How to Kick Off a Good Story in 3 Easy Steps

6 Nov

Written By Lisa Morris

Today, we’re going to be talking about the horror that haunts the nightmares of even the best writers among us.

The thing that shows up at the beginning of every project. And has the power to turn even the most seasoned writer into a blubbering pile of doubt.

The blank page.

Getting started is maybe one of the hardest bits of the writing process.

So, here are three steps that will guide you through the awful beginning and the self-doubt that plagues us all at one time or another.

1. First off, just start

Even if what you pour into the page is utter crap to begin with, it will get the cogs turning and give you something to chisel away at.

Because fixing a terrible sentence is much easier - and more fun - than sitting there having a pity party with yourself about how much of a failure you are.

So, just start.

Once you’ve got some jumbled thoughts on the page, you shape it into something better.

2. Give your central character (your protagonist, to use the official term) a dilemma

You have to make your readers care from the get-go. You’ve got to give them a reason to keep reading. And nothing works like getting a reader thinking, Cripes, what are they going to DO??

Your story needs tension, stakes.

Your protagonist needs to do something by a certain time, or face the consequences.

These consequences don’t need to be world-ending in the wider sense. They just need to be world-ending for your protagonist.

This could be anything from marrying the wrong person to missing a flight to a job interview.

Make us need to keep reading to find out what happens.

3. And finally, start in the middle of the action

Get right into it.

Nobody needs to know that it was a windy Tuesday in November at the beginning of your story. Unless your story is about wind.

And even then, you can kick off with, Seb pulled his jacket tight as the wind bashed him sideways.

Be concise. If you can say something in 50 words, do so. Don’t try to stretch things out to fill space.

If something isn’t relevant to the story, get rid.

And remember, your first draft is just that. Your first draft. You can - and should - edit later.

Never try to edit as you go, or you’ll never get anywhere.

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth saying 100 times. Your creativity and your inner critic are like Batman and Bruce Wayne. They cannot be in the same room at the same time.

When you’re writing your first draft, tell your inner critic to go do one, so that your creativity can play full out.

Once you’ve done your first draft, that’s when you let your critic back into the room to help you edit.

And if you want to learn about this in a lot more depth, along with a load of other frameworks and wisdom, sign up to the waitlist for my course on storytelling.

You’ll learn all about how to tell a good story. Along with using them in your blogs, case studies, sales pages, newsletters, emails, social posts, and of course, your website.

Making your words more memorable, engaging, and moving, without having to pay someone like me to do it for you

And if you sign up early, you’ll get a handy discount. Because I’m nice like that.

TTFN x

Lisa Morris

How to Kick Off a Good Story in 3 Easy Steps

Today, we’re going to be talking about the horror that haunts the nightmares of even the best writers among us.

The thing that shows up at the beginning of every project. And has the power to turn even the most seasoned writer into a blubbering pile of doubt.

The blank page.

Getting started is maybe one of the hardest bits of the writing process.

So, here are three steps that will guide you through the awful beginning and the self-doubt that plagues us all at one time or another.

1. First off, just start

Even if what you pour into the page is utter crap to begin with, it will get the cogs turning and give you something to chisel away at.

Because fixing a terrible sentence is much easier - and more fun - than sitting there having a pity party with yourself about how much of a failure you are.

So, just start.

Once you’ve got some jumbled thoughts on the page, you shape it into something better.

2. Give your central character (your protagonist, to use the official term) a dilemma

You have to make your readers care from the get-go. You’ve got to give them a reason to keep reading. And nothing works like getting a reader thinking, Cripes, what are they going to DO??

Your story needs tension, stakes.

Your protagonist needs to do something by a certain time, or face the consequences.

These consequences don’t need to be world-ending in the wider sense. They just need to be world-ending for your protagonist.

This could be anything from marrying the wrong person to missing a flight to a job interview.

Make us need to keep reading to find out what happens.

3. And finally, start in the middle of the action

Get right into it.

Nobody needs to know that it was a windy Tuesday in November at the beginning of your story. Unless your story is about wind.

And even then, you can kick off with, Seb pulled his jacket tight as the wind bashed him sideways.

Be concise. If you can say something in 50 words, do so. Don’t try to stretch things out to fill space.

If something isn’t relevant to the story, get rid.

And remember, your first draft is just that. Your first draft. You can - and should - edit later.

Never try to edit as you go, or you’ll never get anywhere.

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth saying 100 times. Your creativity and your inner critic are like Batman and Bruce Wayne. They cannot be in the same room at the same time.

When you’re writing your first draft, tell your inner critic to go do one, so that your creativity can play full out.

Once you’ve done your first draft, that’s when you let your critic back into the room to help you edit.

And if you want to learn about this in a lot more depth, along with a load of other frameworks and wisdom, sign up to the waitlist for my course on storytelling.

You’ll learn all about how to tell a good story. Along with using them in your blogs, case studies, sales pages, newsletters, emails, social posts, and of course, your website.

Making your words more memorable, engaging, and moving, without having to pay someone like me to do it for you

And if you sign up early, you’ll get a handy discount. Because I’m nice like that.

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