: Re: How do you drop a reader in the middle of nowhere at the beginning of a story? My story begins with a little girl waking up in a creepy and probably very haunted house in the middle of

@Radia543

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Is it a bad way to start the story?

It isn't. In fact, it can do what you want to do in the first place: hook the reader. Writing in the middle of some action or plot gives the air of mystery which readers would then be interested in finding the reasons for. Your next job is to address this.

How should I start this story? What should I focus on?

Well, key things here are the basic questions your readers would ask:

Where/When are we? : You'd like to set the mood, picture the landscape but not excessively. You'd want to keep the reader in the dark just enough to keep pulling him into the plot. Depending on the genre of the story, I'd go for sensations (tactile, visual, etc), build the tension and keep it there.

Then address what your character would ask:

Why am I here? : While this wouldn't normally be answered immediately, you'd go ahead and drive the protag forward with this in mind. What are her initial thoughts on the situation? Does she feel nervous or calm?

You should focus on the matter at hand basically, the character is plunged into a world she doesn't know and exploring it would be the only option. Her reactions would be the brush to paint her personality and the world would be further expanded by how she views it.

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