How to start a good story today is much like how to start a good essay, though it’s different too. Many good stories today begin without any background information. They begin in the middle of the action and weave in whatever background information is necessary later. For example,
“Duck, you fool. They’ll see us.” This beginning starts in the middle of action. Better yet, it starts with dialog. Do you want to know who the speaker and his companion are? Do you want to know why they are hiding? Do you want to know who is hunting them? Will you continue reading?
The three-year-old waited under the dirty laundry in the closet just as Mom and he had practiced. The noise had stopped, but he didn’t trust the silence either. “Wait for me,” Mom had said. So he waited. Is this a game of hide and seek? Or has something sinister happened to Mom? Why did Mom have the child practice hiding? Why did she tell him to wait for her? Will you keep reading?
Compare those beginnings with this kind.
It was early morning when she boarded the school bus. She took her assigned seat and looked around. Yes, it was Monday, all right. Everyone was sleeping or trying to. This beginning lacks the energy of the previous two beginnings. Do you want to know why she boarded the school bus? Probably not because you already know. She’s going to school. Do you want to know why everyone is sleeping? Probably not because it’s Monday and that’s the way it is on Mondays. Will you keep reading?
Mrs. Miller put on her hat and spring coat and waited for the taxi. It came on time. She nodded to the driver. “Twelve Maiden Lane.” She sat back, alone in the passenger section, and thought what she always thought, that this is the way Queen Elizabeth was pampered wherever she went. Do we know why Mrs. Miller is taking a taxi? Do we care? How about her thought, comparing herself to Queen Elizabeth? That’s a little more interesting. Why does she think that? Will you keep reading?
Should you start a narrative with a question? Lots of students do, but such a beginning rarely draws in readers, especially if the reader knows the answer. But sometimes it can work.
Oh, please, doctor, please tell me what it is? Is it pneumonia? Meningitis? Is my baby going to be okay? Why are you just standing there, doctor? Please tell me. This opening has several questions, each one more emotionally charged than the previous one. It works because the thoughts are a form of action. Why is the child sick? Why is the parent so frantic? Why is the doctor mute? We don’t know what happened before. We arrive in the crisis moment. Will you keep reading?
In the past, writers began stories with exposition, that is, with background information. Today that approach is out of style. We want to jump right into the action.
If you tend to start narratives by giving background information, try this to start with action. Move along until you find the inciting moment—the moment when the action begins. Delete everything that comes before the inciting moment. If it is necessary information, weave it in through dialog or thoughts—but not flashbacks. Flashbacks interrupt the forward flow of your story. Your narratives will be more dramatic and better read.
English Writing Teacher 