Now before you get all 'no she didn't!' on me. I'm talking about medicine. Particularly Mucinex D. I felt like crap this morning and of course when that happens you call up your mom. And she recommended something which works like magic. Feeling SO much better now.
And I was slightly worried because I'm running a half marathon on Sunday. If my head is in a cloud and I can't breathe through my nose, who knows where I'd end up along the 13 miles.
Anyways. Enough of that. What I'd really like to leave you with before I jet off to sunny Florida tomorrow is this idea that I came across in a post this week.
Where should you start your story?
I agree with this concept. I'd rather not read a whole life history while the main character is flossing in front of the mirror before heading off to their normal high school day. But the post I read (which for the life of me I can't remember where I read it) made a good distinction.
Make sure that first scene is the moment and place where your character's life will never be the same again.
I think the distinction of scene is very important. If we're thrown into an action right away, without even the slight investment into the characters involved, why would we care?
Its incredibly difficult to write a scene in which we fall for the characters as well as start the story rolling all within the first few pages of a book. But if done right, our readers will be holding on for dear life.
Obviously, my opinion isn't law or anything, so I'm curious...
Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Do you find that your manuscripts follow this 'rule'?
I totally agree with that statement! WOW! What a perfect way to put it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad you've discovered Mucinex D. It really is a miracle worker! Good luck in your marathon!
I just keeping saying to myself. Wow, I feel SO much better! It's amazing. I'm usually not one to take medication but I think I will rethink that logic. :)
DeleteI agree with that statement. I'd like to believe that my manuscripts follow that rule, but beginnings are the hardest to get right.
ReplyDeleteThey are definitely the hardest. I so agree!
DeleteI agree too... there are certain "rules" that just speak the truth. Of course, there is always the random strange exception to everything, lol... but what a fun informative concept! Thanks for this, Kelley! And yes, good luck with the marathon! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's like my ninth half marathon. Its a girl's weekend and always SO much fun.
DeleteMy husband says that I get at least one cold every winter so that I can take the "Nyquil Cure." :-) He might be right!
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I sort of agree with that statement - as long it's not too literally taken. I agree more with the word "moment" in that statement than the word "place." And moment, to me meaning, "from now on". Am I being too picky? :-)
Haha. I don't think you're being too picky. I think I agree with you. Its that moment that we want to see.
DeleteAnd Nyquil works too hey? I'm gonna have to remember that!
Deleted the comment because I needed to re-phrase it lol!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement, but I have read a lot of books that don't really do that, and they are published! I struggle with beginnings, and when I see books selling that have a poor beginning, it frustrates me lol. Just recently I was reading a book that got as far as chapter 6 and nothing had really happened to advance the plot. :(
Good luck with the marathon! <3
I will admit that I don't usually put a book down after I start reading it. I just read The Scorpio Races and felt like nothing really happened until 100 pages in. But it was a good book and the author has many published works so I think she gets a little more leeway in the publishing world :)
DeleteI hope you feel better and best of luck with your half marathon! I agree with that statement. But I don't believe we have to be thrown into that point of no return in the opening lines. I think the character can be in a place in life where things are on the brink of change.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I DO feel better. Much, much better.
DeleteI agree with you Melissa. I do think something has to happen in that first chapter, but it most definitely have to be 'the big something'.
Oh - Melissa said exactly what I meant above - it's not necessarily that minute - rather they are on the brink of change. That's it exactly :-)
DeleteI agree with that statement. We don't need pages of a history lesson. Readers want to be engaged right away. thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes, I like history. I really do. I think you can get a lot about their character from their history. But sprinkling it in is the best way to go. :)
DeleteI've been thinking about this a lot lately and agree with you. If the start of a story is exciting and action packed but I don't know a lick about the characters, then I don't give a hoot about it. In my opinion that inciting incident (the moment and place where your character's life will never be the same again) has to happen in those first ten pages and the reader needs to have just enough to feel for this character and setting to care about it. Beginnings are so hard...
ReplyDeleteThere was one story I critiqued where I like the conflict at the beginning but knew I would like it EVEN MORE if I felt something for the character before it happened. It's definitely a tough line to walk...
DeleteI was so relieved to read this post today. I've just started a new novel, and was worrying that I'd started it in the wrong place. However, I have started it in a spot where my MC's life is just about to change, literally as she steps through the door. I wasn't sure if that was right, me not being very good at writing beginnings, but this has reassured me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAh! You just made me feel all warm and tingly inside :) I'm so glad I could pass on the info in your time of need! :)
DeleteA smart statement! I agree with it, though I know books that start with action and are very enthralling. Depends on what the action is. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGood point. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSeems like a common sense statement which I agree with to a point, but we have to know something about the characters' prior life to start with. I follow this rule in my current WIP, but have about a page of backstory about the protagonist before the "moment" happens. There must be a smoother way to do it... I don't like beginnings!
ReplyDeleteI agree that we definitely need to care about the character. Whether that's sharing the past or just a current dilemma, we need to be able to relate.
DeleteI do agree with that. My book starts with the character taking her first step into the time traveling world, and that's pretty big thing to pull of thin air (unless everyone in the society can time travel, which they can't) great post!
ReplyDeleteOh yes. That would totally put us into some really awesome action right away. I LOVE time travel stories!! :)
DeleteI feel like I always start in the wrong place. But you know that I don't think you need to jump right into the action :) I'm a fan of the buildup. I want to be invested a little bit into the character so I can understand why it is a life changing moment.
ReplyDeleteFeel better :) And good luck on your half marathon!!!
Thanks Theresa. I definitely feel better which is good because breathing is important if you're going to run. :) Thank you drugs.
DeleteI think there's an important distinction between action and conflict. Action isn't a necessity, but some sort of conflict I think is important. There's ALWAYS conflict in your stories :)
Yes, very much agree, and you've put it nicely. The problem is that the word scene can mean so much.
ReplyDeleteI really struggle with the too much action/not enough action paradox in my openers, so I've done a lot of messing around with my first chapters (it doesn't seem to help).
It is a very tough balance. Convincing the reader they care and starting them on this journey with someone they just meant.
DeleteYup. Very tough :)
I think the 'never be the same again,' is a bit much. I mean, if it's an adventure or thriller or something, sure, but a literary novel? Eh. The problems in that tend not to be so 'life or death.'
ReplyDeleteAside from that, sure. It makes perfect sense.
Well, I think it depends on what we think of when we say their life will never be the same.
DeleteIf the MC broke up with someone, or moved to a different town. It doesn't have to be drastic. Just that something that starts the story rolling.
At least that's how I interpret it...
It's easier to remember if you think of it being so dramatic. That's probably why.
DeleteMoving to a new town might change your life forever, but probably not breaking up with someone, unless it was a long-term boyfriend or girlfriend.
Hmmm. Well, I used to believe this - esp. for YA which moves fast - but now I'd say the first scene MUST make the reader connect with your MC. The reader must care to read on; if you drop them in the middle of a car chase, there's no emotional investment in who lives or dies. Nova Ren Suma's IMAGINARY GIRLS is a great example of this - the first, short chapter is all emotional set up, setting establishment, character intro - very tight, with the last line foreshadowing the hook/inciting incident. A great first chapter gets you so into the characters, you can't wait to read on.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you Melodie. First and foremost we must CARE about what's going on. Nothing matters if you don't accomplish that.
DeleteI haven't read Imaginary Girls but I've heard good things. I think I might buy it now :)
I agree, at least the "things change forever" moment should be pretty early on, first 10 pages at least. I do have a pet peeve where writers start the scene in battle or intense action or generally any "obvious" attention grabbers. Like others have said, it doesn't matter if you don't care about the characters. To grab my attention in a story, all I need is to be hooked in with the voice, bloodshed not necessary.
ReplyDeleteSharon you are so right. I don't like when we're dropped into an action scene without getting to know who's in it. It's like...why do I care what happens? :)
DeleteI think we need to start the day everything changes, but not necessarily the moment everything changes, you know? We need to get a sense of real life for the character right before everything goes to crap.
ReplyDeleteGood point Jess. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThe earlier everything is out in the open in a novel, the better. It doesn't mean, however, there should be no "calmer" parts in which to get to know the characters better.
ReplyDeleteTotally true. Its like a roller coaster. We must definitely don't have to hit the highest part right at the beginning.
Deletetough decision! definitely need a big opening! but sometimes it depends on the genre. i like to read action to start. the beginning can set the tone for the book.
ReplyDeleteSo true Tara! I like reading all types of genres but I do like something significant to happen right away. I think you can tell a lot about a character by how they handle diversity. Doesn't mean someone has to die or things have to blow up. Just something that forces the character to makes choices.
Deleteps, hope you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tara! I do. Drugs help :)
DeleteWhat I do is write whatever I think comes first, and then go chronologically from there. When the draft is done, I almost always end up rearranging, rewriting, or completely eliminating my beginning. I've just kind of thrown up my hands at getting it right the first time. I've decided it's easier to know what's best after the whole story is written down and you can experiment with different beginnings more easily without paralyzing your forward progress.
ReplyDeleteOMG Carl! I find that's what I do. For my current WIP I wrote two chapters of stuff that I'm fairly certain I won't keep. But, it wasn't a waste. It helped me get to know my characters better, how they act, any quirks they have, etc. There isn't any writing that's a waste of time ;)
DeleteYou're sick? Girl! Knock it off! And please visit Harry Potter world and take a lot of pictures so I can live through you. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd my first page is totally the character talking about her own backstory. Whoops! Lol. But it hasn't been the knife in my back, thank heavens. I was so worried about it!
The first page is okay. Heck the first few pages are okay. I think the point they're trying to make is that by the end of the first scene (possibly first chapter) something has to happen which forces the character to do something that starts them on the track to being different.
DeleteWhere to start is harder to figure out than where to end. I wish I knew the magic answer.
ReplyDeleteHaha. So true!
DeleteThis feels so subjective to me. I feel like tons of published books I've been reading have such boring openings, but Hey some agent loved them. I think if you can nail the VOICE of your character that is what sucks people in.
ReplyDeleteIts definitely true. I wonder if there's a difference between an author's first work and their later ones? They get a little more leeway because they already have a following...
DeleteI usually start with a scene that asks a lot of questions or something odd.
ReplyDeleteOoo, that's a good way to do it!
DeleteI really want to know a little bit about the character but I also don't like info dump. I get bored easily. I really like the idea of beginning the book where their life will never be the same.
ReplyDeleteHave fun in sunny Florida!
Thanks Jen! I can't wait! :)
DeleteIn writing romance I think it's important to start where boy meets girl. That is the beginning, at least of the romance, isn't it? Their first meeting my not be suspenseful or dramatic, but it grabs the reader because the two leads are together from the very start.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. And though it might not be crazy, their meeting surely changes their lives forever. Doesn't have to be drastic.
DeleteI agree with the fact that the beginning of a story is a major factor. But I disagree that starting a story with action right away doesn't endear you to the character before you know them. If done right it makes you want to snatch the book right off the shelf (never done that of course, jails scare me....well and getting caught and the fact that stealing is WRONG). Wonder if you're online right now since your last reply was less than an hour ago.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I must confess I added this blog post to my new 'check this blog out' blog not because of the excellent writing (of course) but that crazy pic you used. I have to see that when I log onto my blogs, it's awesome! Don't let go indeed. So have a good day and on a side note be careful with the Mucinex D. People are getting addicted to medicinal drugs in all sort of ways.
Toodles!
I do agree. When I went through the first edit of my ms, I cut out half of chapter one, then plucked a sentence from my last chapter and made it the first sentence of my ms. I hit the ground running. I took a mediocre beginning and fired it up.
ReplyDeleteFeel better and have a great run on Sunday. We'll be cheering you on from cyberspace. :)
I don't think the scene has to be the one where everything changes. I think that scene is better as the first plot turn-- when we know more about the characters and care more. But I definitely agree that there has to be action! And more than that, action that really defines your character. If your character loves action and adventure, but you introduce him sitting on the beach, contemplating life, not only is that BORING, but it's extra hard to convince the reader that he loves action and adventure!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I agree with your statement. I struggle with how to put it into action sometimes. Thank goodness for rewrites. Best of luck on the half marathon!
ReplyDeleteGood luck in the marathon! I totally enjoy a book that starts quickly, I just can't always figure out how to get that character development in. All part of the learning process, I guess. :)
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I agree with this statement in this day and age. Back some years ago, stories unfolded gradually with the inciting incident occurring almost half-way through the story. But now, it starts right from the get go: Books, movies, plays, etc. I can see why, too. There are too many distractions to keep our attention spans at bay. So, with the inciting incident starting from scene 1, the writer has that only one shot to hook the reader, otherwise they just move on. It's our hamster-like attention spans to blame! ;)
ReplyDeleteBetter living through chemicals, I agree. Hope the run goes well. Does that story start while you are running it? :) I like starting right in the middle of the action but it still has to have some element to make me care what happens to the character. New follower from Emily's blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the quote you mentioned. I think books should generally begin with the opening disturbance to the MC's normal world. This is really hard to do in fantasy, where there's so much worldbuilding to establish so the reader feels grounded while being in the action of the disturbance. I didn't think I could do it with my MS, but after a lot of revision, I found a way. I think it comes down to trusting that your reader will follow you on this journey without having to know all the exposition from the get-go. Great post, Kelley!
ReplyDelete