Different Ways To Start Your Novel

There are many different ways for you to start your novel. However, it is important for you to find the perfect way to start your story. The reason for this is because the start of the book is what will hook an agent to decide if they want to represent you, to help you publish your novel. The start needs to show what the conflict will be in your story, but also not to give every clue away, for your readers to carry on reading. 

This might seem stressful, because there might be always a nagging in the back of your head wondering if this start will hook an agent. I promise you, you will look at the start of your novel, after editing and changing how it starts, and think Yes, this is where my story starts. 

If you are stuck on how to start your novel, here are some suggestions on how.

Dialogue: 

→ I personally love books that start with dialogue, as in most cases it gets straight to the point. We learn what is bothering the protagonist or what conflict they are facing. 

→ Night School by C.J Daughtery, starts with dialogue, and it works perfectly. We straight away know that Allie, the protagonist, is in trouble and she and her friend are running off to not be caught. 

→ When dialogue does this, it makes the reader want to carry on reading to know what will happen to your characters. Remember the conflict that is represented through the dialogue does not have to be a physical violent conflict like in my example.

Starting with a Question:

→ I’m not too keen on this one, mainly because my lecturers would say how to not use questions in novels, and they would be annoyed at me when I did. However, depending on what your story is about and what you want it to tell, starting this way might be perfect. 

→ I would advise you to use questions if you really need it and if it will make an impact on the novel. 

→ Starting like this will not only make the reader think about the question, but it will also set the tone of what kind of book the reader is reading.

Describing the Scene: 

→ This is a clever way to start as it will help your reader to visualise where they are before getting down to the gritty important information that the reader needs to remember. 

→ I do believe that if you are writing a crime/murder mystery book, starting it by describing the scene is a good way, especially if it is setting the murder scene. It creates the reader to feel that they are there in the room with this dead body, which will make them carry on reading the book to find how this body became dead. 

Beginning with Background Information:

→ Staring like this will help your reader understand your protagonist as they have dived in their past.

→ But be careful if you do decide to start your novel like this. The information from their past must have some sort of impact on them at this present time of the novel. Otherwise, it is no point for the reader to know about their past, if it does nothing. 

Remember to think: Why is my story starting at this point? Is this the true starting point?

The reason this is important to think about is because in some cases a book might not pick up until chapter two, and that might mean the story should have actually started at that point. Take me for example, one of my unpublished novels, I have written the start at least five times. My final ending starts at a completely different place and time than my first draft, but I know this start is the right one. As it shows who the main characters are and what is the conflict of this novel, which will hook the reader into reading the rest of the novel. 

Just keep on writing, and experimenting how to start. Trust yourself and you will find the perfect beginning for your novel.