Insecure Writers - First Post


This being my first venture into the world of participative blogging, I thought I'd start with a related subject area, and one I personally have quite an amount of trouble with ... where to begin.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that readers of my stories have (in not so many words) told me that I occasionally ramble along before getting to the meat of my prose. I know there is much advice out there about where one should begin a story but this advice is often much easier to read than to actually follow in deed.

In Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, this question is asked and answered as such:

"Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop."

This is fine advice that I often adhere to when beginning a new story, especially with a new character. I like to take a little time and burn a few thousand words finding out just who this character is and what the character is all about. Beginning at the very beginning keeps me focused on how my character got into the predicament they currently find themselves.

Unfortunately, that does not bode well with readers.

I've often heard that a good story begins "In medias res" or in the middle of things. In medias res is term first coined by the Roman poet and philosopher, Horace in his writings involving the Trojan War. He also used the term "ab ovo" meaning "from the egg." a reference given to the cause of the Trojan war after the birth of Helen and Clytemnestra by Leda after she was raped by the god Zeus while he was in the form of a swan. I know, roman mythology is so weird.

Anyway, I've come up with a solution that I believe benefits my need to write about past and circumstance, and my readers desire to enter the story and immediately be cast into the fray.

I just go ahead and write my story from the beginning and then advance forward to the point where I can begin with conflict or action, and make that my new beginning. I then drop these discarded words throughout the story where needed to fill in gaps and explain deeper character without breaking tension or action.

My record so far for amount of story created before actually finding the beginning is 10. Yes, in one story, I actually wrote ten chapters before deciding that this advanced portion would become the new beginning.

So, here's to beginnings, real and adjusted. My hope is that other writers will read this and know they are not alone in providing too much information or backstory and having to reel it in. Please tell me there are others out there like me. Are there any other writers out there that do this? I hope so.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to visit other members here.

Comments

  1. I think that's fine for a first draft, to begin where you begin to discover the characters and what their goals are. On revision, though, I usually find that a lot of that stuff is background that only the author needs to know. Or you might, as you said, drop it in along the way after the action gets going.

    My current novel has kind of a slow opening, but everyone who has read it says to keep it. That's unusual, because most advice today is to get right to the action, so I'm a little worried about my slow beginning too.

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    1. Thanks for the comment. You know, I've heard this advice all my life and my finished products are always without long stretches of backstory, but I still write this way. I guess it makes me feel better to know I'm not the only one.

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  2. I'm even worse than that, JL. I swing from too little info to too much. It's finding a balance that stretches my ability. Happy IWSG.

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    1. It is good though, that you have the ability to see when to stretch and when to cut.

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  3. I think a lot of writers do that. I do. I have a tendency to be a bit wordy when it comes to descriptions and meandering through a story for some time before I finally come to some action.

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    1. Thank you for commenting. I'm just glad to know that I'm not the only one doing this.

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  4. I actually rewrite the entire story from scratch every time I figured out who and what the story is about.

    :-)

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  5. I overwrite the first draft, and then cut it down to size through several editing and rewriting sessions. And when I say "several" thats short for: a really really whole lot of useless words that make me feel good to write and understand my characters, plot and setting.

    So glad you decided to post with IWSG JL. And just know I'm patting myself on the back for your inspiration :)

    .......dhole

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    1. Yep, you're my blogging heroine! (hero-the person, not the drug)

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  6. Nice blog you have here! I only found it earlier today.
    Regarding story, and being an aspiring screenwriter (at MY age!), I often resort to the screenwriter's maxim "Get in late, get out early". And as others have said, put everything into your first draft and then cut, cut, cut.

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    1. Welcome and thanks for your comment. My blog is a great reflection of me-scattered and inconsistent. Getting in late and getting out early is great advice that everyone can use!

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  7. Beginnings were difficult for me when I started writing fiction, too. Funny thing, though, by the third novel, I was so determined not to start to early, I started a tad too late--had to go back and add a chapter. *shrugs* I'll get it right eventually. As long as I get it right before the book is published, it's all good.

    Great first post! Welcome to the group! :)
    August co-host and IWSG #110

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  8. Yep, yep, and hell-yep. It's really hard to just let the characters be, because I want the reader to see them as I see them. I want them to agree with me, dammit! lol
    However, people related to each other differently, so I guess the same could be true of characters. Deep breath, write on. ;)
    PS. what a great blog post.

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