I know I am. This might just be a short term thread...but I've only been on my word document 5 minutes and all I have is "Chapter 1" and every time i write something...i delete it because it doesn't sound right....

I may have to go through all my books on my shelf to get inspiration on how to start that first paragraph...but who else here is staring at a blank screen with a blank mind going "what the helll should my first sentence be!? nothing sounds good!!!"

First words don't have to be first words. First words of the next chapter or something...if you want to discuss that...

Welp, back to the writing board...i THINK i have an idea...either that or it's just my stomach digesting all this Halloween candy...

STOP DELETING! No deleting allowed. Not until December.

I've known my first sentence for months: "Son, it's time you got married." But two lines later, I realized I wasn't quite sure how the rest of the conversation goes... Or how much I want to describe the characters in this scene... And wait, when exactly do I reveal that my narrator is heir to the throne? (That part I figured out.)

I mean, I know that the conversation gets interrupted when the little sister gets porridge in her hair and announces she wants to cut her hair off because it always gets in the way, and then we get a lecture on how important it is to have long hair because it's a status symbol and they're royalty and all that... But the whole conversation BEFORE it gets interrupted? Yeah, that's been a bit trickier than I'd imagined. I think I've ironed enough out that I'll be able to jump back into it in the morning, but for now, I think it's time to attempt some sleep.

Beginnings are the hardest part. They're also the most important part when it comes to actually submitting your book to be published and, in the end, snagging readers' attention.

So beginnings are for the "sit and stare" time. I ALWAYS start with scene 2, unless I have a solid idea of something in the first scene. Like TogetherAgain said, you can have the first line but not the rest of the conversation. No big deal. Throw down what you know and move on to the body. Let the head form itself and then you can polish it later.

Or whatever works for you, really. Lol

When writing my first scene, I'm always reminding myself that it's probably going to get deleted or will be totally rewritten once I'm done with the story and better know the characters. First chapters in first drafts are as pretty as a cowpie. Just get past it and move on!

I haven't actually started yet; I'll do that at the write-in today. But, I've found the best place to start is right in the middle. I can then go back and add the intro if I want. Sometimes I just run with it and let the reader figure out what happened to get to that point along the way. :)

Lots of great advice here already! Just try not to think about it so hard. First drafts are never going to be perfect, so those words you put down for the first scene aren't going to be perfect either. I luckily have a good grasp on my opening scene now, but it's only after I've reworked it several times. I don't know yet how I'm going to transition to scene 2, but if it doesn't immediately come to me as I write, I'll just move on to what I know is going to happen and go back to the transition later. So just write what you know. If you know what's going to happen but not the exact wording, then just write thatand fill in the details later. Nothing you write now is going to be perfect (that's what rewrites and edits are for!), so the key is just to enjoy it, and not think so hard. :)

I was able to get today's words pretty easily, but I do worry about the next bit. I have to do some worldbuilding pretty much right away and I haven't decided how I want to go about it yet, so I'm worried I will slow down when that happens. I know that I shouldn't and I'll do my best not to, but the urge is there.

I thought it would be easier rewriting an existing Nano, but I went a totally different direction with it right away, with different characters and a better introduction, so I'm not sure how much of the original I'll actually use. So far I'm not reusing anything except the basic concept.