The Counselor

Beginnings

Article Three: Beginnings

Okay, so if you’re anything like me (which admittedly, you probably aren’t/wouldn’t say so if you were), you struggle with beginnings. In fact, most of writing for me tends to be a struggle, but we’ll go into that later.

I cannot tell you how many times I must write and rewrite a beginning before I can continue with the rest of the novel. (For some strange reason I’ve yet to figure out, I have to write in chronological order on paper, or the novel itself doesn’t make much sense.) (Believe me, I’ve tried.)

Now, part of my problem with beginnings is the sheer amount of possibilities of where a novel can start. While every novel I write really has only one way it can end, it has a numberless amount of ways it can begin. You can start with a prologue or in media res (in the midst of things) or with a slow, lazy exposition that sets the stage for the rest of the novel. In the end, it’s a matter of choice and personal style that decides how you start—it’s up to you. But there are basic things about every beginning that don’t change:

1.       A beginning is important. It’s what draws in the reader and makes them want to keep reading, and a poor beginning won’t lead to the next amazing break-out novel.

2.       On the other hand, don’t let your obsession with finding the perfect beginning delay the novel’s progress. Odds are, you’re going to change your beginning a dozen times or more in the course of writing, revising, and rewriting your novel. So find a beginning that works, and then roll with it. Write on instead of searching for the perfect combination of words that will mark the start of your story, because otherwise, you’re wasting your time.

Now, I know, it’s hard to keep writing, but it’s the same as when writer’s block strikes—you have to keep going. And you can whine and moan all you like and say, “Jo, you’re stupid, the beginning has to be written first,” but you’re not going to get anywhere.

Writing the beginning isn’t the only way to start, of course. I’ve started novels by writing the end first, or starting somewhere in the middle as I saw fit. And in the end, you have to find the method that works best for you. If you’re posting on Wattpad, it probably makes the most sense to write chronologically, because otherwise you’ll have a lot of confused readers. (Unless confusing readers is your thing, then feel free to start wherever you please.)

If you’re writing for yourself, of course, you’re free to write as you choose wherever in your novel you choose whenever you choose. (Gee, could I use the word “choose” any more in that sentence?) But still, it helps to have some sort of order to it.

So, back to beginnings. It helps if you know where your novel starts, because then you know where to proceed from. Of course, you can always go back later and shift it as you see fit.

So basically what I’m trying to say is, when writing your beginning, unless you’re a robot, DON’T expect sheer brilliance and poignant prose the first time around, but DON’T settle for sub-par writing because you don’t expect excellence. Write a decent beginning and continue from there, but be fluid and let it change as you need it to. Have some idea of where you’re taking your story after the beginning, but don’t let that idea define everything; if making a change improves the novel, then make it.

In short, here are the commandments to writing a beginning, according to Jo:

1.       Write the damn thing and move on.

2.       DON’T rewrite until you absolutely can’t continue the rest of the story because something about the beginning is wrong.

3.       Move on and keep writing after you’ve written the damn thing.