It happens to me very often that I want to start at the beginning of the event that later contributes to the development of the story but later on I find out it's actually better to skip towards the end of it and then recall on what has happened in order to make the story more fast paced. For example, I started with how a teacher is going to her class and how she begins with the lesson but later I realized that I can start at the end of the lesson and then have her think about what has happened and how she evaluated the situation based on that. Does it happen to you guys as well? Do you start in this way to pick up on the action or do you want the reader to go through it from the start? I'm just wondering if there are any other effects these choices bring up.
It can work either way. Saying that though, you may not wish to give away so much in the beginning. What if your main character is going to be in peril? The reader already knows they survive, so what good will that be? Of course there are ways around it, by letting the reader know they are alive and intact but not giving their local away - they could be in jail, in hospital, etc.
I start my writing a million times until I am happy. I tend to start my novel and then just delete what i don't need.
