Wondering how to start a story? Learn all about hooking readers, establishing vivid scenarios and creating beginnings that make readers want to know urgently what happens next.
Category: Story Structure
Story structure is part of what makes a great novel, short story, play or other tale.
Find every article on crafting well-structured stories in Now Novel’s archives here.
Learn how to create an effective and purposeful scene. Get advice on chapter structure including where to use a dinkus or scene break. Discover how structure can help you keep your reader enthralled and turning pages.
A well-structured story is satisfying to read, as independent parts feel cohesive and related. Read a definition of story structure, followed by effective story structure examples and their insights.
What are prologues and epilogues? What can we learn from prologue examples by Tolkien, G. R. R. Martin, Paula Hawkins and others? Learn more about these useful story elements.
Learn how to write the first chapter of a book in such a way that you tease but don’t give everything away and hook readers with implication and context.
Using novel planner tools helps you build a story with purpose. Whether you use a step-by-step, prompted outlining process like Now Novel’s dashboard or other story software, try these tips to for planning and making progress:
There are many types of exposition in stories, in literature, film and other media. Exposition introduces your reader to important and intriguing details of your story – who, what, why, where and when. Read 9 exposition examples that show how to introduce characters, settings and scenarios memorably:
Writing the middle of a novel has its own unique challenges. You need to develop your story further after your engrossing start and set in place the build to the end. The curse of the ‘sagging middle’ can’t take hold. Read 9 tips on how to write the middle of a story and get it right:
A ‘hook’ in a story promises intrigue, entertainment and answers to the questions it raises. Far from the trickery of a bait and switch, a hook gives a true sense of what your reader can expect of your story’s pleasures. Explore great story hook examples and what they teach us about starting strong:
Understanding how to keep a scene interesting is a crucial skill for writing a novel or screenplay. Scenes are the basic building blocks of a chapter or act. Read on for tips on how to write a scene, plus analysis of story scene examples: