How do I start my story?

Your story’s opening scene is the foundation of everything that follows, so it’s important to get it right. In a single chapter (or less), you must

• hook your readers and entice them to continue,

• reveal your character,

• establish the setting, and

• set the tone for the entire book.

An editor can provide feedback on your opening scene and let you know what works and what’s missing. They’ll help you create an opener that captivates readers from the first page. But before you work with an editor, you need to actually write the scene.

So, where do you start?

Open your story with a hook.

Whether your book is action-packed or leisurely, you need to start with a sense of motion. Let your readers know that something is about to happen. This first line is your hook. It can be a physical action, a bit of description, a thought or emotion, or a piece of dialogue. Choose any method you’d like, as long as it conveys tension and movement.

Your hook doesn’t need to be overly dramatic or intense. You don’t need to start with a dead body or a cryptic message. All you need is to move the story forward.

A strong opening scene is quick and simple. It gets the character—and the readers—into trouble as quickly as possible. Your story can challenge readers, but the opening scene shouldn’t. Ease them into the plot one page at a time. Don’t introduce too many new characters or unfamiliar words at once, or even the bravest readers will hesitate.

Be cautious when including backstory in the first chapter. Usually you want to build momentum, and backstory does the opposite. Don’t look back!

Show us who your character is.

In Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, Jessica Brody describes the first scene as an image: a visual representation of the story and the character before they are changed by the catalyst.

Think about the impression you want your character to make. Who are they? What are their core traits and values? What do they want? What are they struggling with? Create a situation that reveals the answers to these questions through the character’s actions.

In your opening scene, readers want to see how your character responds to a problem or threat. It can be anything: an argument with their mom, a fender-bender on their way to work, a death threat in their locker… This is how you establish the bond between reader and character.

Introduce us to the story world.

The key word here is “introduce.” Readers don’t need pages of exposition in the opening scene—they only need the immediate context. Where is your character, what are they doing, and what problem are they facing right now?

Trust that your readers will follow along without all the details. Lure them into the story with breadcrumbs. Give them the minimum amount of information required to understand what’s happening, and promise to reveal everything later. Let them explore the setting through the character’s interactions with it.

Even in epic fantasy, readers need less information than you think they do (especially in the first chapter!). Resist the urge to lecture them about your worldbuilding. Too much exposition will make your story feel shaky—you don’t need to justify every deviation from reality.

Make your readers care about your characters and your story before you start explaining. Otherwise, they won’t be interested.

Set the tone and mood for your story.

Your opening scene needs to match the tone, mood, and style of the rest of the book. Give readers a taste of what’s to come. Is your story fast-paced or relaxed? Is it funny or grim? Is the prose minimalist or long-winded?

When you’re creating a problem for your character to face in the first chapter, remember that conflict looks different in every genre. A dark fantasy novel might begin with a swordfight, but a cozy romance probably won’t.

Do you need a prologue?

A prologue is a scene that comes before a book’s first chapter. It often describes an event that occurs prior to the story, but it can also be something that happens later.

• A storyteller figure might frame the tale they are about to tell us.

• An intense scene from elsewhere in the story might tease readers by cutting off without a resolution.

Whatever shape your prologue takes, it should have the same elements as any opening scene—a hook, a character in motion, a glimpse at the story world, and a taste of the book’s tone. They can be useful if you need to establish a crucial piece of information or introduce a significant character who won’t be introduced in the first chapters of your story.

You will want to keep some things in mind when considering a prologue:

• Some readers skip the prologue, whether there is vital information inside or not.

• If your prologue could easily be the first chapter, you might as well call it Chapter 1.

• Not all genres use prologues equally. They are more popular in fantasy than in contemporary romance.

No matter where you start your story, the most important thing is that you do start. Any book can be edited, but only if it exists. You will probably write and rewrite your opening scene a hundred times. Don’t be afraid to experiment. And don’t let the pressure stop you from writing.