Absolute Boyfriend: Volume 1
So, you’ve got this amazing story idea bouncing around in your head—yay, go you! But now comes the big question: how do you actually start the thing? You want that first page to blow your readers away, right? Let’s talk about one of the best ways to hook them: en medias res.
Don’t worry, it’s not as fancy as it sounds. En medias res just means starting in the middle of the action. No lengthy explanations, no pages of backstory—just drop your readers right into the thick of things. You can fill in the details later, sneaking in bits of backstory through dialogue, flashbacks, or little descriptive nuggets as you go.
Now, before you think this means you need to start with explosions and car chases (though, hey, those are fun too), it doesn’t have to be that intense. The key is to catch your main character on the move—literally or figuratively. Maybe they’re rushing to catch the bus, gearing up to confront their boss about a tough decision or finally about to confess to their high school crush. The idea is to drop in just before the real action kicks off.
Feeling like your opening is dragging? Shake things up! Throw your protagonist into the deep end. Maybe they get punched in the face (ouch, but intriguing!). Or they’re in the middle of a breakup. Or—bam—they just got fired. Dramatic? Sure. Attention-grabbing? Absolutely.
But it doesn’t always have to be that big. Even showing a slice of your character’s regular life can work—just make sure it connects to what’s coming next. For instance, maybe they’re running late for the bus, and whoosh, the bus swerves off the road, almost crashing before being saved by a mysterious psychic who then spots your character and starts chasing them. Now we’re hooked!
Here’s the trick: after that quick peek at your character’s everyday life, you need to set up the big problem that’s going to kick the story into high gear. This is the moment that makes readers go, “Wait, what happens next?!” It’s not necessarily the inciting incident, but it’s the initial problem that makes us care and keeps us turning the pages.
So, what do you think? Do you start your comics or stories en medias res? Got any tips or tricks for killer openings? Let us know in the comments—we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Starting where the action is
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, April 5, 2025
4 likes!
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PaulEberhardt at 1:08PM, April 7, 2025
It's a bit of going against the rules ("Always have a proper introduction, a mid-part and an ending, nag nag nag nag...") and that makes it such a cool thing to do. Or is it? Often it's just a way of introducing the main characters through a snapshot of their lives. Or it's foreshadowing (prolepsis) with the bulk of the story dealing with what led up to the opening scene. You don't actually cut out the introduction, you just put all the stuff that'd normally be in it elsewhere, where it doesn't get in the way. Only then does the magic happen.
JohnCelestri at 6:53AM, April 6, 2025
I agree @Banes. There's a sweet spot to start your story, giving enough of a runway for the story to take off without having to provide exposition later on.
Banes at 3:56PM, April 5, 2025
So often you hear about movies in rough cuts that end up editing out the first 20 or 30 minutes, making the thing work so much better just by doing that!
Banes at 3:55PM, April 5, 2025
A character should be having some kind of conflict or something to deal with in the beginning, even if it's not the BIG conflict of the story (it usually won't be). We're seeing them in their normal life, but SOMETHING should be going on.
Banes at 3:55PM, April 5, 2025
Good post! It's always taken me a long time from figuring out a concept, and characters, and possible future stories and challenges, and finally figuring out how to start something in an interesting way.
MOrgan at 11:30AM, April 5, 2025
"I dove for cover as the bullets flew past my head. Damn, she's taking this breakup a lot worse than I thought she would." ;-)
J_Scarbrough at 9:50AM, April 5, 2025
While I wouldn't necessarily tell a story in such a manner, I will say that my non-linear creative process can be very much like this at times, though not always in the middle when the action is unfolding . . . sometimes I'll know exactly how I want the climax to unfold, so I'll start there and work my way backwards until all of the details have been filled in and the story makes sense, or I'll know how I want the conflict to start and resolve itself, but still be clueless on how to fill in the blanks inbetween that get us from Point A to Point B, so that takes a little more effort.
Sketchydrawer at 12:05AM, April 5, 2025
Omg absolute boyfriend mentioned! I should re read that again 😁 I always seem to start my comics with a calming opening, yet the chaos starts shortly after.
plymayer at 2:07AM, March 1, 2025
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