one or both at the library; the New York system will send it to your branch if they have it somewhere. I might buy one of them, but I hope to be moving eventually and I'm trying to cut down on the stuff I already have.

Ooh! a convert! Let me know what you think! Give Us a Kiss is really good too.

"He's as good a novelist as there is writing in this country. All the labels people try to attach to Woodrell—'country noirist' comes to mind—are laughable to anyone who understands what he's doing and how hard it is to do at his level. He is who he is—and he's a giant in my opinion—precisely because none of the labels quite apply. He writes high Greek tragedy about low people, and he never panders or looks down on the people he writes about. As a prose stylist, he's done what all the best do: taken the regional voice of the world he writes about and turned it into poetry. It's like he reached through the hard, cold Ozarks earth and pulled that voice back out with him." - Dennis Lehane

I admit, I've been a bit distracted by other things recently, and I haven't gotten any of those yet. But when I do, I'll let you know what I think.

I have a bizarre distaste for opening with dialogue, the word "I" or a character's name. I get why it's done, but for whatever reason it bothers me. I get over it by the second sentence usually.

I guess in general I prefer a slower build than bombastic first sentence hook. Though this does require a certain degree of investment, and when there's tons of content vying for your attention, a strong start might be appealing.

I hate the stories where you get a long way through before you discover whether the principal character, whether first person or third person, is male or female. That fact is fundamental. However I start a story I like to establish that in the first couple of sentences. For example “I’m the kind of guy who ...” or “when Lucy started at university ...” would be my style of opening sentence.

I always struggle with backstory. I overthink it and can't get it how I like it. So, that's why I lead with wanton women. Now with the summer competition, 3000 limit will make me keep trending this way. I'm pretty much in it for the sex anyways. If I can't get off reading and writing it, I imagine no one else could either. But everyone is different.

Where does the story really begin? I mean really, what is the event that trips it off? Backstory and detail you work into the telling but pick the spot when your character first realizes they must make a choice.

Quote by Sandra47

I always struggle with backstory. I overthink it and can't get it how I like it. So, that's why I lead with wanton women. Now with the summer competition, 3000 limit will make me keep trending this way. I'm pretty much in it for the sex anyways. If I can't get off reading and writing it, I imagine no one else could either. But everyone is different.

You don't have to give all of the back story, or even most of it. Well, maybe you can add a bit in sequels or chapters if you have any in mind. Otherwise, you can just have the characters just sort of appearing. It may be good to specify exactly where the events are happening - I mean where geographically and in what era it's in if it's not exactly the present. It is worth mentioning their ages and what their role in life is (student, office worker, or whatever).

You don't even have to give many details about what they look life. I usually do more for the female characters than the male ones, but even there a couple of sentences probably is enough. For the clothes, I do more for the women than the men, but again, a couple sentences may be sufficient. If she's got something notably different on for a later day, then that should be described.

Hi All; I've got a method of storyboarding where I find random pictures, mostly porn and then write a 50ish word story about it. I do this a lot, but if I find that I've got a few related picture/stories I start to look for a few more pictures to complete the whole story board

like the one below, I ended up with a whole novella about a wife that covered conferences whilst hubby knew nothing about her exploits at home

With a descriptive sentence.

I've started some of my stories with a single word: "Fuck."

It's an attention grabbing bit of profanity, and sets up a little mystery to hook the reader: "What the fuck?" Then I go back and explore what led up to this vulgar utterance. The word is very versatile so there could be a number of reasons for it such as venting frustration, expressing pleasure, or being shocked or amazed. Once I figure out who said it and why (who gives a fuck and what do they give a fuck about?), I usually find I'm on my way to developing some kind of situation and character(s) that lead to a plot and provide a path to the climax (i.e. sex which should come at the end of the story, not the beginning). It's not the most original device, but it can be effective.

Quote by XAuthorX

I hate the stories where you get a long way through before you discover whether the principal character, whether first person or third person, is male or female. That fact is fundamental. However I start a story I like to establish that in the first couple of sentences. For example “I’m the kind of guy who ...” or “when Lucy started at university ...” would be my style of opening sentence.

You shouldn't have to be that explicit. I never say the narrator in Heavenly Sinners is a guy, but there's enough references there (holding his cock in his hand, for instance) to establish it. The female protagonist is stated to be a girl right at the beginning but that's a function of how the story goes, not a deliberate way to intro her sex/gender.

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

I first read that in my English class when I was seventeen, I have never forgotten it. I was hooked, and that evening, I read the entire book. I think a good start has to tip your readers off balance and shake them from their real lives. Throw a rock into the pond, so to speak. You as the writer are going to whisk them away into your world for the next fifteen minutes (or longer). Seduce them as quickly as you can.

I admit, I mimic terribly.

"I was floating on a sea of honey, which was a bittersweet feeling."

"What should I tell her? That her daughter is a slut?"

If you can rush their mind with an image, show and not tell. I think that is the best start.

I like to provide a place and time up front, immersing them in a location first.

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu - Morning

Doing this is worth 50 words describing Hawaii (Aloha!) I do identify the sex of the person as quickly as I can, giving their name or saying He/She. It gives the reader a visual before they even start.

I’m just one guy, though.

Writing is a creative endeavor so to suggest there is a “correct” way to begin a story is at best presumptuous.

Quote by AmuseBouche

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

I first read that in my English class when I was seventeen, I have never forgotten it. I was hooked, and that evening, I read the entire book. I think a good start has to tip your readers off balance and shake them from their real lives. Throw a rock into the pond, so to speak. You as the writer are going to whisk them away into your world for the next fifteen minutes (or longer). Seduce them as quickly as you can.

I admit, I mimic terribly.

"I was floating on a sea of honey, which was a bittersweet feeling."

"What should I tell her? That her daughter is a slut?"

If you can rush their mind with an image, show and not tell. I think that is the best start.

It's a great opening. I like yours too!

I agree that it’s best to punch the reader between the eyes with something that will hook them. Even if the opening action or dialogue is something that actually happens later in the story, there are ways to introduce with something exciting, and then spend a thousand words explaining how you got there. You only have a couple of paragraphs to get the reader’s attention and hang onto it. Start with sometime that will make them wonder. Intrigue them or lose them.

That often means not starting with backstory. Interspersing it and explaining how you got here bit by bit, placing puzzle pieces for them, can be more intriguing than dumping it on them all at once. And as an aside, when you’re done with a bit of backstory exposition, for the love of God, please do not write “fast forward.” There are a thousand better ways to change your time setting or write about its passage.