How to start your book.

Writing beginnings is one of the crucial parts. Getting reader's attention and making them sit through the book is one of the toughest part. So today will see how to write the beginnings that captivate the reader to keep going.

Many writers know what they want to write for the climax and resolution, but tackling the beginning is a lot harder. Especially when you're new to the craft, writing the beginning can seem daunting, since how do you even begin to organize the ideas floating around in your brain?

Establish the setting.

Let your readers know where the story is. Try to use imagery so your reader will visualize what world they'll be able to immerse themselves in. Set the vibe of the story. Is it a lighthearted rom-com set in a modern day rural community? Or is it a dark historical fiction story that takes place in 1945, inside a nazi camp?

Introduce main characters. 

The first character introduced is typically the main character. Use the beginning to establish a voice for your character and some things that set them apart from anyone else. Introduce some side characters that will be important to the plot for the rest of the story. However, don't introduce your characters at once and let some characters be introduced in the middle.

Outline. 

Maybe I'm just biased because I'm a plotter, but outlining can help you organize your ideas. Initially, you might write down a random list of ideas for plot points. Then take a look at your list again and try to order the bullet points into a story that would make sense. This can help you with not just the ending, but the rest of your story too.

Think about the options you have. 

There are many ways to hook a reader into a story, and it's up to you to decide what is appropriate for your particular story. Perhaps for a character driven story, you can start with an interesting line of dialogue that gives insight into who a character is. If you have a more action packed story, you might want to start smack-dab in the middle of the action.

Try to avoid info dumping.

If you're writing a story with rich world building, you might be tempted to dump information about the context into the first few pages. This isn't ideal, as it can overwhelm the reader, even if the information is important. In the first few chapters, sprinkle information about your world and let the readers absorb it.

Make your readers curious. 

To keep your readers turning the page, there needs to be an element of curiosity. Open up some mysteries or conflicts to be resolved. Let them wonder: who is this character? What's going to happen next? Will the two characters get together? If it helps, start writing a list of the questions you want readers to ask themselves.

Start building tension. 

Similar to the point above, you will have to make your readers want to continue reading. Start building the stakes, as your reader forms a bond with the characters. Maybe your MC's best friend gets kidnapped. A conflict is the basis to your story, and you should start building it early.

Don't let perfectionism prevent you from moving forward. 

A lot of writers fall into the trap of rewriting their first chapter 20 times because it isn't good enough for them. And though there is a time and place for this, especially in the editing stages, this should be reserved for later drafts. If you keep writing the beginning again and again, you'll never move forward. Let yourself write the middle and ending and come back to the perfect the beginning later.

Writing the beginning is the hardest part of writing a story for some writers, especially perfectionists. Though the beginning is not the end-all, be-all for your novel, a strong beginning is important if you want your readers to be interested in finishing your book.