Do you know that feeling when you come across a story and find yourself skipping a few first chapters because even without reading those you know what's going to happen and you can even guess what is being said? Do you know why it’s like that?

Because they are clichés?

Not really.

The ugly truth is that most of the people screw their stories with the title or the description. Believe me or not it's all about the description, or at least 90% of the reason why people skip first chapters or tell you your stories are such clichés. You know you have ed up the description when people know (not even guess but know) what's going to happen next. We read fanfics for entertainment and if there isn't any we skip to another story. If reviewers give you bad marks reason 1. bad grammar and reason 2. bad description. So if you want to avoid “seen million times before” but don’t know how here is an example:

While something like ‘I Was Forced to Marry a Jerk’ is a good title for getting attention of certain readers in other hand this title is very risky because it is sort of the whole storyline summarized in one sentence. Or at least the marriage part. See, the arranged marriage is summarized in one sentence: hearing the news, meeting a jerk guy, acceptance, wedding = I was forced to marry a jerk. No need for three chapters about ‘news, jerk guy, acceptance, wedding’ because everyone knows this already and it can be summarized in a few paragraphs such as:

In the end it happened. My parents made me marry the biggest jerk of them all. I don’t even know how it happened but all of a sudden I was walking down the altar… and so on. – See, you don’t need to write three chapters like:

I came home and my parents were waiting for me.

“I have something to tell you”, my father said in grave voice.

“What is it?” I asked.

They looked so serious.

BOOORING.

The title told me she will be marrying a jerk guy why are you telling me it all over again? I know what the parents will tell her, I am not stupid - thinks the reader.

Usually the whole point in the story is not “how” she became a bride of a jerk but “what happens after”. If the title is so revealing then why not start the story from the wedding night, honeymoon or even 1 week after the wedding? Then the beginning won’t feel so dry and it won’t feel like “seen million times before”. Readers suddenly don't know what to expect and that's what makes them read further.

It’s almost like people think they must begin their stories in a certain way. The same could be said about manga and dramas, there are these "must" beginnings you have to use depending on what kind of story you are presenting. Like a form.

But why? Why do so few people challenge these generic beginnings? This makes me wonder if people think they must begin their stories certain way, like it's some kind of rule. But it isn't.

I know it's hard to come up with a different kind of beginning or any kind of beginning. But why do so many people go with the same old? Why? Personally I like to make my readers think that they will be getting same old stuff but then I try to give them something unexpected, usually the opposite of what they were waiting for. I try to think of the ways to make my story stand out in a different light. But of course, it seems like the generic stuff is popular around here so if you have the slightest desire to be popular a well written generic stuff should get you good amount of subscribers quite easily, it can be good too.

But where is the fun? Where is the challenge? Where?

One of the biggest reasons why I try to avoid generic beginnings is because I feel like people are going to skip them which makes wonder why should I spend extra time writing stuff people won't bother reading? And what I wouldn't read either.

Probably, if you feel like writing something was fun then you should go for that and if you feel obliged to write about something that's a no-no. Never feel obliged to your readers, you write what you want to write. That’s all.

But even when writing is fun, to be good you must be creative. Don’t write the first thing that comes to your mind but experiment with different kind of scenarios. Think how to make your story stand out. If you are an avid reader around here you will know what the same old is and what isn’t. And the most important thing: don’t write what you think is boring! If you have this feeling “I wish this scene was over but I need to write it because that’s the tradition” Stop! Not like that. Besides same old can be also fun and creative if only you just present it in a different way, in your own way.

The whole point here is not “cliché is boring” but “cliché written in certain way can be boring or exciting”. It’s all about challenging the traditions and not taking the easiest way out.

Description

If you write a lot of information in the description then the story has to begin after what has been mentioned in the description in order to be compelling.

Random example from a random fic:

“Sora had been forced to Marry with Luhan because she is a 18 years old troublemaker . Her parents need to move to London due to their business so they decided to tie the knot between Sora and their best friend son , Luhan . She is really stubborn and she also make friends with troublesome students in her school but still , Luhan remain patient and take a good care of her because He Loves Her .”

So there is worth of three chapters of information. If the story begins with parents talking to Sora, making plans for arranged marriage, the wedding, her meeting with the guy and so on then what’s in here for me to look forward to? Besides, it has been mentioned that Luhan already loves her so there is no suspense, the readers already know it, no space for guessing. Then it feels boring to read about this all because we already know. If the description is so detailed then the story has to begin “later”, like after the wedding, it has to begin in a way we won’t be able to guess what will happen in at the end of the chapter.

Instead the description could be shorter:

What will happen to Sora after she finds out about her parent’s plans for her future? Her life is about to become chaotic and crazy. Then there is Luhan, someone she dislikes but someone who stands by her side no matter what.

Just two sentences but I am already asking questions: What plans? Why is her life going to be chaotic? Who is this Luhan? Is he in love with her? What’s going to happen?

If the title of the fic is 'My Arranged Marriage' My questions die but if the name is 'Fragrant Kisses and Stinky Lilies' I wonder what the heck does that even mean? Probably I will find out if I just start reading this story which seems interesting. You have your reader.

Once upon a time

So how to do it? How to begin your story in a perfect way so it would the readers in immediately? How? I am afraid no one can answer that question. There are about million ways to begin and million opinions on what is good and what bad. Personally I like beginnings with a bang when something unexpected happens or is about to happen, I like to put the character in a conflict as soon as possible. Other people like it differently.

I don't know how others start writing their stories but I come up with the idea first and then imagine the storyline vaguely in my head, only after I let it brew a few days can I see if it blooms into a story or stays only as an idea. I have come up with thousands of ideas but most of them just didn't work. And after thinking about the first conflict I start thinking what brought my protagonist to this conflict and viola I have the beginning.

As a side not: How do writer's blocks happen? You sit down and start writing then suddenly there is nothing to write about, nothing. It's because you haven't checked if your idea has any potential.

If you feel like you really at writing beginnings/descriptions then why not practice a bit? For example write down some words or themes and then pick them randomly. After picking one write a beginning of a story, just half a page, or then a description of an imaginary story. This is a fun way to get better at writing.

Do these sound familiar?

A few ideas how to break the generic beginning and start your story differently but these are just some limited examples. However I hope you do get some ideas of your own while checking these out.

Arranged marriages

The scheme: Hearing the news, protest, meeting the jerk, marriage. 

You could skip the "what am I getting married?" conversations and the wedding ceremony. Just hop into the married life and mention the wedding + arrangements with a few passages. Why not?

Example:

The second day of marriage didn’t feel so special, my duties as a student came first after all. As I walked to school I passed a wedding dress store, immediately memories of myself wrapped in white fluff flooded my mind. It felt like a dream, as if it never happened. Unfortunately it did.

My parents had been talking about it for years and then the day when I turned 18 finally came, on my birthday I had to marry a guy I didn’t love, heck I don’t even like him! But well, since I grew up knowing that in a way or another I would have to marry him I guess I was prepared mentally. I don’t think he ever liked me either. We never got along well or at all even though our parents often brought us together. All those time we were left alone at the sandbox he nothing but bullied me, later when we grew older he learned to ignore me. Somehow years passed and here I am, walking to school with a ring on my ring finger, a ring he had slid there ever so slowly at the altar, in front of our parents and hundred other people I had never seen before.

High school

Why must all of high school stories begin like this: 

"Wake up!" My mom yelled from downstairs.

I realized I was running late.

Or like this:

There they were the 6 hottest guys in whole school. People called them Exo. And I am just a nerd with big round glasses, everyone thinks I am ugly even though I don’t think so. I don't want to be pretty or popular, I just want to study and live my life in peace.

Who cares about this? Why not just jump to the first actually relevant happening like the meeting of protagonist with someone or whatever.

Example:

I don’t know why getting this part time job seemed like such a great idea in the first place. What is fun in sweating your off inside a bunny costume in burning sun on the street and handing out flyers? There is nothing fun in this, nothing. Being a high school student and broke is such a y combination. Wait, is someone crying?

There was a little boy standing a few feet from me, his eyes full of tears and his lips curved upside down. He was looking frantically around himself and calling for his big brother. No one stopped to ask what was wrong, those heartless people, so I decided to help him. Luckily he calmed down a little when I squatted in front of him.

"Hey, did you get lost?"

He nodded, big tears sliding down his chubby little cheeks. Oh my God, so cute.

"Don't worry, this bunny will help you!" I exclaimed and smiled, even though he wasn't able to see my face anyway.

"Hyung bunny", he hiccupped. "What if I will never find home again?"

Wait a second, did he just call me "hyung"? This is... You should have seen my face, what the heck? 

"Look", I cringed. "Bunny is not a bo-"

"There!" He suddenly yelled. "There he is!"

The bunny head was heavy so it was a wonder how fast I managed to look over my shoulder, thank god I was fully hidden inside the bunny costume because... there stood Luhan, maybe the hottest guy in my school. Okay, probably he was just the hottest guy in our class but anyway. A relieved smile spread on his kissable lips when he saw that his little brother was safe and sound. Wait, did I just say kissable?

I guess I turned into a stone or something but I swear I was thinking about escaping all the time, it's just that my body wasn't playing along. Of course, Luhan wanted to thank me properly, of course, he wanted to see my face and, of course, he was suddenly pulling off my bunny head while I was holding onto it. No, never!

Parent getting remarried/ step siblings

The Scheme: news, protest/acceptance, introduction, the guy is a jerk, wedding, moving together.

"Dad/mom, why didn't you tell me?"

First of all, most likely a parent would tell their kid they are seeing someone when they will start having serious intentions and the second they will surely talk it out before the wedding and not after. The story could start from the first meeting or after the wedding, everyone knows how it will go and unless something extremely important happens at the wedding there is no need to talk about it.

Example:

I was hanging out with my friends at the mall when my stepbrother Sehun caught my attention. My dad got remarried recently and my stepmother brought along this annoying guy. Living with him is a nightmare.

Someone dies

The death is a serious thing but... if it is about someone who dies right in the beginning there is no need for three chapter introduction or angst period. The story could start with the mourning person already getting over the death unless the point of the whole story is the process of getting over.

If the story is about a kid losing her/his parents it could start with the kid already living with the new family or alone and the funerals could be already in the past because seriously, the only relevant thing is that the parents are gone and not what some relative said during the funerals.

Cross dressing

These stories usually begin way before the cross dressing starts even though the point of these stories is in the cross dressing. I never understood why the writer must start with a massive background story when the reason for cross dressing could be explained in just a few words or the background story could be revealed in flashbacks or during the story.

Moving to South Korea

The scheme: hearing the news, packing, flight, airport, getting to the new home.

It's always the same story, ALWAYS. But who really cares about those things especially when nothing really happens then? As a reader aren't you eager to know what happens after the main hero has moved to the new country? Usually before the protagonist arrives to Incheon airport nothing important really happens but could happen. Portraying her/his life in America or whatever country, is not a bad idea either, as long as it is relevant and feels meaningful for the reader to read.

Childhood

A beginning with two kids who meet, talk and then most probably the boy leaves and then comes back 10 years later or something. Why can't this childhood meeting be just an abstract beautiful memory without unnecessary dialog? Why must the story begin with this? Why can't it be mentioned later?

Finally

Before starting writing think if any of the things you planned to tell your reader in the beginning could actually be mentioned in flashbacks afterwards or maybe even revealed during the story bit by bit. Probably most of the themes I brought out are considered the biggest cliche's around here but if you manage to write them in interesting way they won't feel like clichés at all. Breaking the generic forms of the usual beginnings helps a lot already and will take you to a whole new level.

Don't be afraid to break the rules and regulations, break free from chains, try new things, experiment, be a child again, don't be afraid of freedom, keep trying. After all you are the God and pen is your tool, or maybe a keyboard in this time and day, but anyway, don't be afraid to create new, create stuff which looks like you and no one else, something you can call completely yours.

I want to thank everyone who has subscribed, voted and commented. I really appreciate when people share their own opinions and take some precious time of theirs to post comments. I will answer a bit later when I will have some more time. Seriously thanks so much babes, xoxoxox!