Space Cadet

Right, you talented bunch!

I've got a bit of a problem which is proving to be a bit of a stumbling block for me and wondered if any of you could help.

When I'm writing (or attempting to write, anyway ) anything of length, I tend to start in the middle of my story. I've always done this, because if I tried to start in the beginning, I'd be sat for a few hours tapping my chin wondering how I can get the beginning out of the way so I can rush to the scene that's bobbling around in my head. This inevitably means that I am completely dissatisifed with what I've done and end up scrapping the lot.

Beginnings are a huge problem for me. I've no idea how to build up to a scene and hook in a reader so most of my work tends to be 'Blam! There ya go, big event, story over' which I doubt anyone would want to read.

So any tips or hints at how I should pace things?

Any advice gratefully received!

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Philo

I'd say write however you need to. When you you're pounding away on your first draft of a story, why does it matter where you start. It seems to me that if you have an idea, get it down while its fresh. If it works then step back and lay out a beginning and an end.

You could also try outlining, and again there's no reason you can't write the part you know and then put it aside and construct the story around it in outline form. The only risk I see of writing bits without the whole story arc, is that you may have to re-write or cut some of it... or, you know, all of it. -Philo

teflon

I say, take a look around. You live in UK, the home to Monty Python and James Joyce and Lord Byron. Read Finnegan's Wake, write something exclusively British that only other Britons can understand, but make it sound as beautiful as Childe Harolde.

Nickie

As I have experienced, it's always best to start with a bit of action. Of course, this depends on the genre you write. As I'm into historical fiction, I tend to start with a nice duelling scene, or a murder... , the discovery of a body, etc.

I also work with a prologue, which can reveal some fact the reader needs to know before the story actually starts.


Nickie

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Monkey King

It's perfectly fine to start in the middle or the end. The beginning is where the reader starts not the writer.

As for the best way to start a piece, it really does depend on what you're writing.

For a short story I'd just hit the reader right in the face with a line or paragraph that they can't help but get hooked on. Something along the lines of "When I left for Spring Break, I was just an average college student. By the time I returned I was wanted in Kansas for running drugs for the Taliban."

For a novel or longer piece I find character development works well. since you already know what you characters are going to be like from the later scenes you've already written, just come up with reasons for them to be that way. I say just because it's easy for me to say, not cause it's easy for you to do. But the concept is sound.

Good luck.

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Searching Neverland

I don't know if that is of any help, but why don't you try to look at other beginnings (stories here or books).
I read once that a first sentence should always pose questions.

"Little Mike sat on a chair reading a book" - might thus not be so good. I mean you could ask what book he writes and why he likes reading... but that's not really interesting.

"Little mike froze, his eyes moved rapidly in their sockets and not a wisp of air seemed to find its way into or out of his lungs when he saw the shawow looming before him." (without discussing my poor style...) this poses many questions. Why is Mike afraid? What hapened? What or who does the shadow belong to - etc etc.

Also, when you do look at other books, lets take Harry Potter for example, you see that the first chapter often doesn't really start the action, but throws in a point of view on things different from what you would use later on. In the first book for example the first chapter revolves around the Dursley's point of view and later Dumbledor's. These povs are not really picked up again, because afterwards the only insight into the Dursleys or Dumbledor comes through Harry perception.
I like that method!

On the other hand you can just jump into a thilling action scene, or passionate love scene, hazardous breakup etc etc, that often perks interest and you can explain the circumstances and fully introduce the characters later - however the trap there is, that the first chapter is great and the second boring ... but since you only have problems with beginnings I don't worry there!

I hope I helped you a little...

luv
Laila

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lisajane

Searching Neverland and Monkey King - noticed you guys think a good line that the reader can't help but get hooked on seems to be rather long... I'd be turned off by such long sentences as a starter. Taking Monkey King's sentence, 'When I left for Spring Break, I was just an average college student. By the time I returned I was wanted in Kansas for running drugs for the Taliban'

All I would say for that line is the following: 'I run drugs for the Taliban.'

You can fill in the rest later. But occasionally such a long, complex structed sentence can turn the reader off if it's the first sentence.

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Monkey King

Shorter is deffinatly better. That's just the best I could up with at the moment.

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Cut me some slack. I just found out that only I can prevent forest fires and that's a lot of pressure.

speculative

If you realize that you are starting in the middle, then you must have a general notion of the story in terms of beginning, middle, and end already thought out in your head.

If you think that going further back into the history of the story than the point at which you start is boring, then don't. If, for example, I were to write a novel about a group of people trying to rig a presidential election in 2008, I could go all the way back to dead people voting for Kennedy in Chicago. (Anyone who's under 30 years old and is bothered by the recent Bush elections should read their darn history!) Or, I could choose to go even further back and write about some national election from the late 1900's. But, if I had that as the "start" of the story, then I'd need filler leading all the way from 1890 to 2008, which does indeed seem unreasonable, eh?

Well, here's how I would start: I would start with a "gripping" scene from the 2008 election, of someone doing a really dastardly deed or something, and go from there. If I really wanted to have the Kennedy election in the mix, I'd have it as a flashback, or an old newspaper article, or even narration, depending on which devices I was using for this particular story.

Any story could hypothetically start at the beginning of the universe. But then you'd end up with "A Brief History of Time," wouldn't you? If you start somewhere and feel like going back to some previous point and using it as a beginning isn't working, then simply don't do it. Do you really need to explain how your characters got into the situation they're in at the beginning of your novel? Concentrate on moving them forward, and you can toss hints of explanation in here and there, which is more intruiging anyway...

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Whende

You could always start out with a bit of interesting dialog. Someone could ask a question that is totally abou the plot.
Ex. "Mamma, why did we have to move?" Kimberly asked.

I find starting with dialog is easy because then you can build a conversation and you have an entire first scene to work with.

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