Excellent points. Thank you for this guidance. I generally begin with something that shows the main character but then I worry about whether my opening is boring. I think I need to stick with character but find something that's revealing but more interesting to avoid boring. Does that make sense?
Thanks for asking that, Ruth, as it gives me the chance to clarify! I don’t quite mean where the story starts on the pages, but where the writer begins their own writing journey with this particular story. For example, a writer may come to me at the beginning of their writing journey with a very clear idea of who their protagonist is, but they’re fuzzier on what will actually happen in the story and aren’t sure what to do next. We start to consider what is in the protag’s backstory that shapes their worldview, what might be a misguided belief that should change over the course of the story, and what type of situation will be most uncomfortable, most painful, for this character and, therefore, force them to change. It is these questions that we dig into that can help lay out the very particular events that this particular character should go through to achieve an arc of transformation.
However, you could explore these same types of questions as you consider how you start the story on the page. I’m also certified to work with writers with the Blueprint for a Book framework (the book is by Jennie Nash), which we use to guide writers through steps that help them determine key plot points, including the beginning and ending. The beginning and ending points are the (literal!) bookends for your protagonist’s arc of change, so they should align, which means you want to have at least an idea of where the story ends in order to start it in the right place. A common mistake we editors see is stories starting too early with a lot of backstory and info-dumping and meandering before anything changes for the protag, and you want to start just before that happens. How does that all land for you?
Excellent points. Thank you for this guidance. I generally begin with something that shows the main character but then I worry about whether my opening is boring. I think I need to stick with character but find something that's revealing but more interesting to avoid boring. Does that make sense?
Thanks for asking that, Ruth, as it gives me the chance to clarify! I don’t quite mean where the story starts on the pages, but where the writer begins their own writing journey with this particular story. For example, a writer may come to me at the beginning of their writing journey with a very clear idea of who their protagonist is, but they’re fuzzier on what will actually happen in the story and aren’t sure what to do next. We start to consider what is in the protag’s backstory that shapes their worldview, what might be a misguided belief that should change over the course of the story, and what type of situation will be most uncomfortable, most painful, for this character and, therefore, force them to change. It is these questions that we dig into that can help lay out the very particular events that this particular character should go through to achieve an arc of transformation.
However, you could explore these same types of questions as you consider how you start the story on the page. I’m also certified to work with writers with the Blueprint for a Book framework (the book is by Jennie Nash), which we use to guide writers through steps that help them determine key plot points, including the beginning and ending. The beginning and ending points are the (literal!) bookends for your protagonist’s arc of change, so they should align, which means you want to have at least an idea of where the story ends in order to start it in the right place. A common mistake we editors see is stories starting too early with a lot of backstory and info-dumping and meandering before anything changes for the protag, and you want to start just before that happens. How does that all land for you?
Girl. You see me.
Ha! And I'm so very glad for that!