Issue #001 - The Intro Issue!

Five Tips on How NOT To Start A Story

By allycat0526

Let's face it. The first few paragraphs are crucial, because they determine whether or not the reader wants to continue with the story. It's kind of scary that your first chapter can either make or break your entire book, isn't it? All you have to do is catch your reader's attention. However, there are some things you just shouldn't do when beginning a story.

1. Introducting Too Many Characters

It's alright if you have more than one main character, but introduce all of them little by little. The reader will most likely get confused and annoyed if you spew out a bunch of names and, trust me, being bombarded with names is not fun.

2. Irrelevant Information

Remember, less is always more. You don't want to overwhelm a reader. Only write things that will be important to your main plot in the introduction. One of the easiest pitfalls in starting a story is to begin with an opening line that is confusing upon first reading, but that makes perfect sense once the reader learns additional information later in the story.

3. Dialogue

If you start a story with dialogue, keep in mind that you're thrusting your readers directly into a maelstrom in which it's easy to lose them. One possible way around this is to begin with a single line of dialogue and then to draw back and to offer additional context before proceeding with the rest of the conversation-a rare instance in which starting close up and then providing a panorama sometimes works. But long sequences of dialogue at the outset of a story usually prove difficult to follow. Readers don't know whose speaking or why they should care.

4. Begin With a Cliché

This should be an obvious one. Clichés are boring and predictable. Here, I'll give you some examples:

· Dead Parents: Both parents die in some freak accident and the main character has to go to a relative's house. Typically, this is where they find their soul mate, fall in love, etc. etc. It's worse when that relative is a random famous person, like One Direction or something. I mean, really?

· "Summer of Torture": A character lamenting how she has to do something that she doesn't want to do (go visit Grandma, work at the nursery) all summer long.

· New Kid: A character worrying about being the new kid on her first day of school or wizard training or the vampire academy.

· A Thin Line Between Love and Hate: The main girl ranting about how much she hates this guy at her high school. Coincidentally, he is the most popular boy at school and is incredibly good looking. They get paired up for some project and, of course, fall in love.

Try to think outside of the box a little, and even if any one of the examples is your plot, try not to show it at the very beginning. Maybe a plot twist will occur in the middle of your writing. You never know...

5. Give the Entire Story Away.

"Oh. My. God," my friend, Ashley, squealed. "I have the best news ever!"

I peered up from my book curiously. "What?"

She grinned and held up two thin pieces of paper. I studied them, but couldn't see what was so special about it.

Ashley gave an exasperated sigh when she saw my confused expression. "They're two Justin Bieber tickets! I even have backstage passes!"

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. If there was one thing I couldn't stand in this world, it was him. Justin Bieber. I don't get why everyone was so in love with him. I mean, his voice is okay and he's good looking. So?

"You have to come with me!" Ashley begged. "C'mon, Elly. I'll do anything!"

There is absolutely no element of surprise in this fanfiction. Elly will go to the concert because her friend 'forced' her to. Out of all those thousands of girls in the crowd, somehow she will catch Justin Bieber's eye. Then they meet backstage and fall in love. After a few more chapters of their happy relationship, an ex will come in and ruin everything.

Do you see my point? While you don't want to confuse your readers, you can present them with a puzzle. It can be highly effective-particularly if the narrator is also puzzled. This has the instant effect of making the reader and narrator partners in crime. An unanswered question can even encompass an entire novel, as when David Copperfield asks, "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show."

And that, my friends, is how to you shouldn't start a story. If you follow these tips, not only will your novel become more interesting, but you will gain more readers for sure. Always remember: be original.