Beginnings (Part 2)
This is my second post on beginnings. My first one, Beginnings (Part 1), covered beginning to write your story, so this post will cover writing the actual beginning of your book. Below are some elements of beginnings that you may (or may not) want to use.
1. Prologues
First off, a lot of posts advise against using a prologue as a way to start your story. Personally, I don’t usually feel the need to include a prologue in my WIPs, but I have read WIPs (by some of the other writers I hang out with) and books where I felt like it actually worked. If you’re trying to decide whether to keep the prologue or cut it out entirely, I would recommend 1) doing your research on prologues and when they work/don’t work and 2) find someone to read the prologue and first chapter or two of your manuscript so you can get a fresh perspective on it. I hate to say it, but that prologue may be one of the darlings you’ll have to kill off. (More on killing your darlings in another post.)
Let me know if anyone wants a post on deciding whether or not to keep your prologue.That’s a can of worms I’ll keep closed for this post, but I may make a post on in the future.
2. The Hook
You’ll hear this a lot when people talk about beginnings. “You need to hook your reader right from the start!” True, but make sure that your hook 1) actually has to do with your book, 2) sets the tone for your story, and 3) encourages the reader to keep reading by making a promise that the book can keep. (More on promises in a different post as well.)
Hooks are usually the first line/paragraph of your first chapter. These are what intrigue your readers and encourage them to keep reading. Here are some good first lines/hooks in books I’ve read.
I’ve seen Steelheart bleed.
-Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson.
The Darkness has grown more powerful each day for the last five years.
-The Magenta by Cassidy Bennett.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
All of these hooks set the stage for the story. They convey the mood, often some element of world-building or character, and pulls the reader deeper into the story. Another wonderful hook, this one beginning with dialogue, was from Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25.
“Have you found the last two yet?” The voice on the phone was angry and coarse, like the sound of car tires over broken glass.
That one piece of dialogue communicates volumes. It shows that someone is searching for something or someone—two of them. The description of the voice on the phone gives off the sense of something bad, leading me to believe that the person on the phone is not good news.
3. Typical Day in the Life of...Whoever This Character Is
Yeah, some readers care enough to read through it and some don’t. For the most part, readers want to see the moment when everything changes for your character and the consequences of that moment. Get as close to the action as possible.
There’s a rule I learned from the writing podcast Writing Excuses that I really liked called late in, out early (I abbreviate it as LIOE so I don’t have to type it out every time I mention it). I believe the hosts of the podcast accredited this principle to screenwriting, but I could be wrong.
LIOE means that you bring the readers (or viewers) in as close to the action/event they actually care about as possible, show them what they want to see, then have them move forward before things get too boring again.
For example, say your character is taking part in some sort of meeting where they have to negotiate stuff. Since long meetings for negotiations can start off pretty boring, bring the reader in right when things get interesting. This may be when a disagreement arises and starts to escalate. It could also be when something crazy, like a bomb going off or a bunch of rebels breaking in, could occur.
Instead of starting off your chapter with every little thing happening at the meeting (especially if it involves new policies or whatever that have little to no effect on your story), start off with something like:
High-pitched beeping beneath his feet yanked Prince Alak out of his boredom. Negotiations were one thing, but bombs were another.
I’ll have to do another blog post on LIOE, since this explanation could go on for much longer. I’ll leave it at that for now though.
That’s all for this post. Hopefully it helps you, and remember: you’ve got this! Happy writing :)