In middle school and high school, I loved reading the Greek tragedies and comedies. They were wonderful and I couldn't wait to get my little hands on them. Except for one thing. Everything started in the middle.
This is my biggest pet peeve in books. I hate coming in in the middle of things. I don't want to be treated to the height of the action right away. I want to know every little detail of how we got there. I write my stories where we join the characters right before setting off on their adventures. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks like me. I receive a lot of comments from editors and other writers that it takes too long for my stories to get into any action.
For example, here is a rejection I just got this morning. The editor says "I found the world interesting, but the story was slow in building for my tastes".
First of all...Yay! Someone found it interesting! Focusing on the positive is good. But aside from the generic "it's not the right fit" rejection, this is the one I hear a lot. My characters and the setting are great, but it just doesn't start with gripping action. In my edits, I try to balance this with my own personal goals for the story.
Let's look at the opening of my two novels.
Our Fathers: Scarlet Black is lost in the streets of Bath as she searches for Colby Redd. In the first draft, it started with her at the door. When I was told that wasn't exciting enough, I added in her getting lost and more tension with a young woman wandering down dark alleys. Some then said it would have been better to just meet Colby first. You just can't please everyone! In the end, I stuck with the expanded scene of her getting lost. It added to the overall feeling of how Scarlet struggles that I wanted in the whole book.
The Resurrected Thief: A mummy vandalizes the British Museum, and Bryan tries to avoid the case. In the first draft, I had it so Bryan and the clients were bickering about an undisclosed mystery. I wanted it to be a big twist that it was a mummy in a world where elves and centaurs walked the streets. Again, I was told that wasn't really gripping and it would be better with the reveal of magic at the very beginning. So I reworked the scene, but it didn't feel quite right yet. There still wasn't a sense of the mystery and magic that I wanted. This is the first time I used a Prologue. I thought of it like in a cop drama where you catch a glimpse of the murder before cutting to the detectives hanging out. So I have an unsuspecting guard walking in on the crime. I'm happy with the scene, and plan on keeping prologues for the entire series.
I suppose we should look at The Red Crown too! That opening hasn't really changed at all. It starts with Cayden walking into his bedroom and seeing a shadowed figure on his bed. I always thought that was an exciting opening, because who wouldn't be shocked by that? The pair then banter and get into their adventure. I always liked it just the way it is. Since no one's said to change it, why bother?
I doubt I will ever stray too far from my personal preferences. I'll never turn away helpful advice, but we must do whatever is best for the story.
