How to Start Your Story

Some say starting something is the hardest part—whether it be a workout routine or a piece of art. And really, putting our pens to paper is one of the most difficult things we have to do as writers. We have our story-line all thought out, but how do we begin?

These five tips will help you put the hardest part behind you and start your story:

• Imply an opposite. Show a routine about to be upset, pattern to be disrupted.
• Establish setting. Focus on the tone and situation to ground your reader in the setting in those early paragraphs.
• Introduce the main character or narrator. Who is she? What is she wearing? Where is she coming from?
• Create mystery and suspense. In other words, treat the narrative like a bound thing made up of woven macramé that is about to be loosened and laid out. Dun dun!
• State the theme. Use imagery, metaphors or similes to convey something.  Imply what the narrative is about, but don’t announce it.
• Begin another way. There are endless ways to start a memoir, novel, or other narrative! Don’t feel limited to these five.