Beginnings

I find beginnings are the hardest part of writing novels. First, I don’t really know who my protagonist is and where she is going when I start the book. Oh, I think I know, but I’m not sure until I get to the end because my character and plot evolve as the story unfolds.

I’ve written the first chapter of my middle grade mystery about a hundred times, but I’ve revised the last chapter only three times. Of the two, the ending is far closer to being finished. Even now after I’ve been all the way through the manuscript and I know my character and plot, I’m still struggling with my beginning.

I have two challenges that seem to fight against each other. I need to grab the reader’s interest and in a subtle way let him know what to expect ahead. Grabbing interest and subtlety are on opposite ends of the spectrum, yet I need to accomplish both. If I write an action packed chase scene just to reel the reader into my book and the rest of the plot is a sleepy bedtime story I’ve mislead the reader. He is going to be disappointed. Just as serious of an error would be to open the book with a list of backstory information, this and this happened resulting in the character having a problem she needs to solve. This approach is honest. It sets the stage for the reader, but its boring.

The solution to this difficulty is voice. I need to engage the reader by getting him interested in my protagonist’s unique psyche. My character’s distinctive attitude toward her situation can make a connection with the reader, making him want to know more about her and her predicament. This is easier said then done, because characters are complex. I need to choose which attributes to initially reveal about her persona to lure the reader in. I need to pick a setting in the sequence of events in her story that will give me the opportunity to divulge these captivating aspects of her personality and individual situation. All this needs to happen in the first few pages. This is what I’ve been working through this week as I edit The Family Secret - A Rainy Day.

While I know the answer to the secret the characters in my book strive to find, the secret to beginnings is still unknown to me, but I continue to plug away.

The heights by great men reached and kept

Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW