70+ Sentence Starters to Improve Your Writing

sentence starters

Writing can often feel like an overwhelming task, especially when you’re staring at a blank page, unsure where to begin. One of the most effective ways to overcome writer’s block is by using sentence starters to guide you.

This article will introduce you to a variety of sentence starters across different genres and writing styles. From general openers to more specialized examples for narrative, creative, and literary writing, you’ll find helpful suggestions to inspire your next project.

What Is a Sentence Starter?

A sentence starter is a phrase or word used at the beginning of a sentence to help initiate a thought or idea. It serves as a tool to make writing more engaging and to provide structure to your sentences.

Sentence starters are commonly used to improve flow and coherence, guiding the reader through the progression of ideas.

General Sentence Openers

Here are some versatile sentence starters you can use for nearly any kind of writing.

To begin with: Introducing the first point
Additionally: Adding another idea
In conclusion: Summarizing a point
Consequently: Indicating a result
For instance: Giving an example
Meanwhile: Presenting an alternative situation
In fact: Emphasizing truth
As a result: Showing cause and effect
On the other hand: Presenting a contrasting idea
Therefore: Drawing a conclusion
Moreover: Adding emphasis to an idea
In contrast: Offering a comparison
Although: Introducing a condition
Nevertheless: Expressing an opposing idea
Subsequently: Indicating the next action
Naturally: Assuming something as a fact
Specifically: Giving precise details
Undoubtedly: Stating something with certainty
Equally important: Highlighting another key point
Ultimately: Concluding or summarizing

Sentence Starters for Narrative Writing

Narrative writing can be enriched with sentence starters that create flow and momentum. Here are some sentence starters ideal for storytelling.

Once upon a time: Setting up a fairy tale or story
In that moment: Creating immediacy and suspense
Long ago: Indicating a historical or distant time
At that point: Providing a specific moment in time
Before she knew it: Showing surprise or transition
With a sudden jolt: Describing an unexpected action
As the sun set: Setting the scene with imagery
At the crack of dawn: Indicating the start of a day
Without warning: Introducing a sudden event
With that, she realized: Leading to an important realization
As they walked along: Moving the plot forward
When the storm passed: Transitioning after a major event
The air was thick with: Building atmosphere
Through the thick fog: Adding a sense of mystery
In the distance: Guiding the reader’s attention
As they reached the edge: Leading to a critical point
Her heart raced as: Conveying strong emotions
He couldn’t help but: Indicating a character’s impulse
With eyes wide open: Indicating surprise or awe

Sentence Starters for Stories

Writing stories, whether short or long, requires engaging and vivid sentence starters that captivate the reader’s attention. Here are some story-specific starters to add energy to your prose.

It was a dark and stormy night
The door creaked open
As the clock struck midnight
Beneath the surface of the water
In the blink of an eye
Every step echoed in the silence
She didn’t hear the footsteps behind her
As the wind howled
By the time he arrived
They had no idea
It was the last place he expected to find
Just as he was about to speak
All of a sudden
With no escape in sight
He was about to give up when
From that moment on
The lights flickered and then went out
She had always believed that
In the blink of an eye, everything changed
The wind picked up suddenly
As the door slammed shut
Just before dawn
In the dead of night
Through the cracks in the walls
The shadows stretched longer
A cold shiver ran down her spine
No one could have predicted
He didn’t know what to expect next
At that very moment
The ground shook beneath their feet
The air was thick with tension
The silence was deafening
Out of nowhere, a voice called out
As the last candle flickered
His heart pounded in his chest
They could feel it in their bones
There was no turning back now
She heard the distant rumble of thunder

Sentence Starters for Creative Writing

Creative writing often requires a bit more flair and artistic expression. Here are some sentence starters that can help you unleash your creativity.

In the distance
Beneath the surface
Without warning
As the sun set
In the blink of an eye
Under the stars
With a single glance
At the edge of the world
With every step
In the quiet moments
From the shadows
On the horizon
At the break of dawn
Across the room
With trembling hands
Through the trees
In the heart of the storm
Beneath the moonlight
On the other side
From the top of the hill
In the midst of chaos
In the silence that followed
Without a sound
As the clock ticked
With every heartbeat
Through the mist
On the edge of despair
With a deep breath
At the foot of the mountain
In the dead of night
Above the clouds
Through the window
On the road ahead
In the final moments
With a heavy heart
At the crossroads
On the verge of something
In the grip of fear
At the end of the path
With the wind at her back
Through the fog
Without a word
Across the darkened sky
As the rain poured
On the far side of the forest
Underneath the stars
In the quiet before
At the last moment
With a fleeting thought
Between the shadows

Sentence Starter Examples in Literature

Below are examples from famous works of literature, where sentence starters set the tone and mood of the writing.

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”—J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
“The sun shone having no alternative, on the nothing.”—Samuel Beckett, Murphy
“It was a pleasure to burn.”—Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”—Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”—Stephen King, The Gunslinger
“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”—Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”—George Orwell, 1984
“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.”—Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
“She was the kind of girl who would take you by the hand and lead you into a story.”—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
“The sun was setting behind the hills, casting a warm glow across the valley.”—John Steinbeck, East of Eden
“The streetcar rumbled down the avenue, its sound echoing through the empty streets.”—Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
“It was a rainy day in Paris when she first arrived at the café.”—Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
“I never had a home until I went to the war.”—William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying
“The wind was howling through the trees, carrying with it the scent of salt and sea.”—Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse
“She had the face of an angel and the soul of a devil.”—Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
“In the middle of the night there was a knock at the door.”—Gabriel García Márquez, Chronicle of a Death Foretold
“The house was silent when he stepped inside, the only sound was the creaking of the floorboards.”—Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
“The stars were bright above the mountain, casting long shadows on the snow.”—Jack London, White Fang
“The air was thick with tension as the two men faced each other.”—Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Sentence Starter Example Sentences

Here are a few sentences demonstrating the use of sentence starters in action.

Consequently, the ground trembled beneath her feet, and the sky turned a fiery orange as the storm approached.
To begin with, she had no idea that this seemingly harmless walk through the woods would lead to the discovery of something so ancient.
For instance, in the middle of the night, when the moon was at its peak, the creatures of the forest would come to life and speak in riddles.
In fact, the moment she stepped onto the ship, she felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.
As a result, their once peaceful village was now surrounded by a mysterious fog that no one dared to enter.
On the other hand, the pirate ship, with its tattered sails, had a sense of freedom that called to him more than any life on land could.
Meanwhile, the fire crackled softly in the corner of the room, casting eerie shadows on the walls as she pondered the letter she had just received.
In addition, the mountains that stretched before her were far more intimidating than she had ever imagined, their peaks shrouded in mist.
As such, the village was plunged into a deep silence, as though it were holding its breath in anticipation of something yet to come.
For example, the old woman who lived at the edge of the village was said to know secrets that no one else dared to uncover.
Nevertheless, she pressed forward, her heart pounding in her chest as she ventured deeper into the haunted woods.
Therefore, the forest remained a place of mystery, its secrets locked away until someone brave enough came to uncover them.
At the same time, the stars above her seemed to shimmer with a strange light, almost as if they were guiding her toward something important.
In other words, she wasn’t just walking through the forest—she was on a journey that could change the course of her life forever.
That said, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching her every move from the shadows.
With that in mind, she tightened her grip on the dagger in her belt and moved cautiously through the overgrown path.
For one thing, the air in the cavern felt different—charged with a strange energy that hummed beneath her skin.
To her surprise, she found herself standing in front of an ancient door, carved with symbols she couldn’t understand, yet felt drawn to.
In reality, the world she knew no longer seemed real—everything had shifted the moment she stepped through the enchanted portal.
On the contrary, the darkness of the night seemed to embrace him, offering him comfort as he made his way toward the unknown.
For a moment, everything stood still, and she could hear the faint whisper of a voice calling her name from the depths of the cave.
By the same token, the hidden village that appeared before her looked both ancient and timeless, as though it had always been there.
In short, she had crossed a line that could never be undone, and there was no going back to the life she once knew.
In conclusion, her journey had led her to this moment—a crossroads where fate would either crush her or lift her to greatness.
At first, everything seemed perfectly ordinary, but with each passing hour, the reality of the situation began to sink in.
As usual, the sky was ablaze with the colors of the setting sun, but today, the beauty of it only made her feel more alone.
At that moment, the ground beneath her feet cracked, sending her tumbling into the unknown depths below.
In retrospect, she realized that she had been given a choice—one that would determine the fate of both her world and the world she’d just discovered.
For better or worse, the old mansion had always been a place of mystery.
Afterward, the world felt strangely quieter, as though everything had shifted, and nothing would ever be the same again.