Is a quick-paced beginning the best way to start a story? It’s one thing to launch with an inciting incident, it’s another to have characters running from an unknown and unseen assailant. While some might think this is a “hooky” approach, what it often does is alienate the reader because she feels as though she’s turned the TV on in the middle of an action movie. She doesn’t know the characters or the situation, so why should she care? Why should she continue to watch the movie or read the book? At least with a movie, she might be drawn in by a certain actor she admires, or the hunky looks of the hero. But in a novel, the reader doesn’t have that visual benefit.
How is this approach different from starting with an action-based inciting incident? Knowledge. It’s fine to start in the middle of a scene and even have that particular scene be exciting and tension-filled. But, the writer has to take the time to share some information with the reader. Make sure she has the chance to get her bearings and understand the context for the action taking place. She needs to know whether or not the POV character is the protagonist or a side-kick, and why she should care about this individual. Slip some of this information to the reader and she’ll jump right into the story without looking back.
How do you start your stories? Do you build them up with information and then spring into action or do you try to do it all at once? Have you read stories and felt lost right from the beginning because the author didn’t set things up properly? If you’ve experienced this, did you continue to read anyway or put the book down?
Note: “The reader” in this post was referred to as a female simply to make for a smoother read.
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I'll be honest, I've decided that the since the story I just finished had a great hook with a bathroom puking scene, I should start the next two in the series in the bathroom...does that pique your interest?
ReplyDeleteOutline, outline, outline! I need to know where I'm headed before springing into action. At least a an arrow pointing me in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of the Nascar start. Thankfully, while my beta readers didn't realize exactly what was wrong, it came out in the way they reacted to my heroine.
ReplyDeleteMy ideas start as "scenes" in my head...so when I start writing, it feels natural to start at that scene. But I'm finding that I need to back up a little, start at the beginning of the actual story, not just jump into it willy nilly. :-)
Okay, sometimes I jump right in in the middle of the action. But, usually, that's not an out of a desire to grab my reader by the throat. Usually, that's just where the story kicks in. I don't like to back up and do twenty pages of nothing when I know that's not where the story starts.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, some of the beginnings I liked best were "here's the deal" sort of beginnings. The MC politely informed me that this was their world, and it came with certain rules, and I'd be playing by those or there'd be trouble.
I build up information first, unless I do a prologue.
ReplyDeleteI've tried it both ways. I like the gradual build up, but I don't want it to be dead before I get to the action. When I'm reading, I want to either be drawn in by the character or what is happening to the character, so if the action is good and I can feel grounded, great. If the character is engaging, but action happens a little later, that's also great.
ReplyDeleteI just started a book that landed me in the middle of a conference with a lot of characters. Not sure I ever figured out who was who, but the story is now following the main character, and it's better.
ReplyDeleteMy book starts out with action. I guess I tend to like to read books that do that as well.
ReplyDeleteToo much setting bothers me when I'm reading. If I feel like the author is trying to explain every detail down to the shape of the dust I struggle to read that book.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you addressed this, because some critiquing partners seem hooked on the NASCAR approach and will try to tell you to trim everything that isn't action. Personally, I find that boring. I want to know a little about the characters first, as you said.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very subjective what "too much setting" is. I expect some kind of forward movement on the first page, but don't mind if it's mostly description, if the characters and the voice are interesting. Other people find that tedious.
I think that, in large part, we are shaped by movies. We are used to action in the opening scene, even if it's just a rapid succession of small scenes giving background. I'm thinking of a movie I recently watched where the opening credits showed people shopping in a fancy department store. Nothing happened, but we got the feeling of the store and the people in it. If that had been a book, it would have been pages of description.
Double standard, for sure.
I've started with a big event (a death - I write mysteries, after all) but after that the story goes back to show what lead to the event. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI try to start with a hook, but nothing that's critical to the story-line as it would be too confusing to follow without the necessary information. Ah, beginnings! They're always such a struggle!
ReplyDeleteElspeth, in a mystery, I love a good dead body in the opening scene. Bring it on, sister!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I love to read what other writers are doing and what they like or don't like.
ReplyDeleteLynnette Labelle
lol, I'm catching up on my blog reading, and I just realized, we've done it again. Part of my post today was about the downfall of opening this way. I swear, I think our minds are linked on some parallel dimension. :)
ReplyDelete