Getting Started on Writing a Story

Oh no! You just got an open-ended creative writing assignment but you have no idea what to write about. Not to worry, this blog is here to help. Getting started is one of the hardest steps of writing, with so many different paths and directions to go in, how can you pick one? Let me help. First let’s start with some potential writing prompts:

• One by one all the members of a sport’s team go missing
• A girl keeps seeing a ghost behind her in her reflection but nothing is ever really there
• The weather channel predicts a natural disaster is inevitable and the main character is preparing for the worst
• As the climate becomes hotter and hotter things start to distort and the world begins to melt away
• A coma patient wakes up amidst a full zombie apocalypse
• A man wins a ticket to fly to any planet in the galaxy, while on the planet he discovers another person living there

Googling your own is always good too but these were some I came up with. Once you have figured out what you’re writing about, the next step is to begin writing. My favorite way to start a story is to just throw the reader into a scene and immerse them into it but that doesn’t always work for everybody, some other hook ideas are

• Start with dialogue either between two characters or the main character talking to themself
• Begin with an onomatopoeia
• Ask a question to the reader
• Make the character have a life changing moment
• Introduce the character with a description of them

Now that you have your idea and your hook, it’s time to dive right into creating the story! 

If you ever get stuck, try putting yourself in the character’s perspective, what would you do? If you know where you want the story to go, write that scene. Stories do not have to be written start to finish, skipping is completely normal. There are some general things to keep in mind when writing such as:

• Mix up the length of the sentences
• Keep the story moving, don’t lingerie on one thing for too long
• Show the surroundings, don’t tell (use the 5 senses)
• Use dialogue appropriately for characters

The most important thing to remember is: this is YOUR story, it can be whatever you want. Writing should be enjoyable, so make sure you’re having fun. Happy writing!!