Beginnings. They’re a pain.
Starting your story might be the most challenging part of any short story, book, script, or whatever. It’s difficult to pinpoint that exact moment when the festivities should commence, and when it’s most appropriate for readers to enter your world.
In fact, your story might start in the wrong place without you even knowing it. Here are three signs that’s the case (and some suggestions on fixing it):
1. Readers Think Your Intro Needs Work
Last time I submitted a book to my writer’s group, many members were iffy on my first chapter. To put it simply, they found it boring. When I cut the chapter, I found the piece worked much better. You might find a similar solution in your work.
Why does this happen? It’s often because we’re still getting to know our characters. We might not even have a firm grasp on what our book is about, let alone our characters’ personalities. We have to explore through writing, and most of the time that exploration is done in beginning chapters. These chapters prove useful for writers, though not especially interesting for readers. Write them, learn from them, then cut them.
2. You’re Not Excited By Your Beginning Chapters
This is a telltale sign of a story starting in the wrong place. If you can’t get excited about your writing, why should anyone else?
Copywriting guru Joseph Sugarman said the purpose of the first sentence of copy is to get the reader to read the second sentence. Similarly, the purpose of a story’s beginning is to get readers to read the rest. So trust your intuition. If you feel your writing isn’t grabbing readers, it probably isn’t.
In this case, try starting elsewhere. Try a different scene, or focus on another character, or cut your previous intro entirely. When you find the right fit, you’ll feel it.
3. You Constantly Reference Events Preceding the First Chapter
Flashbacks are one thing. Constantly referencing events from before is quite another. If your first chapter is entirely backward-facing, it might be because you’ve started your story not too early, but too late. It’s uncommon, but it happens.
This is tricky. Some stories might have many flashbacks, even with a proper beginning. Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, for instance, is about both the present and the past. There are two parallel timelines, so numerous flashbacks are essential to the plot itself.
If you’re unsure, consider leaning on the first two signs for reference. They could point you in the right direction.
In Conclusion
Beginnings are a pain, but they don’t have to be. Regroup. Restart. Trim where necessary. Begin your story with a flourish.
Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his fiancee and their two cats. His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Chantwood, and Dark Fire Fiction.