How do you guys start a story?

[ConansWitchBaby]

I get Inception levels of paranoia. How did we get here? Dreams (stories) start in the middle. I find it a bitch to figure out if I should start right before the kickoff point to the main plot or do the isekai thing and start with baby born. How about a day or two before? Flash-forward/back?

 

[Cipiteca396]

Hm. It really depends.

Wait, no it doesn't.

• Introduce your characters first and foremost.
• Then Introduce the Setting.
• Then Introduce the plot.

How you do that does depend on the story, but it's functionally the same.

My reincarnator story began with birth, as all reincarnator stories must(/s).
My Isekai story started with meeting the new god and being given a divine mission.
My dnd story started with an escort mission, where the protagonist is bored and playing around with her other party member (Pre- gather the party).
My witchy cult story started with finding the ancient evil sealed in a vault.
My dungeon story started with an apology letter from ROB and a new born dungeon.
My kingdom building story started with the new ruler reminiscing about how she got her kingdom, and then checking to see who of her subjects were going to join her willingly.

Every story is different, but the rules are the same, see?

 

[PancakesWitch]

by writing, write anything, just write whatever comes to you. it doesnt have to be perfect, you have to just build experience over time, write and dont overthink it

 

[RainyLiquid]

I tend to start with a beginning. I've found starting with an end is to weird.

 

[RecursiveDescent]

My next isekai I'm prewriting. My first is trash but I'm still attached to it.
I chose to start the new one with two gods fighting over a city and then they curse some random kid in the process, so they seal themselves inside the kid to cover up their screw up of bringing the fight to the mortal realm.

So my MC is super talented at avoiding danger and combat, but is so cursed that he lives his life paranoid over every possible source of danger.
I think when I get to the actual other world I'm going to throw every single fucking isekai trope I can think of at him under the pretense that he's so cursed he hits every cliche possible.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

My favourite is "it's an unfamiliar ceiling"

 

[Indicterra]

Most of the time truck smacking the living shit out protagonist

 

[TheEldritchGod]

First, I sacrifice a small flightless bird to a nameless god.
Then, I surrender to violence unhindered by reason.
Finally, I consume large amounts of substances that radically affect my cognitive abilities.

After that, the story pretty much writes itself.

Most of the time truck smacking the living shit out protagonist

Hitting people with trucks works as well, but that falls under the "Surrendering to violence" stage of my methodology.

 

[ArchlordZero]

Start it with a bang and add a cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter

 

[Jerynboe]

First, I sacrifice a small flightless bird to a nameless god.
Then, I surrender to violence unhindered by reason.
Finally, I consume large amounts of substances that radically affect my cognitive abilities.

After that, the story pretty much writes itself.

Hitting people with trucks works as well, but that falls under the "Surrendering to violence" stage of my methodology.

So is this something you need to repeat for every arc or do you drop the story once you are no longer incredibly high off of adrenaline and also drugs?

It would explain many stories on the internet if people using this method usually drop it at that point.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

Carefully.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Carefully.

 

[RepresentingPride]

It depends on what you want to write.
First, start with the setting. Choose what you want to use, the era used, the level of technology, sci-fi or fantasy or real world, even the religions. Now, depending on the genre of your story, a few things will change. For example, if you go for an action story in a fantasy or sci-fi setting, you have to come up with a power system. Is it a locked power system or a growing one?

Once the settings are set, you can start with your story. The first point will be your MC. Ask yourself what you want him/her to be in your world at the beginning and end of your story.

Now, you just have to write what comes to your mind for the story. Try a lot of things, don't mind just writing anything. You can change it when you want if you didn't upload it right away. Once you find the way you want to write your story, continue with it.

If that can help, you can write a story planning. You don't need to write all the details of your arc and future arc, just some points that you want to write about that will help you to lead from one arc to another smoothly (or at least it will help a bit)

 

[Nolff]

by writing, write anything, just write whatever comes to you. it doesnt have to be perfect, you have to just build experience over time, write and dont overthink it

That's the general idea of a start.

I tend to start with a beginning. I've found starting with an end is to weird.

Then what about a sequel continuing where the prequel ends? And what if it's actually good?

My favourite is "it's an unfamiliar ceiling"

I am staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what you just said.

First, I sacrifice a small flightless bird to a nameless god.
Then, I surrender to violence unhindered by reason.
Finally, I consume large amounts of substances that radically affect my cognitive abilities.

Sounds like a cult ritual you run every day.

Start it with a bang and add a cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter

That's evil.

So is this something you need to repeat for every arc or do you drop the story once you are no longer incredibly high off of adrenaline and also drugs?

It would explain many stories on the internet if people using this method usually drop it at that point.

Not really though. You can begin with fresh stuff and a few introductions to what the Arc has to offer before having the MC wreck things (In the case of action stories). Check the One PIece's Arcs. How many are there and how did the author introduce these arcs? That's how.

Carefully.

Let me guess... You're not gonna write the beginning of a human life carefully.

I get Inception levels of paranoia. How did we get here? Dreams (stories) start in the middle. I find it a bitch to figure out if I should start right before the kickoff point to the main plot or do the isekai thing and start with baby born. How about a day or two before? Flash-forward/back?

Now to the question at hand.

Broadly, you can choose from any of the options you've mentioned. That one particular friend have always started telling stories from before the kick-off, and that's an example.

Finely, go with what you're comfortable with. Your mind will naturally continue the story after that.

That's all I have right now.

Cipi made a good point, so I suggest you follow his advice before mine.

 

[BouncyCactus]

"Well, you might be wondering, 'How the hell did I get here?', 'What the hell is happening?', or perhaps 'Is this guy copying Deadpool?'. And to that, 'No, I am not sure', 'Shit hit the fan', and 'Of course. Why would I plagiarise?'"

Or just start with a short prologue that sets up the plot and setting, then introduce the character just before shit hits the fan, or shortly after.

 

[RemHydragrove]

I started by conceptualizing the idea for far too long, and drawing it rather than writing it

Go figure... that just made it harder to start, and I only started making very good progress once I just started typing. So really, if you already have an idea, just begin.

Even beginning in the middle is fine, and if you don't like it, change it. Get a decent bulk fist, and then reread it awhile later, and ask yourself if you still like the start you have.

 

[melchi]

I get frustrated that the kind of story I want to see doesn't exist and decide to do something about it.

 

[Shard]

Mostly, I come up with a basic idea I find interesting, then design a world around that idea, make a few characters, and then drop them into the world. Then I just observe the results and that is the story. At best, I can nudge it a little bit here and there, but mostly it makes itself, and I just have to record it.

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

I get Inception levels of paranoia. How did we get here? Dreams (stories) start in the middle. I find it a bitch to figure out if I should start right before the kickoff point to the main plot or do the isekai thing and start with baby born. How about a day or two before? Flash-forward/back?

The simple trick that almost always works is to start with a bang. Begin with a fast-paced, action-packed situation or with a drama. Once you've captured the reader's attention, you can afford to include flashbacks and slow down.

 

[wresch]

I need a character, a place for the character, and a problem for the character. And I have to get it all in the first paragraph. MAYBE, if I can do that my readers will bother reading paragraph two. No guarantees. So, what do I need before I write the first sentence? A mental image. I need to see the character, the place, and the problem.