STORY STARTERS
By Natalie Bright
Empty page = empty mind?
Starting a story is one of the hardest things for me. Ideas are everywhere. I’ve got ideas jotted on sticky notes and outlined in several idea notebooks. Now where to begin?
Here’s a list of several ideas to jump start your word count (hopefully):
Personal Vignette
Humor
Surprising Fact
Unusual Idea
Question
Quote
Dialogue
Smack in the Middle of the Action
(skip that boring intro)
Now Get to work!
Natalie Bright
The First Words
By Rory C. Keel
The first words on the page are often the most difficult to write. The number one problem is usually deciding the first word. And many times the first word may be the only word you write for the day.
Motion and Promise
One quality of a good novel or story is the feeling of motion in the opening. The paragraph should offer a promise that your story has life and will stir the reader forward
The very first lines should pull the reader into the story. By the end of the first page the reader should be caught up in story and carried forward.
If the beginning of a story is difficult for you, just begin writing your story and somewhere around fifteen to twenty pages the true opening will appear.
Wordsmith Six 