Starting stories off?

[Righteousbro]

I have a few ideas, but I can almost never start it off. I'm asking if there's any general advice but if there isn't any I can try and give details, I haven't thought everything out yet though.

[WingedZephyr]

In most cases you want to start off by introducing the story's "world" one way or another. Whether you do that through straight description, or reveal it through a character's reactions/role in the world, etc. is up to you.

That's not necessarily a "rule" about where to start, but it should be enough to get you going if you don't have other ideas.

[Righteousbro]

In most cases you want to start off by introducing the story's "world" one way or another. Whether you do that through straight description, or reveal it through a character's reactions/role in the world, etc. is up to you.

That's not necessarily a "rule" about where to start, but it should be enough to get you going if you don't have other ideas.

Thanks, I don't know if it'll apply to mine since it's not really a focus on the world, but I might be able to use it, so I'll just post something about my story, if anyone viewing this has any random tips on generally starting I'll still appreciate it though  .


So one idea I have is this:

During Rome when the ruling system is insanely corrupt but not many people realize it because of the things the government's done to keep people stupid. One person was a radical who was constantly trying to fix things. This man also had a son. He spent a lot of time working on ideas but still had a healthy relationship with his son. He was eventually discovered and executed though. Then his son, in his devastation, decides to continue his father's work, just a little more extreme....

And that's how the story begins, I could start it at his father's execution, him with his father, after he was devastated and then have random going back to the execution during it, but whenever I pick somewhere I can't start it.

[flames]

I agree with Zeph that easing the reader into the world of your story (even if it's one we should be familiar with and not need introduction to) tends to be a good idea most of the time so long as you do so in a way that interests the reader and allows you to then jump in and take it wherever. Sometimes the best way is just to jump in and start explaining things as you go along or outright describe some key points but make them more complex later on.
An example intro for the idea you posted above would be:

"Rome. A vast, glorious empire with an iron-fisted rule. A land where the people have been blinded by their own protectors and rulers, their sight removed not with the steel of swords and spears but instead with the gradual, ever sickening pollution to common decency known only as political corruption. Like animals trapped in cages from their birth, the citizens don't realise their own captivity, nor do they seek out freedom or justice from this tyranny.
Most are content to be caged animals, but not all..."

And at this point you could do whatever, either going into a description of the radical or skip to the execution or whatever you like. There aren't any rules or any one way of doing it that's better so feel free to go in a completely different direction to what I suggest.

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The ideas given so far are the literary equivelant of a sweeping view of a camera, like the opening shot of Oblivion, or the first fifteen minutes of Watchmen. It's a lot of exposition in a very small space. A lot of writers avoid this, or try to incorporate it into a more personal or action oriented section. There's one peice of advice that a lot of modern writers take up. Start with something exciting. A death in a murder mystery, the opening action of a tarantino film, or something like that... a particuar one that worked rather well was in the book "Silver Screen" by Justina Robson. It started with an argument about the nature of artificial intelligence... or something along those lines (i haven't read it in a while.) But basically it sets out the world and themes involved, but does it through an exciting situation (a heated argument) involving the main characters. So you get the main things introduced within a paragraph.

For your story, I personally would start at the execution. Normally they're very public events, held in the arena before the gladiatorial matches, and due to the political machinations behind it, there should be a lot of politicians present. We should see things very close to the son's view. He knows why his father was executed and that it was all politically motivated. He watches these politicians smile over the silencing of an opposing voice. The public would also be present, and they should talk about the supposed crime the father was supposed to have committed, completely believing it when the son knows that it's not true. That his father was killed for his actions against corruption.

It can either be in close third person, or first person. Maybe he can have co-conspirators, with more moderate views to contrast against the son.

But again, this is nothing definite. It's all your choice on how you go about things.

[Righteousbro]

Thanks, these are good ideas  .

[tangletail]

My stories normaly start off with a exposition then setting. Some other writers start it off on a charecter completely irrevelant to the story like Elizer Whitney with Moche the Beetle.