10 Best Ways to Start Your Fantasy Novel

I asked 400 fantasy readers: "What's the best way to start a fantasy novel?" In this video, I react to the top 10 most common responses.

⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction
00:39 - Introduce the magic system
03:16 - Start with the villain
09:12 - Foreshadowing
11:09 - Set the tone
13:16 - Prologues
16:32 - Dialogue
20:08 - Mystery
23:16 - Worldbuilding
25:29 - Introduce the main character
29:26 - In media res

📙 MY BOOKS:

🎮 MY VIDEO GAME:

[Jed_Herne]

Here's what one student said about the program:

"I started writing 20 years ago, but never stuck with any project I began. A year ago, I discovered Jed’s YouTube channel and since then I’ve been learning so much about writing. When I began writing my first novel, I didn’t like how my first chapter ended, so when I saw you had this masterclass in writing first chapters; I jumped into it immediately, and I am so glad I did. Every single lesson in this course has incredible value and I know that from now on, I will always rewatch it whenever I start a new book because I now know how to write an excellent first chapter." - Hector Elias

[dragondude]

I've written many different openings over a few years. All the same world, but I'm still new.
I've been a writer of little bite-sized stories for a little bit. I'm intending to begin writing a full novel and your videos have been quite noteworthy.
Largely appreciated and I'll probably have to attempt to get in on one of these workshops and such.

[WlfSheld]

Just found your channel, I'm working on my first story that I've been building up for the past decade, I've made so many changes, it was originally a world full of all the legendary creatures known in mythology, all the heavens and underworld creatures, fantasy creatures of pure fiction and Greek mythology and now it's a living planet and it's core is also it's own sun. It's a story of 2 worlds colliding, a sci-fi world and a fantasy world

[Bloobz]

"As you know" Dialogues are great, you use that A LOT in real life when you explain something to someone. But you need it to convey an additional information after that.

"As you know the Evil Magician live in the tower to the North and we should avoid it... And that why we will go there because nobody will expect us to be hidden over there."

"As you know water boils at 100°C. But if the pression of atmosphere is lower, the boiling point will be lower"

[australiainfelix]

I hardly see YouTubers surveying their audience. Nice idea. Interesting results.

[Jojobakendolltv]

For my first chapter, it’s the king of his land and his advisors talking about their concerns about a certain character who eventually influences the plot.

[daianad]

#9: In the ASOIAF first book, the prologue introduced the menace of ICE (the Others) and the last chapter was with the menace of FIRE, the two dangers the world will have to face.

[frankvandorp]

I don't understand why people care so very much about who exactly the main character is, but that's probably because I generally don't like it when stories have very clearly designated Main Characters and Side Characters.

[kolec]

I think I'd lean towards making that "slow moving train", so curious, so irresistibly interesting, that the reader can't help but board it and start the journey.

[YountFilm]

Re: "Stop watching videos and get writing!"
I listen to these videos while on my work commute, and it generates reflections on my writing, which I then record to myself in voice memos.
Anything can be a boon or distraction; it's all in how you use it.
[Posting here instead of as a reply comment.]

[aurthurpendragon]

I think the reason so many people say that characters need to be likeable is because there's a more specific piece of advise that I've heard before which is that characters need to eb relatable, and it's pretty difficult to relate to unlikeable characters.

[emmanuellopez]

I'm making a book; and this video has been a great help, Thanks

[TheDarkSideOfIndustry]

Another thing you can start with the antagonist but not show them if you know what I mean. Like if it's a dark Lord or a corrupt king instead of showing them have their servants or second in command speak about their plan instead. Also if it is the servants speaking then you can get away with keeping things hidden better as I feel the main villain not telling the full plan to his servants can seem a little unrealistic and a plot device to cause shock later. But the servants might not have all the knowledge of the plan so it's easier to hide it and it will make the shock/ twist feel more realistic

[stacymitchell]

I don't care either way with Pelosi but I tend to love multiple flashback sprinkled throughout a story

[dravenloki]

Eragon also started off with the Villian pov, with Durza and the urgals, ambushing Arya

[Me_Caveman]

I prefer "low fantasy" or very limited-use of magic in a world. The less you use it, the more impactful it can be.

[Merlewhitefire]

Very frustrating that several of these are rough synonyms for entries on the "worst ways" list.

"In the middle of the action, " "Worldbuilding, " "Starting with somebody other than the main character, " and "Mysterious/confusing circumstances" are all on both lists.

[ALX]

The magic system is unrelated to the low fantasy genre. Low fantasy is when fantasy elements are rare and uncommon. Having a magic system vs more of hard vs soft magic system. These are not the same. Though, if magic is common it frequently leans to a hard system, while when magic is rare it tends to be softer, but this is a tendency, not a strict rule.

[awkwardsquirtle]

For the "start with a villain" I always thought about starting a novel with Chapter 2 and then at the end of the book Chapter 1 is there and then you understand why it's at the end...maybe putting chapter 1 in the villain's pov could make it possible? Because it reveals too much

[Yull-Rete]

The Way of Kings is one of only two books I've ever read more than half of, and then stopped reading. (The other being That Hideous Strength, which I did eventually finish after starting 4-5 more times.) I've read most of Sanderson's other works, and I don't think there are any of those that I disliked, but with The Way of Kings, there are so many different stories being told at once, which are different enough that they don't even feel like they're all on the same planet, that I was more annoyed than interested when the PoV swapped from a story like Kaladin's which was rather engaging, to Shallan's, which never made me care about it. It felt more like the later books of The Wheel of Time (which coincidentally Sanderson also wrote), where there in an ensemble cast all doing their own things, and it works, because we have been watching these characters for several books, and each one's story is woven together with all our other main characters in one way or another. But in The Way of Kings (at least the first half or so), there is no synthesis between the various plot lines, so I couldn't engage with it properly.