The Writer's Guide to a Good Story

Starting a Story

Hi! My name is Camille! I'm fourteen and I like to read. I also like to eat gummy bears. I'm in a good school, and my best friend is an awesome guy who I have a crush on! EEEEEH. GUESS WHAT. I LOVE ONE DIRECTION AND THEY'RE IN MY LIVING ROOM RIGHT NOW. LOL MY MOM SAID THAT I'M GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH THEM. SHE DOESN'T REALLY CARE IF I LIKE, GET LOST OR DIE IN LONDON OR WHEREVER I'M GOING LOL.

Raise your hand if you, sitting there in your room/coffee shop/abandoned warehouse, are now banging your head uncontrollably against your desk and/or the wall while reading this opening.

If you have ever started your story like that, please go and fix it. Now. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you get back.

You back yet? Okay, good.

Why on earth would you start your story off by addressing your readers directly, unless you are writing some sort of meta fiction? And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with writing a meta fiction. What I am saying is that unless you are writing one, there is no reason to start your story by addressing your reader.

For those of you who don't know, meta fiction is when the narrator of a book breaks the "fourth wall" and directly addresses his or her readers. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's when a narrator acknowledges to the reader that what they're writing is fiction. 

For those of you that have read the Series of Unfortunate Events (loved those books!), think of that. The author, Lemony Snicket, constantly acknowledges to the reader that he is writing a book of fiction for them. 

But enough of that. There's no shame in writing bad introductions. God knows I've written more horrendous starts to stories than I have gems. There are lots of ways to start a story, and an infinite number of plots, but here is some basic advice I have for everyone. 

When you're writing the beginning of your story, you don't want to bore people to death. Think about how many famous books started. 

It's important that you have a hook.

However, the thing to remember is that your hook needs to live up to the expectations of your readers. For example, if your story is mostly about a teenage girl who falls in love, don't start if off by talking about some random guy getting shot in an alleyway.

Your hook needs to be a build-up to the rest of your story. Don't let your readers get hooked in by the beginning/blurb of your story and then be disappointed when they read the rest of the book. In other words, keep it realistic.

As for starting a story, I have seen a lot of people hating on the alarm clock scene. The alarm clock scene  doesn't relate exclusively to alarm clocks. It's basically a story that begins with the main character waking up. Many people recommend not doing it at all. 

I must say, though, that it can be done right.   

I hate to draw your attention back to another story again, guys, but remember the Hunger Games?

Isn't that exactly how the Hunger Games started? With Katniss waking up? For those of you that haven't read it, this is a spoiler alert. You've been warned. 

The first four words of the story are "When I wake up."

I know, I just ruined the whole book for you. 

All joking aside, the Hunger Games, in my opinion, was a pretty good story. Yes, we have here a good story that starts off with another version of the alarm clock scene. Obviously some of you may hate the Hunger Games. Which is okay. To each their own. 

Cliches don't always have to be a bad thing if you know how to use them or put your own twist on them. But you know why the Hunger Games got away with using an alarm clock scene? Because it was in a unique setting with unique characters and a unique plot.

No offense, but if your story starts off with your character waking up, groaning about how much she hates her life, and getting ready while looking in a mirror and describing her looks, it will not make me want to read that story. Not unless there is something unique about the setting, or the character, or the way she woke up.

Ah, yes, speaking of that. 

I can't tell you how many stories I've seen with this as the first page.

Kade-

Age: 16

Height: 6 feet five inches

Favorite Food: Fruit Loops

Status: Single

Hair: Brown

Eyes: BLUE. (OMG AREN'T I SO HOT?)

Come on guys, WHY? Your characters are not on a billboard advertising an Amber Alert. They're not on a wanted poster, and you're not describing their mugshot. Those three things are the only acceptable reasons your story would start off like this. 

While you don't want to bore your readers, you also don't want to toss them in the middle of a bunch of action. Try to keep dialogue out of your first sentence unless you're sure you can pull it off well. I mean come on. We're humans. Our minds are doing all they can to remember what our homework is or when your kid's birthday is (Just kidding, hopefully), let alone fifty thousand names in a book you just started reading.