forum How do I start a story?

Started July 17, 2018 by Traversehibiscus

tune

Every time I try to start writing a story it either comes out terrible or I can't do it. I was wondering if someone could offer advice or share some tips. Thanks!

Start as close to the action as you possibly can. The story starts from the very first line, while the plot really starts at the inciting incident. You want the story and the plot to start and end as close to each other as you can manage. So, think of it like this: what is your inciting incident? An inciting incident is basically the big turning point at the beginning of the book –the call to action for the hero, the receiving of a quest, the meet-cute for a romance, etc. Some popular examples: Katniss volunteering for her sister in the hunger games is the inciting incident, the dwarfs showing up at Bilbo's house is the inciting incident, Tony Stark getting kidnapped by terrorists in Iron Man is the inciting incident. Brainstorm what your inciting incident is, and then work to start the story as close as you can to that.

Thank you, that's great advice!