Okay, I've decided to do the thing. This is my first try at writing a writing tip! Hopefully I explain it well and it’s something interesting for everyone. Someone also suggested that I should base them around the way that I write for my own stories, so I’m going to make a mix of general ones and personal ones.

In my personal style, I start stories with literally anything other than descriptive settings. I prefer character’s perspective, not narrator’s perspective.

"Narrator":

“It was a bright and sunny day, and Character was walking on the beach. The sky was blue, the sand yellow, and the temperature a number. Today, it was his birthday.”

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, I just don’t like it. When I write, I start the story with actions, observations, thoughts, literally anything else!

Example: “Character wasn’t used to being at the beach on his birthday. He looked at the sand, wishing there wasn’t sand there.”

Example: “The sun beat down on the sandy beach. Character squinted at the water’s reflection, wavering in the heat. It sure was a warm ass day.”

Example: “Character looked up at the sky. Man, that’s weather, he thought to himself.”


It just helps me feel more like I'm in the character's shoes, and hopefully the reader feels the same way :P