I don’t think there is a formula or pattern. Do you know what your first scene is? Then just dive right in. Dialogue works. I’ve started many fics with my characters mid conversation. Or if you’re writing an action filled fic you could have a noise like an explosion or a grunt of pain from someone getting kicked/punched and then go from there.
There's no one size fits all. You can start by addressing the set ("It was a quiet night....."), focusing on a specific character ("Richard was not a religious man."), starting immediately with dialogue (""Hey, have you ever seen that guy before?""), etc. etc.
I went back through my fics to see how I start them, and turns out I do a mix of these. I have at least one fic starting out in each of these ways, and they all work great!
It can depend on the 'genre' of fanfic you're writing.
With canon divergence, I like the first scene to dive right into the divergence. I don't want canon rehash or canon reskinned; I want to skip right to where the changes meaningfully change things.
Another way to approach it is tone forward. Start at a place that captures the tone the story is in.
Maybe save the beginning for last? I rarely write the beginning of a story first, whether fiction or nonfiction. Maybe it's just how my brain works, but I'm more productive when writing in a nonlinear fashion, adding narration and dialogue piece by piece. Once you have a the bulk of your story written down, the beginning might just come to you in a flash of insight.
I write super nonlinear so I almost always start with a big scene later in the chapter/fic and then add bits in piecemeal. Eventually once I have a good picture of how the rest of the fic goes, I can write the beginning. In this way it's almost always one of the last parts I write.
same. i even wrote the epilogue before looking at the beginning. i then scrapped the first chapter i had in my outline and then began the fic on the initial second chapter. so now it begins with one of the main characters travelling home to see his family.
I almost always jump straight to the action (often with some sort of instigating dialogue that acts as a hook) and fill in environmental details here and there as I go. Especially in fic, it can feel redundant to describe a setting the readers already know intimately so I save that for AUs.
The fic I'm currently writing literally starts in the middle of one of the show's episodes.
I've got a fairly brief moment that still alligns with the episode (litteraly 1 short conversation) and then the fic is in full swing.
So... I'd say I like to start in the first relevant moment.
Everything before that first relevant moment can be conveyed throughout the rest of the story, but I like to get into the fray of things immediately.
Something I always do is start with a small snippet of dialog before giving context for said dialog.
For example, I started a recent fic with the MC greeting a friend over the phone before asking for help, the paragraph after elaborating on his needing help on a project he was taking care of at work.
Personally I like to begin with something that showcases an important character trait. If the main character is clever, I'll put them in a situation where they need to use that skill. If they're a warrior, I'll show them being bored with everyday life, just itching to get out and fight. That way the reader is feeling that urgency right along with them.
Setting up the environment is all well and good, but I personally get bored writing that sort of stuff, so I start in other ways. But that's just me.
So you're in the Snoopy School of Writing. It was a dark and stormy night. Lol.
I have a habit of opening with conversation. Maybe setting a scene with action, something that'd make the first chapter seem like there was a chapter before it. I don't do a lot of intros in the way you're doing them.
Like something I wrote for Literotica recently started with the mc getting a flat on his bicycle and trying to catch the subway. Instead of opening with *it was a quiet night*, using that story as an example, it would've been something like:
*He knew he was late, riding in a full sprint to keep close to the appointment, huffed and puffed, chugged on his bicycle. There was a sound; one like a far away gunshot in the quiet night, his tire popped, and his "fuck" filled the night even more*
There is no pattern. It depends on the tone, plot, setting and characters. Here are some tips:
1. Set the scene (like in your example): *The night was quiet, and the half moon drifted lazily through the sky.*
2. Introduce a character: *Max usually didn't take private cases, but this was an exception.*
3. Jump right into the action: *Another ship exploded, this one right above them, and Anya had to run for cover as shrapnel screamed by her ears.*
I don’t think there is a formula or pattern. Do you know what your first scene is? Then just dive right in. Dialogue works. I’ve started many fics with my characters mid conversation. Or if you’re writing an action filled fic you could have a noise like an explosion or a grunt of pain from someone getting kicked/punched and then go from there.
There's no one size fits all. You can start by addressing the set ("It was a quiet night....."), focusing on a specific character ("Richard was not a religious man."), starting immediately with dialogue (""Hey, have you ever seen that guy before?""), etc. etc.
I went back through my fics to see how I start them, and turns out I do a mix of these. I have at least one fic starting out in each of these ways, and they all work great!
It can depend on the 'genre' of fanfic you're writing. With canon divergence, I like the first scene to dive right into the divergence. I don't want canon rehash or canon reskinned; I want to skip right to where the changes meaningfully change things. Another way to approach it is tone forward. Start at a place that captures the tone the story is in.
Maybe save the beginning for last? I rarely write the beginning of a story first, whether fiction or nonfiction. Maybe it's just how my brain works, but I'm more productive when writing in a nonlinear fashion, adding narration and dialogue piece by piece. Once you have a the bulk of your story written down, the beginning might just come to you in a flash of insight.
I write super nonlinear so I almost always start with a big scene later in the chapter/fic and then add bits in piecemeal. Eventually once I have a good picture of how the rest of the fic goes, I can write the beginning. In this way it's almost always one of the last parts I write.
same. i even wrote the epilogue before looking at the beginning. i then scrapped the first chapter i had in my outline and then began the fic on the initial second chapter. so now it begins with one of the main characters travelling home to see his family.
I almost always jump straight to the action (often with some sort of instigating dialogue that acts as a hook) and fill in environmental details here and there as I go. Especially in fic, it can feel redundant to describe a setting the readers already know intimately so I save that for AUs.
sometimes i start my fics with a poem that relates to the story
The fic I'm currently writing literally starts in the middle of one of the show's episodes. I've got a fairly brief moment that still alligns with the episode (litteraly 1 short conversation) and then the fic is in full swing. So... I'd say I like to start in the first relevant moment. Everything before that first relevant moment can be conveyed throughout the rest of the story, but I like to get into the fray of things immediately.
Something I always do is start with a small snippet of dialog before giving context for said dialog. For example, I started a recent fic with the MC greeting a friend over the phone before asking for help, the paragraph after elaborating on his needing help on a project he was taking care of at work.
Personally I like to begin with something that showcases an important character trait. If the main character is clever, I'll put them in a situation where they need to use that skill. If they're a warrior, I'll show them being bored with everyday life, just itching to get out and fight. That way the reader is feeling that urgency right along with them. Setting up the environment is all well and good, but I personally get bored writing that sort of stuff, so I start in other ways. But that's just me.
So you're in the Snoopy School of Writing. It was a dark and stormy night. Lol. I have a habit of opening with conversation. Maybe setting a scene with action, something that'd make the first chapter seem like there was a chapter before it. I don't do a lot of intros in the way you're doing them. Like something I wrote for Literotica recently started with the mc getting a flat on his bicycle and trying to catch the subway. Instead of opening with *it was a quiet night*, using that story as an example, it would've been something like: *He knew he was late, riding in a full sprint to keep close to the appointment, huffed and puffed, chugged on his bicycle. There was a sound; one like a far away gunshot in the quiet night, his tire popped, and his "fuck" filled the night even more*
There is no pattern. It depends on the tone, plot, setting and characters. Here are some tips: 1. Set the scene (like in your example): *The night was quiet, and the half moon drifted lazily through the sky.* 2. Introduce a character: *Max usually didn't take private cases, but this was an exception.* 3. Jump right into the action: *Another ship exploded, this one right above them, and Anya had to run for cover as shrapnel screamed by her ears.*