1. Story Starters
© 2004 POWR Supply

2. You’ve probably been faced with
the challenging task of trying to
figure out how to start a story.
Your teacher probably said to get
out your pencil and paper and start
writing. But you’ve got one huge
problem. You have no idea of how
to start your story! Well, stress no
more! Try one of these ideas for
starting your story…

3. Story Starter #1:
Dialogue
• Many writers like to start their story with
characters talking. This is a dialogue starter.
• Let’s pretend you are writing a story about the
time you broke your wrist by falling off your bike.
You could start your story like this…
Ex: “Hey, Jose,” I said, “check this out! I can ride
my bike with no hands!”
“You better stop that,” Frankie said, “or you’re
going to get hurt!”
“No, I won’t, scaredy cat,” I replied.

4. Story Starter #2:
Action
• Some writers like to start their story in the thick
of the action. This is an action starter.
• Let’s pretend you have the same story about
your bike and breaking your wrist. You could
start it like this…
Ex: Bam! My front wheel jagged to the right and I
hit the curb with a vengeance. As I tried to
maintain control of the bike, my wrist twisted to
the left. Crack! I instantly knew that wasn’t a
good sound!

5. Story Starter #3:
Flashback
• You may decide that you want to start your story
with an event from the present, and then jump to
the past tense. This is called a flashback starter.
• Let’s pretend you have the same story about
your bike and breaking your wrist. You could
start it like this…
Ex: Every time I see the scar on my wrist, I think
about that day and what caused the scar.
It all began one crisp, sunny day. I was tired
of staying cooped up in the house after four days
of rain. I was ready to get out there and ride my
bike with my best friend, Frankie.

6. Story Starter #4:
Foreshadow
• Sometimes you just want to catch your
reader’s attention by hinting at what’s
going to happen in your story. This is a
foreshadow starter.
• Let’s pretend you have the same story
about your bike and breaking your wrist.
You could start it like this…
Ex: Riding your bike is probably one of the
safest activities that a kid can do, right?
Well, apparently not for me!

7. Story Starter #5:
Question
• Sometimes you want to start your story by
posing a question to your reader. This is a
question starter.
• Question starters should NOT merely rephrase
the writing prompt.
Example prompt: Write about an event that you will
never forget.
Example question starter: Have you ever had an
event that you will never forget?
• This is a better way to write a question starter…
Ex: Have you ever acted so stupid that it resulted
in an injury?

8. Story Starter #6:
Statement
• Writers often like to start their stories by
making a statement or declaring a fact.
This is a statement starter.
• Let’s pretend you have the same story
about your bike and breaking your wrist.
You could start it like this…
Ex: Bike accidents are the leading cause of
children’s visits to the emergency room.
Most children come in with either a
fracture or a broken bone.