Writing Short Stories: Beginnings

A short story is like a chess game: The opening is a huge part of whether you win or lose. The first
sentence of a short story doesn't just "hook" readers, it also sets the tone and launches the plot. In a
short story, the first sentence, or the first paragraph, often hangs over the whole rest of the story.
Many short stories are really about one idea, or one situation, and that's what the opening sentences
establish.

There are many great ways to start a short story. Here are some types of short story opening. Note
that these are real quotes from real stories, because we need examples of good writing. Remember
that every good writer is, first, a good reader.

1) Scene-setting

This is possibly the most common type of short story opening. The action doesn't really begin in the
opening paragraph, instead we join the characters in a "pause" before the action, and this allows us to
get to know the characters and the setting first. Often, the action begins in the second or third
paragraph.

"Bianca Nazario stands at the end of the world. The firmament above is as blue as the summer skies
of her childhood, mirrored in the waters of la caldera; but where the skies she remembers were
bounded by mountains, here on Sky there is no horizon, only a line of white cloud." David Moles,
"Finisterra"

"The swell was gently lifting and lowering the boat. My breathing grew slower, falling into step with
the creaking of the hull, until I could no longer tell the difference between the faint rhythmic motion
of the cabin and the sensation of filling and emptying my lungs." Greg Egan, "Oceanic"

2) The conflict establisher

There's absolutely nothing wrong with an opening sentence that shows the exact moment when your
characters knew they were in trouble. The classic "we were halfway to Mars when our fuel tank blew
up" beginning. It creates a nice sense of urgency, and then you can go back and fill in the details once
people are on board with the fact that exciting stuff is happening.

"Hala is running for class when her cell phone rings. She slows to take it from her pocket, glances at
the screen: UNKNOWN CALLER." Kij Johnson, "Names for Water"

"I slammed the door in the child's face, a horrific scream trapped in my throat." Nnedi Okorafor,
"On the Road"

"When Denis died, he found himself in another place. Dead people came at him with party hats and
presents." Rachel Swirsky, "Fields of Gold"as

3) The mystifier

At first, it doesn't entirely make sense, because it refers to stuff we don't know about yet. Or it throws
us into a situation without giving us all the pieces right away.

"I remember the night I became a goddess." Ian McDonald, "The Little Goddess"

"There is a magic shore where children used to beach their coracles every night." Sarah Rees
Brennan, "The Spy Who Never Grew Up"

"JSN reached up to the row of glowing buttons across his forehead and changed his mind with an
audible click." Lewis Shiner, "The Gene Drain"
4) The Third Person Narrator Speaks to You

If your story has an especially chatty third-person narrator, you can start off by having the narrator
explain something directly to the reader. Perhaps the narrator can tell us some useful information,
which helps us to get intrigued about your story.

"To get to Earth from the edge of the solar system, depending on the time of year and the position of
the planets, you need to pass through at least Poland, Prussia, and Turkey, and you'd probably get
stamps in your passport from a few of the other great powers. Then as you get closer to the world,
you arrive at a point, in the continually shifting carriage space over the countries, where this
complexity has to give way or fail. And so you arrive in the blissful lubrication of neutral orbital
territory." Paul Cornell, "One of Our Bastards is Missing"

5) The First Person Narrator Speaks

This is sort of similar to the previous one, except that instead of the third person narrator explaining,
it's the first-person narrator saying something reflective, that almost makes the story feel like a
personal essay. The first-person narrator shows us the outside world through your character's eyes
but also gives us his/her ideas, or feelings, which can create a more intimate feeling, as well as putting
us right into your main character's brain.

"You ask me if I can forgive myself? I can forgive myself for many things." Neil Gaiman, "The Truth
is a Cave in the Black Mountains..."

"I wanted to be washed up on a foreign shore, but this can't be it. I wanted, first, for a long, long
beach, so I could lie there and recover for a while. After all, I'd be tired." Carol Emshwiller, "All
washed Up While Looking for a Better World."

6) The Quotation

If the quote is intriguing enough, it compels you to find out who's speaking and what they're talking
about. You can also quote from a document or a transcript of an interview with someone.

"'You're a nasty little human being,' the newly formed Z-Type robot shrilled peevishly." Philip K.
Dick, "James P. Crow"

"'Cool. It's a freak show,' says Aidan. 'I didn't know they had those anymore.'" Diana Peterfreund,
"The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn"