The Town Herald

The netpaper about Elftowners, by Elftowners, for Elftowners.

Why You Shouldn’t Always Start At The Beginning

by guest writer, [alexdamien]



As the idea for a story or novel forms into your head you might find yourself struggling to decide where you should start. And if your story is of Epic magnitude, then you’re in even bigger trouble, since you might have the beginning of your world, the beginning of the oppressive government your hero will fight, the beginning of your hero’s life, etc.

So, where to begin?

In the middle, of course.

Don’t bother showing the reader how the government problem is oppressing the citizens, don’t (PLEASE, don’t) tell him everything your hero did since the age of six that set him on his path of righteousness.

Start right in the action. What sets your hero off? Is it the moment when his neighbor’s family gets taken away in the middle of the night? Is it when his best friend is executed on sight because of something he knew about the villain? Start with your character in the worst problem you can, grab your reader from the very first sentence.

And you might be thinking now, but how can I explain the great problem that my hero faces? How will my readers understand the reason for his quest and the odd at hand?

You will tell them later. What you want is to keep hidden the big picture of your plot, teasing the readers with only a peek. Show them a common human problem to engage them. The loss of a friend, the loss of liberty, the loss of the things we as human beings love more, and they will be sympathetic towards any quest your hero takes. Once you have established that first most important contact you can start unraveling your plot, throwing in bits of backstory and worldbuilding. Read over that again: Bits. Do not throw in a three paragraphs exposition about the theocratic government system that rules the country. No matter how interesting your world is, the way you present it has the greatest importance.

But the most important are those first few paragraphs. On them you need to make sure your reader cares about what you write. You need to present a character that tells the reader “Here I am! Look at me, care about me!” show him or her as someone worthy of cheering for. If his neighbor’s family gets taken away show him wanting to help them, show him remembering the good times they spent and have him fear for his own family and friends, maybe ashamed at his own cowardice to act, or lack of capacity to help them in any way. Heroes awake when evil expands too far. Make evil cross a line that awakes someone decided to stop it at any cost.

But starting with a convoluted creation myth, or with heavy exposition won’t make the reader care to turn enough pages to see your hero awaken.



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