Starting Your Novel In the Right Place

[@laughingtigress9931]

My husband liked my first chapter but said the next one started off boring. I realized that I had started with an info dump in an attempt to describe the location. I rewrote the it to start with the character's daily life then set the scene as it became relevant. It is important to listen to that constructive criticism, because that is the purpose of letting others read it. It made my story much stronger and more consistent.

[@alexpaleale]

You're totally right, however, people will always have a different opinion on things, so if you start changing stuff just because your husband tells you to... well, I wouldn't recommend it xD Of course, if you think he has a point, that's different. But don't take everything everyone says on face value, because you might never finish your book that way :)

[@joshuaadi2754]

Hey could you read my 1A and 1B chapters and see who one is better I need help 😅

[@jonnybreviewcentral562]

I always found that it's better to start with the significant event and then show us their daily life. why would i care about a character's daily life if I don't know what important thing they did

[@soobindoll9561]

I agree it need to be cohesive and consistent

[@matthewakian2]

Always amazes me how similar the rules are of writing a novel to a screenplay.

[@ephiscus224]

At the end of the day, they both tell stories

[@ashleysteffy7224]

Finally wrote down a basic "outline" (more like a hybrid of plotting and pantsing) and I'm excited to get started, even though I'm also anxious.

[@floormanenschijn1652]

Did it work? 🌸

[@matheus10b]

Yeah, how is it now?

[@brycedouglas620]

Here's a technique that she kind of hinted at in doing without knowing the why of the technique and that's: When figuring out how to start, and conversely end your story, you must first know what your story is at its core. Is it a character story or a plot-driven story? Or both (which is possible, but even then it still is more one or the other). Understanding what your story is will inform you how to start it. For example, Imagine a story about a detective that's on the hunt for the killer of his girlfriend. If the story is plot driven then you want to start at the plot. So maybe you'd start with a flashback to her murder, or in medias res with the MC busting down a door to his first lead, or any number of things. But, what you wouldn't do is start your story from the perspective of the MC's regular life before the incident. Why? Because for the reader's sake, your story must flow from beginning to end as one cohesive story. A reader expects the story to be exactly what it's trying to be. If your story is a character-driven story, but you start it right at the plot without giving us the setup of what's kicking off the character journey (not the plot journey) then the reader is going to feel cheated. This technique applies to how to end your story as well.

[@angeknowsit]

Yaaay so I think I was in the right track, my book begins in a funeral.

[@eloramidori]

Angelica O.H omg mine is litterally too 😂

[@JoyAndWhimsy17]

How does it end?

[@peterbehringer63]

Amen....! I am so gkad thos encourages me to start at rhe point i had suspected would be good moment in my own Post-Apocalyptic fiction adventure series ....

[@vanyadolly]

Maybe it's because I grew up devouring fantasy books, but I love prologues. Even when they come with a different pov or a time-jump. Very good advice in general, though.

[@amarachiisaac9420]

Same. I have a strange obsession with prologues. Can't stop putting them in my stories. I think it just helps me establish the theme. My thriller fantasy's prologue starts with one of my main characters (who isn't introduced until the second book though) discovering a massacre caused by the villain, and then there's your cliche prophecy... Especially since my first chapters are always a day in a life themed

[@danabusby8655]

I am taking the plunge from thinking about writing to actually writing. I just discovered your channel, and thank you! I love your content-to the point, honest, and so helpful!

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

Maybe I'm a bit weird, I knew exactly how my novel was going to start - the first paragraph was fine- & I already had two slightly later scenes written, & then it moves to land/ travelling... however, I was confused as to *how* I was going to move them around- they were on a 17th c merchant ship. Part of the reason it took me so long to get the chapter set up, was I obviously knew nothing about 17th c ships- & I was struggling to find relevant info - however, I then just bit the bullet- I tried not to be so vague people thought I was BS-ing, but not pedantic, because {reasons related to the story}. I really love watching you & Jenna- you're both warm & sympathetic, but also keep it real - so thanks!

[@LilyMeadeBooks]

Literally just added a prologue to my latest sci-fi thriller, LOL.

[@AlexaDonne]

LOL whoops :P

[@VanessaMarieBooks]

I just wrote a prolog for my fantasy book as well. I guess I'll revisit it when I get to the editing/revision stage.

[@Chris_Faust]

@@VanessaMarieBooks Somebody told me that writing a prologue can sometimes help the writer maintain perspective and direction - but doesn't always need to be added to a final or even a first draft/meet the reader

[@VanessaMarieBooks]

@@Chris_Faust Yeah, at this point I think the prolog is really just helping me figure out the back story of my main character.

[@aleksandragieralt7370]

Honestly if I'm tempted to make a prolog I usually make chapter 1 If its necessary to the story it should be the first chapter anyways

[@match3282]

I remember I tried to start a book but took a break from it for school then out of no where I got inspiration in the middle of a class

[@krisq9252]

This is the first time I'm commenting but I just wanted to tell you I love your videos and I can't wait to read your book. You've also inspired me to read Jane Eyre :)

[@CrabRavesMusic]

This is why i like yur videos, you help me.

[@zravenwolf1408]

I love your videos. I only stumbled across them a few days ago. With my first book, I was adamant I wanted to begin it at a specific spot, and I dug my heels in, and eventually changed it. Where I had wanted to begin my book is now the beginning of chapter three. If I had left it as I had wanted it, I would have either had a long prologue or almost twenty pages of flashbacks. I still wish I could have started it there, but ultimately, the story is better for the change. My current WIP, I've rewritten the first three chapters almost a dozen times changing where and how it begins. It's a book where beginning in the wrong place was leading to chapters of stuff that could have been summed up in a few lines here and there. Now, I can move on with the story and know it's on the right track.

[@aps-pictures9335]

I think the most important part of the prologue is how powerful it is when you learn along with the main voice(s) of the book, what happened or their perspective of the world.

[@bytheBrooke]

I immediately thought of The Hunger Games as an example for what makes a good beginning of the book. And omg the beginning to Across the Universe is SOOO gripping!!

[@CanaryQuillAstrology]

I start with whatever drives the conflict in the story.

[@katerinabrown8453]

This is the first time that I"ve actually understood what someone said about starting my novel in the right place. You made a lot of sense and you made it easy for me to understand. Thank you.

[@musicbyella3769]

This is old aha but I’ve been binging your videos since I subbed (about 2 days ago) and you’ve already gone up from about 18k to 20k that’s so cool

[@connorbaldwin4260]

can two characters that start seperate but end up in the same location have different inciting incidents if they do not effect each other?

[@Jivi_Galaxy]

Wow. I have not idea what to say. But it is brilliant idea. Wow God.😯😯

[@PaintingMeJosh]

I don't see why not as long as it's not confusing to read and keeps both characters feeling important to the plot.

[@LadyOfTheEdits]

Yup. That's what I did.

[@Ldychubb]

Also I got a brightly burning arc and after watching your videos I can’t wait to start it.

[@TheEccentricRaven]

I like your insight. Gail Carson Levine's "Writing Magic" includes an exercise on when to start a novel. Starting in the middle of action makes it more interesting.

[@estelle_elith]

Nice Video, thank you very much. I would also love to hear about "Ending your novel in the right place"! :)

[@Ldychubb]

You’re amazing! I love your channel!!!!! Thank you for all the tips. My book idea is also taking place in space. I’d love a video with tips on Space and spaceship research to give your book an authentic feel, not a fantastical one. (Writing sci-fi not fantasy)

[@tomoliver2112]

I don’t really don’t want to have a prologue but it’s a scene from the past and is very essential to the story.

[@destroyerinazuma96]

A project I had canned involved a spin on the magical girl genre. In a world where a few qualified people could get a wand provided they had a license and regularly reported to the police and repassed tests, the soon-to-enter uni heroine decided to help a friend who was Bruce Wayne without the millions. The inciting incident were the consequences of the friend nearly dying and the MC coming home through the window in the middle of the night drenched in blood that wasn't hers... to come across her father who was patiently waiting. Turns out the project had many issues - I started with action, I started too late, I didn't introduce any of the characters properly, I didn't flesh out the world through show rather than tell and I didn't accomplish something I wanted (in retrospect) - condemn vigilante-ism which while sometimes seemingly morally justified is still someone declaring themselves judge, jury and executioner and also messing with the police and presenting a potential danger to society. I still salvaged elements of it - I reused the city, the legal wands permits part, and the heroine becoming a magical girl though again with a twist. One of the protagonists is gay, but he's 1) messed up 2) determined in the sense that he'd do anything to support his love. When he agrees to work for a demon on vacation he gains a Herald Armor - an item that fuses with him like Avalon in Fate/Zero - Fate/Stay Night. The Armor allows him to transform into a mildly superhuman alter ego who happens to be female. Mind it it's not about heteronormativity, but about demons messing with humans and about humans making sacrifices for the sake of what they perceive is the greater good. In the hero's character arc the hero eventually drops mask to finally reveal the truth - an unmasking and a confession. Whatever the consequences are is still up in the air but I was thinking of the guy the MC love saying he can't give a proper reply because it's sudden, unsettling and comes at a time where he has a lot of dragons to slay himself and a lot of room to clean so to speak.

[@LadyOfTheEdits]

My book is balanced. Slow and steady. Also it is because I like to develop my characters before I make a turn.

[@BlockDriver]

Chapter 1 in my fantasy novel sees the first time the MC uses his powers in front of people that aren't immediate family. This is the first event in a long series magical mishaps and uncovered secrets that result in him leaving home in search of the origin of his powers. The first chapter does a LOT. It introduces the MC and his imediate circle, the magic system and how it works (although more details come into play later), and the basic society structure of the region the story starts in. idk now if this is too much? I'll let my cabin mates weigh in at camp nano and see what they think.

[@pbbandit4324]

I understand your stance on prologues, but I can't help but like them for fantasy as ways to reveal details to the reader from the past, especially when there's a prophecy involved. I think the difference is whether the reader can get those details more naturally, because if it's something the characters aren't going to know and the reader does need to know it, then I think a prologue could work. I can't remember the name of this book, but there's one where the prologue is from the antagonist's POV, though not obviously, and it adds an extra facet to the story that I really enjoyed. Then again, I do enjoy stories where there's a mystery. It keeps me reading, so I think that prologue was so effective because it gave me something to be curious about.

[@akgwriting9481]

Agreed, having a prologue is just one of those creative stylistic choices. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't

[@TheReeseC13]

You say you love party scenes, and I really struggle with describing party scenes - which so happens to be a starting scene for this particular book! Do you have any tips for a new writer on how to tackle those overstimulating, sometimes chaotic settings and scenes?

[@kendall1356]

they’re fun to write, just write how you think it would go. show the music and give a look into the house

[@BootheTempleton80]

Go to parties. Gonzo.

[@amzizzle6267]

I love your suggestions and your videos are super helpful! What is your opinion on starting a novel with a hospital scene? Not the protagonist hospitalized, but their family member.

[@AlexaDonne]

I'm sure that can work! It's all about using the scene to establish character, setting, and some general conflict/stakes :)

[@alterbun]

Thank you for this video!! Beginnings are always my biggest hurdle, and you give the best advice I’ve seen for figuring out how to start that first chapter. Loved all of the specifics and examples, and the reasoning behind them all

[@mysticshamrock4315]

The book ' Renegades ' has a good prologue.

[@daniellemerriott8380]

Great tips! Thank you so much!

[@kharagillock8467]

I have an idea but im kinda rethinking the opening

[@poisy6264]

Thank you for your advice about starting with a party, I now know how I'm going to start (both of) my books that I'm working for

[@amberconstante3916]

I started off my book with a day in my main character's life. It does, however, introduce us to most of the characters and describes the location. It does end with the characters meeting the person that changes their life. It's a long chapter but I think it gets the point though. Saying that, I do think that since the first 6 to 7 pages are just the character doing normal daily activities it might be a bit boring. There is banter and interactions between characters. I just want to know if this is all right, or maybe I should just cut some of it down?

[@MG-vx4rk]

Ms. Donne. Do you think the inciting incident occurring at chapter 4 or 5 is too late in the novel?

[@AlexaDonne]

Depends on the novel! Mine starts later, and I think it works. My story needed a bit more set-up and the chapters aren't too long :) If you're worried, give you book to someone new, and ask them when they get bored/start to wonder what the book is about. That will tell you if your inciting incident is in the right place!

[@janenavarro339]

Papertowns by John Green and Wild by Cheryl Strayed got perfect prologue

[@lauramayfair7887]

Alexa, I am really enjoying your videos. It's very helpful to get a glimpse into the process of a published, working author. Thank you for sharing your tips, insights, and reflections on writing (and Sims Yay!) If you ever feel inclined, I'd love to hear you talk about how you get to know your characters. Coming from writing Battlestar Galactica fanfic for many years, one of the biggest challenges I find when working on my original works is that the characters feel so much more at arm's length rather than up close and personal. I'm so used to spending a great deal of time (years!) with the characters I am writing about. Is that something that happens for you as you work on your draft? During revisions? Is there an aha moment when it clicks or is it an organic process that happens naturally as you continue refining your novel?

[@scarlet8078]

This was a hard thing for me to learn. Now I've sorta given up trying to start it in the 'perfect' spot. Now I just accept reality that the editor/ publisher will cut the first 20% lol

[@LenaBeellc]

Just wanted to tell you that I really enjoy your videos!

[@mollyw1026]

So helpful! Great specific examples without fluff… Thank you for all you are doing!

[@juliasmith2773]

How do you start a novel with dual POV‘s? I really need help😓😓

[@TaraTomicevic]

Your book-specific examples and explanations are so helpful - thank you so much, Alexa!

[@wk3820]

I've been known to lop off the first few chapters of a first draft just so the story would begin in a more exciting way.

[@何も-u3l]

Thankyou so much! I am glad i found your channel!

[@zoomzoom103]

This is really helpful. I've been struggling with my opening and I think I've been starting in the wrong place and need to completely rethink where to begin now

[@subhiksha4049]

I love you so much...Thank you so much for all the ideas and sharing your experiences...

[@morganjones2744]

This is very helpful. Thank u!

[@adampyke4037]

I have way too many main chracters. But the biggest main charater isnt introduced until page 8

[@crystalwolfer4117]

What if a dragging pace is important for the plot?

[@KimChance1]

This is a great video! So informative! :)

[@imadumdum2043]

I'm fricking thirteen. Your advice is the most effective I've ever used ^_^ you help a lot of people, and I'm glad to say that I'm included xD I wanna be successful in writing one day, and I think I might be going the right track here.

[@Hedoneo0]

I know the video is old but I have a question I start the story with the main character losing her sister in childbirth then with her raising her niece

[@samuelsabo4672]

Great video, and great advices as always !! but how do you end a book? I never seem to know how and when to end my books... do you have any pieces of advice ?

[@Enimide]

I started my thriller book like: I looked at the clock. Tick, tack, tick, tack. You probably think that I want the school to end, right? But no, that’s the opposite of what I want. Sure, I hate school like everyone else does. Having to see Emily and co everyday and so on. But I prefer that, rather than home. I know it’s bad but this is my first book I will try to finish:/

[@kevinmelroy6392]

Oh my. Red is Moms favorite. She's happy for us now. I'm now allowed to come back downstairs. Please keep it red.

[@WeeKid1675]

Super helpful! I’ve been having a hard time with my beginning and I think now I have a better idea of what I need to change. Btw, “dress porn” is amazing!

[@spirituallylovingme-11]

I have a question if I write a paragraph about a character should I go into chapter 2 with the same people or can I change the people in chapter 2

[@caram6011]

I have tried and tried and tried to write a book. I have usually started and decided what I have started would end up about in the middle, and then scratch my idea as I blank out of what to do next. This becomes a huge pattern with me, and I feel that I will never get anywhere. I am ready to give up on a life long dream. I have started another since watching your videos taking in all your advice, but this time I have actually started at the beginning and already feel people would be bored of it. how do I get out of this mindset? also is there someone out there you can send stuff to for them to read and advise?

[@ryfrymush]

Say I have written a book where I started off with the charachter escaping from a cell. In the second chapter when they are walking through the landscape what's a good thing to add? As I'm going along the book how do I know exactly when to leave the scene?

[@ryfrymush]

When I am giving backstory is adding flashbacks every other chapter of her childhood a good way to add character development?

[@ryfrymush]

Say I am writing a book is what I meant.

[@DillyHughesxXx]

Start the book at a a party ... funny you should say that. My book I'm writing now starts at a festival which the protagonist calls one big party.

[@NimhShambler]

Beginnings are the hardest part for me. I'm not sure how to lead into the "call into action".

[@baz7527]

My chapters are only a couple pages- do you think this might make the story flow less? I like to make them short because I have trouble staying in one scene/section and keeping it interesting, but I feel like having chapter breaks too often might make it seem a bit choppy.

[@nipitatum]

Starting with a party sounds like a terrible idea, because you could have too many characters to deal with. I read a book recently and there were four or five characters dumped on the reader all at once and it was too much to remember, who was who. Maybe that was just a badly written book, but I think it's probably better to show just the main character and then maybe a couple more at the start.

[@patataeve]

Excellent video as always, bless you!!!!! Thanks for sharing all this knowledge with us!!!!

[@jilli_bea]

Currently in the first draft of my book I have a prologue, which I'd a flashback of sorts that follows the main character as a child, in the midst of running from his home and finding his place in the first. It's about one or two pages long. I'm not sure if I should cut it or not but this is helpful.

[@titanmoirangthem234]

I just started my sci-fi story with a big bang is it good to start with a chaotic scene?

[@IsabelleMarot]

Hey! Firstly, I love your videos. Secondly, do you allow people to give you 2 or 3 chapters for your feedback?

[@AlexaDonne]

Haven't watched this one in a while--do you mean in terms of getting early feedback on how the novel is going? I typically seek out opinions when I hit 20K, personally.

[@IsabelleMarot]

Alexa Donne No I mean can I personally send you my first 3 chapters for feedback?

[@AlexaDonne]

Oh, unfortunately I just don't have the bandwidth for that! I'm on deadline with my publisher and am juggling a lot of responsibilities. But I do recommend looking somewhere like www.reddit.com/r/YAwriters and posting looking for a critique partner/chapter swap there, if you're looking for feedback from fellow writers!

[@IsabelleMarot]

Thank you! Best of luck to you :)

[@visheshmathur1]

I'm a first time writer I wanted to start my novel with a chasing scene .. will that be nice .. please give me your feedback ..

[@loganplonski922]

I've heard that it can be kinda disorienting to start a book with an action scene, because the reader doesn't really know the characters or understand the stakes.

[@falakwrites8596]

I've read a lot of books especially action ones which start like that. I like it, what's important is to focus on the pace of the story so it doesn't really become too much, like abnormal and not relatable in real life. Chasing scenes are packed with action and are actually intriguing to introduce main characters in a way. I hope I helped.

[@akgwriting9481]

I would study the beginnings of books, watch videos like this and take your own creative approach.

[@cassidynoel7677]

What If I start my book with a contract signing between 3 people ?🤔

[@PaintingMeJosh]

The first chapter in my book is a nightmare that the main character wakes up from screaming. The nightmare starts off slow but I establish in the very first two sentences that something is really wrong, or at least out of the ordinary -- this being his hair color and his physical (not literary) POV, which is essentially a bird's eye view and is similar to an out-of-body experience as his consciousness is hovering over his sleeping body, which has incorrectly colored hair and is in a bed that he's never been in before in a princely room that is made of white marble and ice, hopefully indicating that this isn't set in the real world. Then the rest of the chapter is a solid amount of character development in how he thinks and feels, an elaborate, sadistic execution performed in a theatrical way with an audience and executed with magical abilities to show the stakes of the story and that it's a high fantasy world, and then a sudden shift in reality to a beautiful morning in a modest farm home. Chapters 2 and 3 are showing daily life and family and such as well as a solid amount of world building. 4 was originally paired up as the second half of 3 and this is when the inciting incident begins, however the climax so to speak of this incident isn't until chapter 7, which used to be paired up with 5 and 6 as chapter 4. Reason the chapters got extended is they got a bit long in my revisions so I split them up to be more focused on a single topic/event. I know this is really late for an inciting incident (which I didn't know at the time of the initial drafting and revising) but I believe that what is now chapters 4-6 are suspenseful enough for that to not matter, plus there's the fact that there's quite a bit of world building to establish prior to chapter 7 in order for there to be an emotional connection to the characters and a solid understanding of how this world works and why these events are so significant. PS: I've been leaving long as hell comments on so many writing videos in the past couple days because I've been in such a rambly mood and because I LOVE talking about my fictional world and the characters and the story and whatnot.

[@coffeeyumyum]

really helpful, thank you!

[@KatharineFrancis]

I also like books that start out with a good party. My book The Carriers starts out with a huge house part that turns bad. Then my other book In The Pines opens with my MC going to an end of summer bonfire and it ends with her getting brutally murdered.

[@robinrinsmith]

Love your videos! I just recently subscribed. I'm not a pro writer yet but I've decided to start writing some fan fiction. I'm really into Star Wars lately and came up with a good story idea. So far, I have a fairly good idea of what I want to happen but haven't plotted out anything definitive yet. My problem seems to be the beginning and how to get past it. Basically, I want my OC to meet someone important in the SW universe but I can't decide exactly how to introduce her. So far I've done like a flashback/dream sequence to give an idea of how my character came to be in the situation she's in. I want to start with the important meeting as soon as I can but still give my character a brief introduction. I guess the main question is: how much should I reveal about my character and when?

[@BlockDriver]

What is your character's current place in society? Is she happy with her life or is she always looking at the brightest star in the sky with dreams of traveling there? What era of the SW universe is this set in? OT, Prequels, or sequels? Is she force sensitive? These are all questions to consider thinking about who she meets how and when? Maybe she meets Anakin (if its prequel era) and really looks up to him, idolizes him. She spends years learning about the force through scraps of knowledge she pieces together, maybe going on a journey to learn more. Then when she finally makes it to the jedi temple to show her idol what she's learned, Anakin is already well on his way to the dark side and she feels betrayed and lost. Sorry that was a bit of a tangent, lol.

[@robinrinsmith]

@@BlockDriver Thanks for the reply! My OC is a force sensitive who lives in the era between ROTS and a New Hope. She doesn't idolize anyone but she's an outcast in her society who runs away from home

[@test16051984]

Famous novels with a prologue: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It's not called a prologue, but the first chapter with the Dursleys and Harry arriving in Privet Drive as a baby, is a prologue. :)

[@yvesgomes]

What about starting AFTER the inciting incident? Like ... this big thing happened to world and we gotta deal with it (like the fall of a comet). The reason for not having it in the narrative focus would be because it's aftermath is more relevant to the atmosphere and the plot, than the event itself.

[@UnfoundFilms]

Not a book but the Dark Souls series really does well the kind of thing you described. The character isn’t a part of major events they’re just a small hapless figure in a world thats already moved on where the major players are now either dead or shells of their former selves.

[@yvesgomes]

@@UnfoundFilms I'm very familiar with them. That's a very good (and hopeful for me) point. Thanks!

[@robmills5098]

Interesting. Thanks.

[@ChocoLatte-vv7pv]

Hi Alexa! I’m an 11 year old girl and I don’t want my mom seeing my writing. Problem is, she’s always going through my stuff! What do I do?

[@mounirbesra6857]

Really, I like your videos. Good job...

[@sonyabechtel543]

Funny enough the start of my book Parallel Nightmare starts in a club where Maia is celebrating her 25th birthday. She is dancing with a guy and when she kisses him she get's this sickening feeling before going to the bathroom. That's when readers get the twist that she goes into the fact she woke up in a hospital and lost all of her memories.

[@kerodelkigh]

I started mine when she woke up in 18c not sure how she got there

[@JoyAndWhimsy17]

What if it starts to showcase my protagonist’s goals?

[@LisaCGant]

Great video! Very insightful and detailed. I personally like the prologue from Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. It gives the reader insight into who Keenan is and how he has been cursed. It also reveals the stakes with a bit of foreshadowing concerning the story's heroine, Aislinn. And it's short, just like you mentioned in the video.

[@ielyjean1471]

I need character names

[@Joseph.S.Roberts]

My first scene is an interrogation on a suspect who murdered a pre teen male.

[@deannascorner8112]

Omg my tired brain when “Prologue” was mentioned thought it was “Pronoun” and I was like - huh don’t use a pronoun when opening my scene. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[@mendingmandy869]

Every time I come to your videos, as a new writer i feel discouraged. After I watch your videos, I wind up feeling rejuvinated

[@kharagillock8467]

I feel like a rushed a scene in the opening

[@LadyOfTheEdits]

I never have prologues in my sci fi books. Prologues are stupid and cringy. I don't care for it.