I must begin with a confession. I do not read every submission to the end. Some few I eliminate without reading them at all—they obviously do not fit the guidelines because they are too short, too long, or the author describes them as some sort of modern fantasy or science fiction that I don’t publish in Swords & Sorcery Magazine. Other stories I begin but don’t feel compelled to finish. A strong beginning is necessary to make a good short story and not every story I receive has one.
What makes a strong story start? The answer is action! Something should happen from word one.
By action I do not mean violence. Violent action may be a fine choice but it is not the only one. There is nothing wrong with a good fight, but movement, conversation, or even observation can work in the right context, as long as it involves at least one character and requires active verbs to portray.
Beginning with an action starts the plot moving, but that is not the only thing that action can accomplish. If setting the scene is necessary, let a character, perhaps your protagonist, interact with it or react to it. Is the deck of the ship littered with the bodies of your hero’s crew. Let him trip over them, or cry over them, or scream his desire to avenge them at his foe. Then, if necessary, step back and describe the scene if the action doesn’t give enough of a picture.
Well written action focuses the readers’ attention on the acting character, and focusing the readers’ attention is what draws them into the story, so action can provide a hook that captures the readers’ and encourages them to read more. Without the hook, they might stop at the beginning, as I sometimes do.
What often does not work to start a story is passive description. More than a line or two can become boring, and it often feels like padding added to make the story seem larger than it is. Furthermore, short stories need to be concise, because they are exactly that—short. Action advances the plot but it can also do double or even triple duty, informing the reader about the character who performs the action and also about the setting or other characters that are acted upon. Descriptive passages can’t do as much unless they are framed with an action that brings a character into the description..
All of this is, of course, one man’s opinion. You are free to act on it or ignore it as you see fit. Just remember that if you are submitting a story to Swords & Sorcery Magazine, an active start may be a mark in your story’s favor.
Finally, if you enjoy reading S&SM please consider joining the Patreon. Your support will help make Swords & Sorcery even better.
Best,
Curtis Ellett
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