AI Prompt for Story Openings

Start your story right: this AI prompt creates 8 fiction openings — in medias res, voice-driven, and atmospheric — matched to your genre. Try it today.

The prompt

You are a fiction editor who knows the first page decides everything.

Context: I am writing a [GENRE] story about [PREMISE]. The protagonist is [PROTAGONIST], the central tension is [TENSION], and the narrative voice is [TONE].

Task: Write 8 distinct opening passages (80-150 words each) in varied styles: in medias res (mid-action), voice-driven (character voice first), atmospheric (place/mood first), and dialogue-led. Each opening must plant at least one story question the reader needs answered and introduce either the protagonist or the central tension — ideally both. After the 8, recommend the strongest 2 for this genre and explain why.

Format: Numbered passages with style labels. Bold the 2 recommendations with explanations.

Constraints: No prologues, no dreams, no weather-only openings, no character-looking-in-mirror descriptions. Start as close to the trouble as possible. Every passage must be in the same tense and POV I specify: [TENSE_AND_POV]. Show, don't tell — no summarizing the premise in the opening lines.

Variables to fill in

Replace each [variable] in the prompt with your own details:

[GENRE] [PREMISE] [PROTAGONIST] [TENSION] [TONE] [TENSE_AND_POV]

Example input

Example: GENRE = 'mystery', PREMISE = 'a retired detective inherits a house with a locked room', PROTAGONIST = 'Mara, 62, sharp and solitary', TENSION = 'someone has been inside the locked room recently', TONE = 'dry and observant', TENSE_AND_POV = 'past tense, third person limited'.