Need a Soft Moment

[Devor]

Before the action comes home, I need to open with a chapter that sets the scene and introduces the main POV character.

Currently the prologue is set to follow a secondary character, who meets the main conflict and brings it back with him when he meets up with the main character in Chapter 2.

That leaves me with a chapter before we hit the action, and I figure I'd ask for your input while I'm still trying to figure out who some of these characters are.

The main character is at a place in life where he's getting ready to settle down. He's in a relationship, but as he's going to be drawn into the conflict, he has to weigh how much he wants to settle down against the call to action.

The girl will be able to hold her own, but she's untested. I don't know if they'll end up together or not, but I need something to start that chain.

Any thoughts?

[Penpilot]

Sorry I'm a little unsure of what you mean when you say the girl will be able to hold her own but is untested. Am I to assume that she's going to go on the adventure with him? I'm going to go under that assumption and I assume this is also a fantasy setting.

Correct me if I'm wrong. The guy and girl are in a relationship, the guy gets a call to adventure pulling him and her away from their planned life.

I'd start with them going about their planned course, planning and putting together their life together. Eg building a house, working a farm, buying a tavern, etc. Show that their relationship isn't perfect, have them bicker about a few things that are seemingly meaningless to set up doubt in their relationship. Then it's ripe to throw the monkey wrench into things.

[Caged Maiden]

I'm much better at writing the lovey scenes than the war bits, so I'll give it a stab. Your post was sort of short, so I may be way off here, but if you're trying to just show who the man and woman are, maybe open in a calm setting. I opened Warrior's Heart, a story set in a war-torn land with two teens telling stories in a barn. My main focus in the first couple chapters was solely to show the strength of their love which is meant to carry them through their own struggles, as they're soon parted. I don't know how successful that was, but I like books which open in a calm setting, somewhere the two character's connection is the focus. Of course that all depends on your setting.
I'll just help you brainstorm and hopefully that will help you.

She's hauling water, wrestling a stubborn nag into a stall, bringing her goods to market, doing any menial task, etc. and he comes to help her. they get to have a brief exchange about the world, political clime, feelings for each other, the future in general, etc.

It's a celebration of some sort in the village, city, town, countryside, and everyone's turned up. The MCs interact, dance, sing, drink, etc. as you describe the people, town, setting.

A love scene that almost got hot and heavy, but for some interruption, bells chiming calling the people to the town square, an important knock on the door, hell even a wily puppy jumping on the bed causing the MCs to burst into laughter showing what good friends they are rather than just lovers.

Anyways, loads more ideas in me if you can narrow down where you want the beginning scene to go and what result it ought to have on the rest of the story.

[Sinitar]

Feel free to disagree, but the extra chapter you are seeking kind of ruins the suspense for me. I'm not sure how your story is structured, but the main character's inner conflicts are better off without the soft moment. This way, the readers will have a better understanding of the stakes when change knocks on the door, and the plot gains significant momentum.

I know you'd feel more comfortable with a chapter that establishes the setting and introduces the protagonist, but this technique is used by every writer. Let's think about it for a moment: How much do you like first chapters that introduce X character to you, without a shred of excitement/conflict/something to hook the reader? To be honest, I don't like them at all; if I don't have a good reason to sympathize with a character, its chapters become dull.

With that thought in mind, let's approach what you have from a different angle. What would it be if the action kicks off at the very beginning? As a reader, I'd surely be hooked by how that guy's life is turned upside down. More so, you can offer us a better insight into his mind and what he thinks of this mess.

Evaluate your story's structure and weigh the importance of the chapter you seek. Is it mandatory, or simply a tool meant to connect plot points?

[Caged Maiden]

True. What about rather than a whole chapter (which I agree is a bit much) you think about a scene. There's no reason your characters can't be enjoying simple happy living like I described above, and then an event happens. Imagine the impact of (I'll pick one at random becuse I don't know your setting) a rural May Day celebration with its bright ribbons and all the girls in town wearing flowers in their hair, your lovers in each others' arms... when all of a sudden mounted soldiers ride through, causing people to flee, or maybe some of them die.

I think every story is its own thing, and while one template might work for one, another template might work better for another. I think having a soft scene focused on the lovers is a fine way to start out. To me, love stories are the backbones of most of my stories, the adventure being the rest of the beast.

[Shockley]

I agree with Anihow - don't make it a whole chapter. One of the best introductions I can think of was the second book of Brian Jacques' Redwall books.

It was a very domestic scene. The mother and father with their children. They were doing chores (or something like that), and putting the children to bed. Then another character busts through the door and tells them that soldiers are coming. They rush to pack - they have a scene or two where they struggle to leave their home and debate what is necessary on the road - and then the action of the story starts.

That's what I like, but I couldn't handle that for a full chapter.

[Steerpike]

If the main conflict is introduced in the prologue and you are struggling with a Chapter that is going to occur before the action, why not make the prologue Chapter One? That means you open the first chapter with more action, and with the conflict, and the reader will be more forgiving of a slower Chapter Two where you establish the other character.

[Devor]

While I appreciate the honesty everybody, I don't really think I need help right now with the action or with making it interesting. I think I need help finding a way to set up their relationship, and I'd really appreciate it if people could focus on that.

If it helps, he's partly a farmer and partly an adventurer while she's a mounted patrol - the fact that she's a woman is actually important to her job.

Something which comes to mind is that coming-of-age stories often start with bullies or awkward encounters with the girl, and I'm wondering if there's a similar tropes or starting places that would be appropriate for a later stage in life. While I know that I want the relationship conflict to be about his readiness to settle down, I'm not sure exactly whether they're just talking about it, about to get married, or are actually buying land, so to speak. I'm not sure that I've seen a lot of stories which begin here.

Penpilot, I like the idea of throwing in a little bickering. I think that feels human, and I don't think I want the outcome of their relationship to be obvious, certainly not yet. So a little, but not a lot.

Anihow, I'm leaning on the menial-task, he-comes-to-help idea, but as a formula it needs more. I can make menial-in-this-world seem interesting to a reader, but as she's the minor-authority-figure, maybe she should come to help him? Maybe he's selling food from his farm at the market, someone tries to hustle him, and she intervenes? What would you think of something like that?

[Penpilot]

If you're looking for that awkward encounter in adult form then how about these two scenarios.

1 - They're not a couple yet, but their parents/friends are trying play match maker and setting them up on a date because they just know these two crazy kids will get along great. Plus the friends are just tired of them hanging around as the fifth wheel when they all hang out.

2 - If they're dating or are already a couple, have the parents/friends apply pressure by asking them when they're going settle down and have a family. Parents want grand kids LOTS of them.

[Caged Maiden]

Anihow, I'm leaning on the menial-task, he-comes-to-help idea, but as a formula it needs more. I can make menial-in-this-world seem interesting to a reader, but as she's the minor-authority-figure, maybe she should come to help him? Maybe he's selling food from his farm at the market, someone tries to hustle him, and she intervenes? What would you think of something like that?

I love it. That sets up your bickering right there when his masculinity is threatened because she intervenes. See I think those slow periods where you are exploring the relationship is important. I was beginning to feel like a freak on this forum because I write a sort of Romantic Fantasy. Is that a real genre? I don't know. But love stories are very central to my books, and though a couple are conflicted, and some are squishy, and some are subtle, it's scenes like these that fill the pages between bodies bleeding out in the mud.

One tiny thing about the conflict. Unless your farmers are unusual, I'm not sure they'd be the sort of person someone would bother steal from at a market (that sounds kinda small potatoes to me). What about if thieves were stealing his sheep or cattle? Now that's more exciting (he can ride them down or she can), plus then you can throw in a hanging in the end!

Best wishes.