The first few sentences of your story are critical. They are your chance to grab a reader’s attention and convince them to invest their time in your world. A compelling opening line acts like an invitation, urging readers to turn the page and immerse themselves in the narrative you’ve crafted.
To understand the art of crafting captivating beginnings, we’ve gathered insights from top editors and authors in the field. Here are ten expert-backed strategies on How To Start A Story that resonates and retains readers.
1. Craft an Unexpected Story Opening
One of the most effective ways to captivate readers from the outset is to defy their expectations. Literary editor Gareth Watkins advocates for writers to embrace the unconventional in their opening lines.
“Consider the opening of Nineteen Eighty-Four, or Iain Banks’s The Crow Road with its unforgettable line, ‘It was the day my grandmother exploded.’ Your opening doesn’t need to be as extreme, but always aim for the unexpected.“
“Think about conventional story beginnings and then deliberately steer your plot in a different, more intriguing direction.”
Example: Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
Orwell masterfully establishes an unsettling atmosphere right away by introducing a single, jarring detail that signals a departure from reality in the opening sentence of Nineteen Eighty-Four:
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
This simple yet bizarre fact immediately alerts the reader that they have entered a world where the rules are different, sparking curiosity and a desire to understand this new reality.
However, not every story needs to begin with a shocking twist. Sometimes, a powerful and evocative image is enough to draw readers in.
2. Start with a Compelling Image
Many editors advise against starting your manuscript with exposition or “info dumps.” Editor Harrison Demchick suggests that launching your story with a vivid image is a much more effective approach.
“By focusing on rich sensory details—sight, sound, taste, touch, smell—right from the start, you can immerse readers in your novel’s tangible world. Describing a specific, well-defined setting immediately grounds the reader.”
“Context and background can be introduced later, but a compelling initial image serves as a fantastic hook.”
Example: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The potent image of fire is central to Bradbury’s dystopian masterpiece. Fittingly, he opens Fahrenheit 451 with a cascade of imagery, comparing fire to a living entity – a snake and a conductor of a symphony.
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.
Starting with a strong image requires a writer’s skillful touch. The image must be captivating enough to compel the reader to keep turning the pages. An alternative, perhaps simpler, approach is to plunge readers directly into the heart of the action.
3. Create Interest with Immediate Action
Novels that begin in medias res (Latin for “in the midst of things”) are often highly effective at immediately captivating readers and establishing high stakes and tension.
However, editor Jeanette Shaw cautions that readers might feel disoriented without initial context and a central character introduction. “If you choose this approach, ensure your opening action is so compelling that the reader is willing to wait for character setup and backstory to be revealed later.”
Example: Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Golding’s classic novel opens with a scene depicting young boys stranded on a deserted island, with no adults present. The narrative initially focuses on their immediate situation, only gradually revealing how they arrived there.
The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon. Though he had taken off his school sweater and trailed it now from one hand, his grey shirt stuck to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead.
This immediate immersion into the boys’ struggle for survival on the island creates instant intrigue and propels the reader to uncover their story.
PRO-TIP: Consider using a quiz to engage readers and add interactivity to your content. While not directly related to story openings, interactive elements can enhance reader engagement.
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4. Begin the Book with a Short Sentence
As Polonius famously said in Hamlet, “brevity is the soul of wit.” For editor and literary agent Fran Lebowitz, known for representing bestselling authors like those behind the Bridgerton series, conciseness in your opening sentence can pique reader interest and encourage them to lean in. “Start with something sparse that flicks on our curiosity, above all.”
Example: The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
Despite being renowned for his lengthy and detailed works, Tolkien begins The Hobbit with a remarkably simple and direct sentence that introduces readers to a completely new concept: a hobbit.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
This unassuming statement immediately raises questions: What is a hobbit? What kind of hole? This brevity and mystery entice the reader to delve deeper into Tolkien’s world.
However, sometimes a question can be just as effective as a statement in drawing the reader in.
5. Pose a Question for the Reader
“The reader should be immediately searching for an answer,” says Nathan Connolly, editor and directing publisher of Dead Ink Books.
“Your novel’s opening should pose a question that can only be resolved by continuing to read. This doesn’t have to be a literal question; it can be poetic or abstract. The key is to create a sense of incompleteness or a ‘wound’ that reading on promises to heal.”
Example: The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
While the opening line of Plath’s poignant novel doesn’t end with a question mark, it certainly raises several mysteries in the reader’s mind.
It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.
What made this summer “queer” and “sultry”? How does the narrator’s personal experience relate to the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg? And why is she in New York if she doesn’t know what she’s doing? These unanswered questions immediately propel the reader forward in search of clarity.
6. Engage a Sense of Curiosity
Editor Britanie Wilson believes that the most compelling story beginnings possess a magnetic quality, appealing to a fundamental reader emotion: curiosity.
“Make your readers immediately ask questions about your characters and setting: What is this place? Why are they here? What are they doing? Who else is involved? Where is this story going?“
“If you can ignite your readers’ curiosity from the very first sentence, you can compel them to keep reading even before they’ve decided if they like your book.”
Example: “Royal Beatings,” Alice Munro
The opening story in Munro’s acclaimed collection, Who Do You Think You Are? presents readers with an unusual phrase that instantly sparks curiosity.
Royal Beating. That was Flo’s promise. You are going to get one Royal Beating.
Similar to Orwell’s opening, Munro introduces an odd and somewhat unsettling phrase, repeated for emphasis, including in the story’s title. Within the first 15 words, the reader is left with a burning question: What exactly is a “Royal Beating”?
While fostering curiosity and mystery is powerful, it’s crucial that your story’s beginning isn’t too obscure. Your opening must sustain reader interest in some way, enticing them to continue reading into the subsequent chapters and plot developments.
Pro tip: While some advise against starting with dialogue, it can be a highly effective way to create immediate intrigue and plunge readers into the heart of a scene.
7. Build a Convincing World and Setting
“To instill confidence in readers to continue with a story they’ve just begun, it’s crucial to provide enough detail early on to establish where and when the story takes place,” advises author and ghostwriter Tom Bromley.
“Sometimes, story beginnings can feel ‘floating’—lacking sufficient information for the reader to visualize the scene. Specific details about location and time will ‘ground’ the reader, making them feel secure and oriented within your narrative.”
Example: The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
Franzen’s novel, set in the American Midwest, immediately anchors the reader with vivid sensory details related to the when and where of the story.
The madness of an autumn prairie cold front coming through. You could feel it: something terrible was going to happen. The sun low in the sky, a minor light, a cooling star. Gust after gust of disorder. Trees restless, temperatures falling, the whole northern religion of things coming to an end. No children in the yards here. Shadows lengthened on yellowing zoysia. Red oaks and pin oaks and swamp white oaks rained acorns on houses with no mortgage. Storm windows shuddered in the empty bedrooms. And the drone and hiccup of a clothes dryer, the nasal contention of a leaf blower, the ripening of local apples in a paper bag, the smell of the gasoline with which Alfred Lambert had cleaned the paintbrush from his morning painting of the wicker love seat.
This opening scene unfolds like a cinematic montage, cutting between different images that establish the tone and atmosphere. The first sentence, describing the approaching cold front, uses classic literary imagery that often symbolizes impending change or upheaval.
8. Do Something New with Your Writing
Avoiding clichés is a fundamental aspect of strong writing. Editor Thalia Suzuma, who has collaborated with authors like David Baldacci and Ken Follett, suggests that originality can be achieved through simple, unexpected choices.
“Consider these two opening lines:”
“1) I’m sitting writing this at my desk.”
“2) I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”
“Which line compels you to read on? It’s likely the sentence about being perched in a kitchen sink—the opening line of Dodie Smith’s beloved novel, I Capture the Castle.”
“Say something in your initial sentences that is fresh and hasn’t been said countless times before! A concise line hinting at unspoken depths and foreboding can also be very effective.”
Example: Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
Opening a book by discussing the weather is often considered a cliché. (“It was a dark and stormy night…”) However, in the opening paragraph of Jane Eyre, the description of cold weather is uniquely filtered through the protagonist’s perspective and emotions.
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.
More than just stating the weather, this line reveals something about the narrator: her sense of confinement and perhaps a personality that views situations in absolutes.
Again, weather is used to create a sense of unease, seamlessly leading into the next tip.
9. Create Tension That Has Room to Grow
Openings should be engaging, but editor Rebecca Heyman emphasizes that intensity doesn’t necessarily mean loudness or explosiveness.
“Many authors are tempted to begin with a literal ‘bang’—something exploding, a car crash, or another dramatic catastrophe. However, remember that even a smoldering fire can burn you. Draw us in gently, like moths to a flame, rather than overwhelming us with a raging bonfire that pushes us away.”
Example: All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
Remember the symbolism of wind representing change? In the opening of Doerr’s novel set during World War II, the story begins with a description of wind, bringing with it a literal message of imminent change and displacement.
At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses. Entire streets swirl with them, flashing white against the cobbles. Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town, they say. Depart immediately to open country.
The imagery is initially almost playful (cartwheels, fluttering), which ironically amplifies the ominous nature of the message carried by the pamphlets, creating a subtle yet potent tension.
10. Capture Your Readers’ Attention
Ultimately, your goal is to immerse your reader in your story from the very beginning, says editor Anne McPeak.
“This is your opportunity to captivate your reader and convince them that they must continue reading. This doesn’t require drama, fireworks, or shocking content. What your story truly needs is careful attention to language, tone, and pacing.”
“Dazzle your reader from the outset, and they will willingly join you for the journey.”
Example: Fortress of Solitude, Jonathan Lethem
Lethem’s novel, focusing on the lives of two friends in Brooklyn across decades, opens with an ordinary scene—girls rollerskating—but it’s filtered through a narrator’s arresting interpretation, instantly grabbing the reader’s attention.
Like a match struck in a darkened room:
Two white girls in flannel nightgowns and red vinyl roller skates with white laces, tracing tentative circles on a cracked blue slate sidewalk at seven o’clock on an evening in July.
The girls murmured rhymes, were murmured rhymes, their gauzy, sky-pink hair streaming like it had never once been cut.
Establishing rigid rules for starting a story is challenging because, as Nathan Connolly notes, “Fiction, by its very nature, should seek to defy, redefine, or expand beyond rules.” The aim shouldn’t be to mimic another author’s style, but to find your own unique voice.
However, many beloved novels share common threads in their opening lines—a question, a concise statement, or immediate action. While there’s no single formula for success, these guidelines provide valuable strategies for hooking readers and guiding them into your story’s world.
