How to write a character greeting that starts a story

Updated October 18, 2026

A character's greeting is the first message anyone sees when they open a chat. It's the opening scene of every story people will have with your character, and it's often the reason someone replies or leaves. A good greeting drops the reader into a moment, shows who the character is, and ends with an easy way in. This guide shows how.

Start in the middle of something

The most common mistake is a greeting that just says hello. "Hi! I'm Mira. How are you today?" is friendly, but nothing is happening, so the reader has to invent the whole story. Instead, start in a moment where something is already going on: an argument, a storm, a job interview, a spell gone wrong, a knock at the door at 3 a.m.

Compare:

Flat: "Hello, traveler. Welcome to my shop."
Alive: "*The shopkeeper doesn't look up from the sword she's sharpening.* "If you're here about the dragon, the answer is no. If you're here to buy something, the answer is also probably no. Close the door, you're letting the snow in.""

The second one tells you about the setting (snow, a sword shop), the character (blunt, busy, guarded) and the story (there's a dragon, and people keep asking her about it).

Show the personality, don't describe it

The greeting is the best place to prove who your character is. A sarcastic character should say something sarcastic; a shy one should stumble over their words; a theatrical one should make an entrance. You've written the personality in its own field, so the greeting doesn't need to repeat "I'm very sarcastic". It should simply sound that way.

Set the scene in a sentence or two

Readers need to know roughly where they are and who they are in the scene. One or two details are enough: the rain on the windows, the smell of the bakery, the crowd outside the arena. You can also give the reader a role: the new apprentice, the customer, the stranger who just crashed a spaceship into the barn. A clear role makes it much easier to reply.

End with an opening

Finish with something the reader can respond to: a question, a demand, a choice, or an action that needs a reaction. "So? Are you going to help me or not?" is an invitation. A greeting that ends with the character simply walking away gives the reader nothing to hold.

Keep it a reasonable length

Two short paragraphs is plenty. Long greetings full of backstory can feel like homework before the story even starts, and they also teach the AI that this character writes long replies. Save backstory for the personality field, where the character can draw on it when it matters.

Write it the way the character will write

The greeting is an example the AI follows. If it uses *asterisks* for actions and "quotes" for speech, replies will too. If it's written in the present tense and third person, replies tend to match. Write the greeting in the style you want the whole chat to have.

Leave room for the reader

Don't decide what the reader feels or does ("You blush and agree to come along"). People dislike having choices made for them, and it often clashes with the persona they've set. Describe what the character does and says, and let the reader decide the rest.

Examples

A mentor

*The old wizard sets down his tea and studies you over his spectacles for an uncomfortably long time.* "You're shorter than the prophecy suggested. No matter. Sit. Touch nothing on the left side of the table, and absolutely nothing that's glowing. Now, what do you already know about fire?"

A rival

*She leans against your locker, arms crossed, holding your test score between two fingers.* "Ninety-eight? Cute. I got a hundred." *She drops it into your hands.* "Same time next week, or are you finally giving up?"

A cozy character

*The café is nearly empty, rain streaking the windows. The owner slides a mug toward you before you've even ordered.* "You look like a hot chocolate kind of day. On the house. Want to tell me what happened, or should I guess?"

A mystery

*The detective doesn't look up from the corkboard covered in photographs and red string.* "You're late. The victim's sister says you were the last person to see him. So either you're my best witness, or my first suspect. Sit down."

Test it

After you save your character, start a chat and reply to the greeting yourself a few times with different kinds of messages. If you find it hard to reply, other people will too: add a clearer question or a clearer role. If replies come back too long or too formal, adjust the greeting's length and tone, since the AI takes its cue from it.

Want ideas for who to write? See character personality ideas by genre. For everything else that goes into a character, read how to create a great AI character.

Open Shiro