When you just can’t figure out a good opening…
I have a novel that has been around for seven years. Yup. SEVEN YEARS. I first wrote it when I was fifteen. Then I rewrote. Then I rewrote it again…and again…and again… It’s labeled as being in it’s third draft in my documents folder, but really, it’s probably in it’s twentieth. (I just didn’t start keeping track of the drafts until later.) This novel was my first, so it’s a bit special. (Very special since I wrote it seven years ago and I’m still editing it… first books, what can I say.) At least with each edit and rewrite it IS getting better…slowly
In all the years it’s been around, in all the edits and rewrites, I still can’t open the thing. A good, grab you by the throat, opening still eludes me. So, I’m finally going to try something I’ve done with other stories to jump start them. (Why I haven’t try it with this one yet… I really don’t know.) Not actually start it at the beginning. I’m going to pick a spot where events start getting interesting and write from there. If there needs to be more back story I’ll figure out how to get it in there as I go along, if not, great! If I need a different beginning, maybe just having the rewrite of the story started will help clear up a perfect beginning.
I’ve heard of other writer’s doing this. Even read that you should cut the first three chapters of a rough draft because more than likely you don’t need them. So, I’m cutting them and starting somewhere else. We’ll see if this works or not for me and this story. Fingers crossed.
