I have completed about 2 and half chapters of my novel. After restarting, I feel it is finally have the feel I want to portray. The first few chapters are setting up the MCs personality and sets the scene for the full book, (as the first few chapters usually do) The events in those chapters are a pretty standard play of what the character is doing in an undisclosed amount of time. This makes sense as those events are needed to set the novel up, the issue being that this makes sense to me. I worry that readers will wonder why I have disclosed certain aspects but there isn't really a way around me explaining those as they are pivotal in explaining the MCs mind set. The importance of mentioning them makes sense as you get further in but I worry that my readers will feel like I'm just explaining a load of random events with seemingly no meaning. Has anyone else had this?
I say forge ahead. It doesn't sound like you're doing anything that will blow up the whole draft if you want to make a change. For instance, you can always blow up the first few chapters later and incorporate in as backstory if you decide it will be more effective. -MC
Good point. I'll keep writing and if I think I could fit certain things in later on, I can always do so!
This might be an Info Dump issue. Think about whether these things all need to be presented right at the beginning, or could you pepper them elsewhere in the story so you don't have too much exposition right at the start.
Agree. I'd just keep writing and deal with it later. That sounds like a beta reader issue, assuming the story is relatively congruent.
Push through - two things I re-write often -- beginnings and endings. I've found it best to keep writing as it's easier to rewrite the beginning after everythings done cause then you can fully see what you need and what you don't than to endlessly rewrite a beginning that still might not work. I had two beginnings - one included setting a character up as sortof friend which I changed mid-draft to best friend and figured I'd fix it later. Good idea since for the second draft I ditched that beginning all together and started from another character's perspective.
As you get further into your novel and flesh your idea out, you'll go back and rewrite the beginning. Nothing is set in stone and sometimes you have to see everything laid out before you can figure out whether something works or not.
Of course you're overthinking! You're supposed to, at this stage: it's all about thinking. I suggest you move on with the action, and not look back until you're at least half-way through. What will probably happen is that you embed the essential information about characters and relationships in what they do and say as the story progresses, so that, when you eventually return to the beginning, you'll edit the first two chapters down to half their present size.
I think this is good advice, but I'm going to slightly disagree with the first part. Overthinking is good when it leads to creativity and possibilities. Not so much when it leads to self-doubt and paralysis, which unfortunately sounds like more the case with the OP. Banish the self doubt! March onward! -MC
Thank you, I'm going to carry on. I do like what I have written but I reckon I will readjust where things are placed when I get to 2nd draft. I did have a moment where I started thinking, "Maybe I should rewrite this," but I suppose I would end up in a constant loop of writing the beginning if I had done that.
I say keep writing. The farther you get the easier it will be to figure out those kinks in the beginning. If you overthink and doubt your ability to write those first chapters you'll never finish the draft. Loosen those fingers and allow your character to form thier story. I believe your readers will get to know your character as the story plays out. Doesnt all need to be in the first chapter. As Dory from Finding Nemo would say, but in this case, 'Just keep writing!' (Feel free to sing along...or not) Happy Writing!
Very few first chapters survive the first edit when the story is finished. The first chapter is for you, the writer, and the readers may never see it in the final story. It is for you, the writers, because you haven't gotten to know your characters, and have only a hazy idea what they are about. Keep writing and let them tell you their story. You can clean up the beginning, and everything else, when you edit after the story is written
I never thought about it like this! You're right, as ive continued ive thought of some ways it will change. I suppose by the end of the first full draft, ill have a better idea of how I want it to be.
Who cares what other people think? You write it the way you like it. If it's still entertaining to you after it's finished, i gaurentee others will share your sentiment. For what is a critic but one who reads quickly, arrogantly, but never wisely.
The opening needs to immediately set up who's the character, what's the setting, what's his immediate goal and what are the immediate stakes. Character and setting should be clear within the first 3 lines and the rest within the first few pages at the latest. Certainly by the end of chapter one, all of these must be clear. The catch is, you may not necessarily know all this very clearly yourself until the whole book is finished. Do not spend several chapters just showing your character's daily life. Find some other way of showing what you need and incorporate the daily life into the wider main plot, drip feed if you have to. You're right the reader will probably not have patience to sit through several chapters of slice of life if they didn't know clearly what the purpose of it is.
