Have you ever dealt with a writers block before you've even started a story? It's as if you have this great idea, but just starting the story seems hard. This "writer's block" before you even start a story can become very discouraging in even starting a story. Next thing you know, the amazing idea you had gets pushed away and is eventually forgotten about.

Why does this happen? We, as writers, are presenting a book that we've put a lot of work into. The first thing the readers see is the cover, then the summary, and finally, the first chapter. These three factors can make or break who will read a book. That's a lot of pressure. It's no wonder why writing can be hard!

The good news is that there are cover artists to help with the cover concept, so that's an easy fix. As for the summary, that can be fixed up whenever to help determine what a story is about. The first chapter...that is what really makes or breaks it because it's the first thing that tells your reader what your writing style is and gives a hint as to how good the book will be. That's a lot of pressure.

Fear not. I have compiled a list of do's and don't's of writing an opening chapter, whether it's a prologue or the first chapter. Hopefully, from this, you will be able to gain a good start to your story that can help inspire you to write more.

Let's start with the don't's.

Dialogue (in regards the first chapter).

While a quote is something that is great to use in a paper, it can be very annoying to find in the first sentence of the story. There are so many stories here on Wattpad that start out with the phrase "[Insert name here], it's time to get up!" While it does beg the question as to why the main character has to get up, there are hundreds of stories that start out with that. With many stories starting out like that, a story can sometimes be overlooked, and that's not good.

Being too simple.

Another opener that I find in multiple stories is the phrase "My name is..." This can work...if you're doing a superhero fanfic about Spiderman or something similar. Being a superhero fan myself, it's a classic hearing the phrase "My name is Peter Parker" but any other story, it just seems as if the writer has taken from Marvel. That's not right.

Starting with a mediocre day.

The final major "don't" in starting a story is having the character wake up. There are hundreds of storylines where the main character will wake up, look at themselves in the mirror, and then go out about their days. There are some things that stories will leave out: characters using the restroom, driving/traveling from place to place, and other mediocre chores (such as chores themselves). Unless there's significance to that, then it should be left out. Waking up in the mornings to start a story is not significant enough (unless, of course, something crazy happens, like waking up in a different body or some other odd occurrence).

These are three major openings that are commonly used. Does that mean the story isn't going to be a good story? No, but it's not going to be a memorable opener. It may also make writing a bit harder down the road.

What are some ways that you can pull in a reader?

Description.

This is something you have to be careful with. While description can be a good way to pull readers in, it's easy to get carried away with it. Pushing that aside, a good description can pull readers in as it's a good indicator that they'll get a picture in their minds rather than guessing what characters and scenery looks like.

Writing a description doesn't have to be extravagant. It can be very simple. In fact, as a reader, I prefer the simpler descriptions as it's easier to read. The longer ones can be effective as well, but they need to reflect your writing style.

With permission, I'm going to show you one of the most effective uses of description, and explain why it's effective to use a scene to start out your story.

"The Cherubi's frozen smile, glazed eyes and the missing small, pink ball might have been left in the room I just exited, but they latched themselves onto my mind. I steal a glance at the two empty Ice Heals beside the Pokémon through the glass, lower my head and shuffle to the counter. It's a short distance that feels terribly long with numerous pairs of eyes watching me and whispers possibly criticizing me and my failure" (Ice Trail, Torterra657 ).

Above we are given a description that describes not only where the main character is at, but also the emotion she is feeling. Seeing how much emotion can be provoked from this use of description is amazing, and it's not much. The author doesn't drag on about the event that's going on, making readers want to read more about what happened. While we have an idea of what's going on, you have to continue to read in order to find out. It draws a reader's attention into the story all while not being over complicated. 

Ask a Question

Maybe you want to keep it short. Sometimes asking a question is the best for this. This isn't asking the reader, "What's your favorite color?" or the stereotypical "Why me?" Those are not the kind of questions I'm talking about. These questions have to be thought provoking. For example:

"Why is it people find ghosts scary to encounter? There is nothing scary about them because they're nothing to be scared of. At least, that's what I thought before entering the Strange House for the first time."

That question has readers asking themselves a thought-provoking question, one that can have a string of questions to follow. For me, I can read that and be like, "well, I don't believe in ghosts, so how is it you can encounter one? Apparently, you're crazy." Other people may think of a time they've encountered a ghost or would think, "well, yes, ghosts are terrifying. Why would you think differently?" It can make readers curious, causing them to read on.

Start with the Unexpected.

When I say normal, we all picture what our perception of normal is. People's "normal" can be different, but when it comes to a story, the "normal" we tend to think about is a main character with both parents, maybe siblings, doing what normal people do. In Pokémon fanfic, it's assumed that the main character is going to end of going on a journey, and maybe missing one of their parents.

Challenge that. Start your story with something that people aren't going to even imagine when they open up the book. In Swanna Girl and Braviary Man, I start out with the following line:

"The day my parents died was the day I became Nurse Joy's assistant."

Right away, we know this character is very different. While she's lost both her parents, she has also become Nurse Joy's assistant. That's different. Even more so, she became one the minute her parents died. It begs the question how that happened, making some people want to read on.

Make it Memorable.

There's always a quote that sticks with everyone of us. Sometimes, it's a lesson that we've learned. Other times, it's just something that's catchy. When writing a book, this should be original, but you can start out with a statement that means something.

With permission, I'm going to show you one of the most effective openers I've seen in Wattpad and explain why it's memorable and effective.

"A single swipe changes a life—" (The Isles of Gracidea, Prologue, by Cora-chan ).

For background information of the book, it's about a girl who leaves home to become a pirate. Knowing that, the line above seems like it can come from a pirate, but it doesn't. This is a lesson August, the main character, learns from her sister. It carries on throughout the book, as a constant reminder. It's catchy in the beginning of the story, and it carries throughout the book.

These are all ideas that can help with your writing, and there's more than that. At the end of this article, I've listed the sources I've used to create this article that contain more. If any of those ideas aren't working, you can always start somewhere else in your story. Sometimes it's best to start in a different part of the story, write the synopsis, or even map out the storyline before writing. Whatever you do, I wish you all the best of luck with your new book.

Sources (and other tips) :

6 Ways to Hook your Readers From the Very First Line
https://writeitsideways.com/6-ways-to-hook-your-readers-from-the-very-first-line/

Why Do We Need Great Essay Hooks?
https://pro-essay-writer.com/blog/essay-hooks

How to Write a Good Hook & Start Your Novel with a Bang!
https://insights.bookbub.com/start-novel-bang-hook-readers/

8 Great Ways to Start the Writing Process
http://authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/8-great-ways-to-start-the-writing-process/