poptart
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Annoying people since 1957
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Joined: October 2011
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Post by poptart on Oct 25, 2011 3:38:22 GMT -5
Anyway, I realized that I have begun all three stories with at least one of the MC on a plane. This opening scene is used to provide some background info for the story, like location and plot theme. My question is this; is beginning all the stories sort of the same way a bad idea? Not necessarily, but my initial thought is are you creating an info dump right at the start? If so, this will put readers off immediately. In genre fiction, it's best to start the story with tense action to hook the reader quickly and leave background details for later. |
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Richard
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Post by Richard on Oct 25, 2011 20:59:41 GMT -5
I agree with poptart. I once read a book that started out about 100mph. It stayed that way for the first 3 chapters. I couldn't stop and catch my breath until after that. I never read one like that before. The book itself was good, but not great. But I'll never forget the pace. And I had to finish it once I started.
I think you can provide some background at the beginning, but get the reader into the story first. Think about TV police dramas like the (CSI) shows. They start off with the incident/tragedy/end result, followed by background filtering through the program, then add action and information as necessary. You don't have to do it just like that, but it gets you to thinking of a different type of layout.
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poptart
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Annoying people since 1957
Posts: 5
Joined: October 2011
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Post by poptart on Oct 26, 2011 9:40:21 GMT -5
Lots of successful authors do this. It can work very well.
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Lily
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Post by Lily on Oct 26, 2011 12:48:29 GMT -5
I think this could actually work for you as opposed to against you. I'm reminded for some reason on the opening lines of Mission Impossible...the same every week and yet this type of creative repetition can be effective.
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