Darkness Rises: How to Begin Your Story with Impact
“They came in the night. Things not seen in over a hundred years…”
— Manah Wars: Glimmer in the Darkness
Every great saga begins with rupture. A wound to the world. A whisper of dread. In the vast tapestry of storytelling, few openings burn into memory like the arrival of a dark force—the Big Bad—whose mere presence distorts fate itself.
In Manah Wars, we open not with idle musings, but with death. Fort Bosk falls under a storm of Kuns and black clouds. The undead breach the walls. The world begins to end—and a red-eyed boy awakens to his calling.
This post explores how to unleash that same gravity in your own story's beginning. We’ll look at how to ignite the tale with danger, urgency, and purpose from the very first page.
1. Introducing the Big Bad
To create a beginning that grips, reveal your antagonist early. Not always fully—but enough to taste the terror they bring.
In Manah Wars, the reader meets the forces of Akh not through exposition, but through destruction:
“A cloud of death swept through the fort… feasting on the soldiers.”
The Big Bad should cast a shadow. Maybe they don’t speak. Maybe they don’t appear physically. But their will is felt. Their presence unsettles. Think:
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Sauron’s eye in The Fellowship of the Ring
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Voldemort’s whisper in The Philosopher’s Stone
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Akh’s rot in the forests of Alteria
The earlier you introduce your antagonist’s effect, the stronger the foundation for conflict.
2. The Disarray of the Story World
Peace is shattered.
The world as it once was—the home, the tribe, the city—begins to crack. Whether subtly or spectacularly, your opening pages should signal that something is deeply wrong.
In Manah Wars, this disarray is both external and spiritual. Cities crumble, yes—but so does faith. As monsters swarm Fort Bosk, Captain Zanzar realizes too late that his gluttony and complacency doomed them all.
This isn’t just visual carnage—it’s a moral collapse.
Let your story world bleed. Whether it’s a cracked temple, a broken alliance, or the death of a child’s innocence—disruption must echo on every level.
3. The Time Limit Before Irreversible Damage
Nothing compels like a countdown.
Once the antagonist strikes, a clock must begin—sometimes literal, often metaphorical. In Manah Wars, the arrival of the undead is not just an attack—it heralds the Ritual, the end of all living things, ten days hence.
A ticking clock creates tension. It keeps characters (and readers) moving forward. Consider:
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The dragon’s awakening in The Hobbit
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The rising fog in Annihilation
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The guillotine of The Ritual in Manah Wars
Time must press down. Make every choice count.
4. The Seeming Goal: Stop the Disruption
This is where hope flickers.
The characters believe they know what they must do: find the artifact, kill the beast, seal the portal, raise the army. This seeming goal gives them direction… and gives you, the author, narrative fuel.
Aedan believes he must fight Maleh to save Concordia. But the truth—the real journey—is buried in his blood, his birth, and the Book of Dwd.
The initial goal should be noble yet incomplete. It propels the protagonists forward… toward the revelation that they were never truly prepared.
This sets up your later twists and your inevitable act three upending, which we’ll explore in the next post.
5. Final Thoughts: Begin Like a Battle Cry
A strong opening is not a whisper—it is a roar.
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Show us the enemy, even if only in silhouette.
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Tear the world apart, or reveal the tear that already exists.
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Start the clock.
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Give your heroes a goal they believe in—until they learn the truth.
The beginning is your oath to the reader: this matters. Start it with steel.
Further Reading & Companions
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Manah Wars: Glimmer in the Darkness – Order Here
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Story by Robert McKee – For understanding dramatic structure through tension and change.
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Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – Great breakdown of opening beats and hooks.
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The Monomyth: Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey – Where all great disruptions begin.
