I'm stuck at a crossroads here. See, I'm not sure if I want the story to start when the MC is younger and then have a time skip, or for the story to start when I really want it to and have bits of his past sprinkled throughout. At first, it seemed the latter option was a much better choice, but I really want to write out certain scenes from his childhood in full and I think it would be sort of annoying if I inserted them into the main storyline? They're important to the plot but I also don't want to distract too much from the current events.
I always find that stories with history attached to the current event much more appealing. You can always have both in a story. Although the ages prior to your main timeline should be condense or rather focused on the most significant character traits. Historic events that evolve the character without giving up too much in advance for the reader.
My story mixes two timeframes, a younger and the current protagonist. If you start with the younger protag, it will read as a prologue, you may want to label it as such so the reader knows the book is not about a child. That's fine if it works. Write it and decide later if you want to keep it that way. In my case I had more than just a single chapter where the protagonist is younger. I ended up killing my first chapter so I could start in the present time. Then the earlier chapters are interwoven in the first third of the book where the younger protag catches up in time with the current protag and the story goes on from there. It's really coming together nicely.
The second option is the one I would go with. Even if things that happened to your MC as a child are important to the story, they might come across better sprinkled throughout and then you can give the reader the information that need when they need it. If the story is about his adult years, start in the adult years. I try to always start in story and in the right story.
If it is short, it can be a prologue. If it is not short, sprinkle it in as backstory, when remembers events of his childhood, which affect how reacts to events in his now. Or have him tell a friend about these events.
If you want to write the scene - write the scene. Find a proper place for it later. By the time you finish the current draft and start revising, you may get a different idea of what you need and how much of it needs to be in the story. It's a work in progress, nothing is fixed in stone yet. Yes, it can be annoying if you insert a childhood scene in the middle of the current story, but at the same time a break in the current story can be used to build up suspense. There must be some sort of purpose to the break in the current story. Or, the childhood scene might be so beautifully written that the reader would enjoy it anyway. But then, if the childhood scene turns out to be not essential, then maybe you don't need it at all. Or, by the time of the third draft you may decide to shrink it down to a single paragraph. Or, maybe it will turn out to be a great story on its own and you might actually decide to expand it and make a full-length prequel. Anyway. There's no way of knowing all those before you actually write the scene, right?
P Personally I like the old "get in late, leave early" way of thinking. Straight into the story or action with no messing. Can always drip feed back story throughout and the reader should be hooked by the start. Slow build up doesn't do that for me.
I have seen authors who start a story in an interesting/exciting point (today) then have pre today scenes, often as chapters. When the pre scenes reach today the story carries on from tomorrow (not usually a reason to repeat yourself). Remember if you do something like this then make sure the time/age change is obvious. This is done very effectively in Never Let you go by Chevy Stevens. There will be things that only need a paragraph but some events that need a separate chapter. As the story develops and as you edit this may change. If it fits your story it does. You possibly might want to do some research on exposition and flashbacks, to find examples and techniques. There are some sites that advise not to use flashbacks but it's like a lot of writing techniques, if done right it can add to the story but done badly can detract and disappoint.
Is the story first-person POV? A real twister might be to begin the story from childhood, and sprinkle in scenes from later in life. (Opposite of your initial inclination) You end up with a first-person story with foreknowledge scope. This is different than first-person omniscient, where the mc knows the thoughts of every other character. It could be a challenge to blend future scenes with current events without totally confusing the reader. It might be interesting... or a total mess.
