How Does One Start A Piece Of Fictitious Writing?

[SecretDiehardRomantic]

Hey guys,

 

This is my first time posting here (well starting a new thread). I was wondering if I could ask all the authors that are on here a question. How do you start a story? 

 

It may sound a bit stupid, and a logical answer would be just start writing, but what I want to know is how do you start writing a story that will lead to a high quality piece of work? 

 

I have a ton of ideas and I already have a few story lines mapped out in my head - some drawing from my personal experience and also already envisioned what the main characters look like and all BUT I simply don't know how to begin it. 

 

I have been wanting to write this story out for a few years now, but every time I start it, I always scrap it because the beginning of the story is always a bit... iffy, compared to what I have envisioned in my head. 

 

Thanks for listening to me rambling on, and I appreciate any tips that you may suggest to me. I look forward to hearing your replies! 

[Valkyrie]

It was a dark and dreary night....   Sorry, but I couldn't resist.  lol  You already answered your own question   Just start writing.  Even if you don't like what you come up with at first, work through it and keep going.  You can always revise it later.  I would also recommend getting a good editor and beta reader.  They can give suggestions about what makes sense and what doesn't.  Best of luck with your writing. 

[SecretDiehardRomantic]

It was a dark and dreary night....   Sorry, but I couldn't resist.  lol  You already answered your own question   Just start writing.  Even if you don't like what you come up with at first, work through it and keep going.  You can always revise it later.  I would also recommend getting a good editor and beta reader.  They can give suggestions about what makes sense and what doesn't.  Best of luck with your writing. 

 

Its pretty ironic, but I actually did use those exact same words! Now the question is, how do I get an editor or a beta reader? Guess I should just knuckle down and get to it rather than procrastinating and trying to make it perfect on the first time round.

[Cia]

Valkyrie is exactly right. This is the advice I also give new authors:

 

1) Plot out the story. You say you have it in your head. Check out various (often free) flow chart/mind map programs and try those to see how you want the story to go. Some authors do this extensively, some for just the major acts, and some don't at all. Try it and find out which way works best for you.

 

2) Start writing. Sometimes you just have to get it out on the page.

 

3) Get help. You never have an objective view of your story, so you need a beta reader/editor to give you better perspective, plus they can fill in the chinks of the story you thought you had but don't for whatever reason.

 

Sometimes you have to start posting a story before you can find a beta reader or editor because a fan might volunteer. We also have a Writing Support Requests forum where you can ask site members to volunteer to work with you, but you will need a variety of information to help them decide, plus a sample of the story itself. The biggest thing is to just DO. You don't have to be perfect when you start writing--no one is. You just have to be willing to put in the work to improve.

[Graeme]

It sounds like you already have an idea for a story, but it's the start that's the problem. I appreciate that because the start is what will either drag a reader into the story, or will have them stop and go elsewhere. It also needs to introduce the characters and you need to do that in a way that's not going to bore the reader.

 

There's a book, available on Amazon, called The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out Of The Rejection Pile

 

It's written from the point of view of a story being sent to a publisher, but the idea is the same -- you want the opening to be strong.

 

One suggestion I have is to write the story without the opening. That gives you the middle and the end. After that, you can go back to the beginning and work out what's needed to bring you up to the middle. You don't have to start writing the story at the beginning.

 

Some tips to consider:

• Let character introductions be natural. Don't introduce them with a resume-style list of attributes. Rather than saying "he's 6' 4" with curly brown hair", say, "he ran a hand sheepishly through his curly brown hair as he stared down at me."
• Start with something happening. If the opening is mundane, the reader will quickly get bored. The action could be explicit, or it could be the fear of something happening. "I was scared that he had heard the rumours. I was sure that Brad wouldn't be able to resist telling everyone." In this example, you don't even need to tell the reader what the rumours were -- that can come later. The comment will be enough to have the reader wanting to know more -- what were the rumours. Who is Brad and why wouldn't he be able to resist telling everyone?
• Use hints and don't do info dumps. The reader doesn't need to know all the history over everything at once. Certainly, all important points need to be presented early in the story, but the first three chapters is still 'early' and you can spread that information out over that time. Pages of narration giving background information is boring, and we don't want to bore the readers. Give them a few points and then expand on them over the course of the story.

That's enough for now. Good luck!

Edited December 9, 2015 by Graeme

[Renee Stevens]

Everyone has already given you some great advice.

 

I'm going to give you some of the advice that one of my beta/editors has given me multiple times over the years (Thanks Cia!).

 

Just start writing the story, and don't look back. Don't worry about making it perfect the first time around. Once you get a completed rough draft together, you can always, always, always, go back and edit it. You say your first part doesn't come out how you want it. If you do want to start at the beginning, just get it out there. As you progress, your writing may get stronger and then, once you're finished, you can go back and work on strengthening your beginning.

[JamesSavik]

Every story starts with an idea. 

 

.

[SecretDiehardRomantic]

Thanks guys for all your suggestions! I think I am going to skip the intro and just focus on writing out the parts where I am certain, and then head back to find an appropriate start. Coming from personal experience, it is true that having authors literally list out the stats of their main characters in the opening chapter can be a bit... dry, at times. I also need to go about finding an editor and also maybe a beta reader so I can have at least a few opinions and criticisms about it. Since I have always never really gotten past the first chapter, I think I will spend some time writing out the parts that I have clearly thought out in my head and go from there. I am excited to finally do this, and also thanks for all of your support! 

[Dabeagle]

I usually think about the story for days before starting to write it. Sometimes, as you do, you realize there are gaps and it lets you fill them in and work through stuff before you start to write. One of the things I hate most about writing is re-writing. For instance, if you realize - or an editor (if you're lucky) points out something that is so disconnected that it hurts the story, I always felt that the added story or 'patch' somehow doesn't quite fit. Probably my imagination.

 

Writing works differently for everyone so, while sitting down and tapping away might work best for some, others need to plan out more of the story ahead of time either mentally or on a page. Personally, I work out as much as I can in my head before I start, and then try not to let the characters take over too much.

[Cynus]

There are two major sides to the spectrum. George R. R. Martin defines these as "architects" and "gardeners", and I'll tell you a little about both, though most people fall somewhere between these two extremes.

 

Gardeners are writers who start writing as soon as they have an idea. They get it down on paper quickly, and then nurture it, slowly expanding it and cultivating it until it blossoms into the story it's meant to be. Although for many people who use this strategy the writing goes very slowly, there are some who are able to do this very quickly. Rarely does a gardener move on to the next part of their story until the part they're working on is perfect. And advantage to gardening is that the story often feels more seamless because they're taking the time to make sure everything is in place before they move on. A disadvantage would be that they take a monumental amount of time to move on. Ever hear people complaining about when the next Game of Thrones book is coming out? Yep, George R. R. Martin considers himself to be a gardener.

 

Architects like to plan everything out before they begin. They meticulously outline and plot everything before they even write a word on the story itself. Some do this mentally, but many people who are extreme architects will take the time to plot it out on paper (or some other medium). An advantage to this is that the architect normally works through consistency issues and plot holes quicker than a gardener because they find them sooner. A disadvantage to architects is that they tend to be more rigid in their plots and sometimes aren't willing to bend when they need to. This can sometimes make them predictable if they aren't careful.

 

As I mentioned before, most writers fall between these two styles, using some aspects from either side, and you likely will as well over time. Each writer develops their own style, and finds what works for them. When you're just starting, however, it can be useful to look at what has worked for other people in the past and attempt to employ their strategies.

 

One strategy is to "just write", which is gardener 101. Go ahead and try it, as others have suggested. It may work for you. It may even work really well and you'll have already found the beginning to your style.

 

But if it doesn't, I suggest trying to outline. I suggest mapping out your story so you have a framework on which to build. If gardening doesn't work for you, you might need some trellises on which to grow your roses. Or your thorns if you're writing dark.

 

And yes... having stats of the main characters at the beginning is really distracting. Don't do that. Let your characters' traits be discovered throughout the story. Let it be explained in the moment, when it comes natural. I can't completely advise you on first person, as I'm not sure I have the right answer there. If you're writing in third person, however, think of your readers as observers. When you notice a person, you don't always notice everything about them at once. You might see their hair color or style of their clothing from across a room, but you won't see their eyes until you're face to face with them, and you won't notice the freckles either. Describe slowly and naturally. It's something I'm still working on as a writer, but that's what the craft is all about. You learn as you do.

 

Now go write!

 

Thanks guys for all your suggestions! I think I am going to skip the intro and just focus on writing out the parts where I am certain, and then head back to find an appropriate start. Coming from personal experience, it is true that having authors literally list out the stats of their main characters in the opening chapter can be a bit... dry, at times. I also need to go about finding an editor and also maybe a beta reader so I can have at least a few opinions and criticisms about it. Since I have always never really gotten past the first chapter, I think I will spend some time writing out the parts that I have clearly thought out in my head and go from there. I am excited to finally do this, and also thanks for all of your support! 

[spike382]

I'll tell you what I've run into. It really depends on the kind of story you're going for. I personally hate outlining, it feels too much like actual work. But I know for a fact if I wanted to write an actual book I'd need to do at least some. For short stories I've always found it easier to just go with it and see where I end up. If I want the plot to be a bit more coherent I usually just edit it later.

 

Now for "gay" stories, the only kind I've ever written were more erotic "one-handed" reads, and I usually had certain scenes in my mind that I would usually write toward, get my characters into those sexy scenes that I had in my head. But you said quality writing, and those were nowhere near the caliber of the kind you generally find here on GA.

 

I think the best way to go would be to practice a bit, write a few flash pieces, take some of the prompt suggestions here on GA and just play around, it does not have to be perfect right away. You can even insert some of the characters from the story you want to write into these shorter pieces and see what they do. If you feel inclined, post some of it and ask for feedback. There's lots of stellar writers on here who could easily provide helpful advice.

Edited December 11, 2015 by spikey582

[SecretDiehardRomantic]

There are two major sides to the spectrum. George R. R. Martin defines these as "architects" and "gardeners", and I'll tell you a little about both, though most people fall somewhere between these two extremes.

 

Gardeners are writers who start writing as soon as they have an idea. They get it down on paper quickly, and then nurture it, slowly expanding it and cultivating it until it blossoms into the story it's meant to be. Although for many people who use this strategy the writing goes very slowly, there are some who are able to do this very quickly. Rarely does a gardener move on to the next part of their story until the part they're working on is perfect. And advantage to gardening is that the story often feels more seamless because they're taking the time to make sure everything is in place before they move on. A disadvantage would be that they take a monumental amount of time to move on. Ever hear people complaining about when the next Game of Thrones book is coming out? Yep, George R. R. Martin considers himself to be a gardener.

 

Architects like to plan everything out before they begin. They meticulously outline and plot everything before they even write a word on the story itself. Some do this mentally, but many people who are extreme architects will take the time to plot it out on paper (or some other medium). An advantage to this is that the architect normally works through consistency issues and plot holes quicker than a gardener because they find them sooner. A disadvantage to architects is that they tend to be more rigid in their plots and sometimes aren't willing to bend when they need to. This can sometimes make them predictable if they aren't careful.

 

As I mentioned before, most writers fall between these two styles, using some aspects from either side, and you likely will as well over time. Each writer develops their own style, and finds what works for them. When you're just starting, however, it can be useful to look at what has worked for other people in the past and attempt to employ their strategies.

 

One strategy is to "just write", which is gardener 101. Go ahead and try it, as others have suggested. It may work for you. It may even work really well and you'll have already found the beginning to your style.

 

But if it doesn't, I suggest trying to outline. I suggest mapping out your story so you have a framework on which to build. If gardening doesn't work for you, you might need some trellises on which to grow your roses. Or your thorns if you're writing dark.

 

And yes... having stats of the main characters at the beginning is really distracting. Don't do that. Let your characters' traits be discovered throughout the story. Let it be explained in the moment, when it comes natural. I can't completely advise you on first person, as I'm not sure I have the right answer there. If you're writing in third person, however, think of your readers as observers. When you notice a person, you don't always notice everything about them at once. You might see their hair color or style of their clothing from across a room, but you won't see their eyes until you're face to face with them, and you won't notice the freckles either. Describe slowly and naturally. It's something I'm still working on as a writer, but that's what the craft is all about. You learn as you do.

 

Now go write!

 

Thanks for the great detailed description of the garden and the architect! A fun fact about me is that I studied architecture for two years so I know what you mean by meticulously planning something - it usually comes as an idea and you quickly sketch it (before it goes away) and then you slowly develop it - but you have an idea sitting at the back of your head already. Its hard to explain, but when studying architecture, they sort of condition you to think outside the square, yet at the same time you have to be logical about it and also consider other things that would come across as common sense i.e. you will don't design a 100+ storey skyscraper balanced on a pin, right? Anyways, I have looked at one of my many iterations at an attempt to start a story, but I found that it has a good start to it, if you know what I mean. Guess I will just go on from that and just keep on writing - or typing! Thank you again! 

[Hunter Thomson]

I find that for myself, I really like planning everything out and having the whole skeleton of a story written down so I can look at it. This means highlighting exactly what scenes are going to be in each chapter, which characters will be making appearances in that chapter and even writing out some ideas for how the events will link back to the rest of the story. After doing that, I do a whole sketch for each of my named characters that I've considered right at the beginning of my story; there's always going to be new characters you make partway through the story to help fill a plot hole, but at least knowing who your principal characters are and what their major biographical information is helps a lot. I write all that down so I can scroll back and see the characters' biographical details, and it helps keep everything organized.

 

Most of this also helps with writer's block too; you can look at what the chapter's supposed to have in it and then work from there.