# Starting off right!



## Rullenzar (Dec 17, 2013)

I've been trying out a couple different settings for where my MC/story starts off and I really don't want to be cliche. Even though the most cliche seems to work best. My MC starts off in a small village/town farmer type, quiet life. His 18th birthday upon him and the promised answers his father made him wait till now for, will soon be revealed. Jump starting the story. 

I've also tried this with a family owned bar opening, main city rich folk and one other. The quiet farm life seemed to work best but i feel its also the most cliche. Was hoping to get some feedback/suggestions on possible start settings in a medieval time period.  And, do you think the quiet life farmer prototype is outplayed? Or, is it something you would still enjoy getting into?


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## BWFoster78 (Dec 17, 2013)

I like the farmboy turned epic hero.  Other here will say they hate it.

You're better off, imo, writing instead of worrying if it's too cliche.  Explore the story and see where it takes you.  You can always change the opening.


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## Steerpike (Dec 17, 2013)

That opening has become a bit cliche in the genre, but that doesn't mean you can't make it work. You can put a new and/or interesting spin on anything. If that opening works best for your story, stick with it.


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## Malik (Dec 17, 2013)

I'm with Foster on this. Every idea is cliche. It's what you do with it.

Personally, what drives me insane is when the farmboy (or nerdy kid, or slacker, or similar underdog trope) becomes an epic hero, but just all of a sudden -- magically, usually; though more often because it's revealed that he's The Chosen One. That's where I toss the book in the Donations box. 

But that's just me. Write the thing and then tweak it later if you don't like it.


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## AnneL (Dec 17, 2013)

I'm with everyone else on if it works, it's fine, but one other thought: have you tried making him an apprentice of some sort that would also give him a useful skill set for his adventure? 

Also, it probably goes without saying, but if he's a farm boy, give me the farm -- show him slaughtering the pig or repairing the plow or baling the hay or something.  What is it about being raised on a farm that is going to either help him or hinder him in the rest of the story?


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## skip.knox (Dec 17, 2013)

To start off right, start right off. 

I assume you want the boy to be ordinary, with no hint of future greatness. Farm boy works, but you could pick most any life. At eighteen he would have been working in his father's shop, or could even be the son of a minor knight, frustrated because there seem to be no opportunities for greatness.

The key, though, is the ordinariness of his life. So take a few pages to establish that. Sure, Dad's going to tell him something on his birthday. Great. It'll probably be to give him a new plow. Or his own stall at the market. Something horribly, stuffily ordinary. So when he learns that he's actually heir to the throne, or whatever, it can come as a genuine surprise.

If you take time for setup, too, you can take time to establish a friend or other relationships and maybe even show one of his virtues. Give us a reason to like him *before* he gets famous or powerful. IMO, Robert Jordan did this well in his opening chapters, however far he strayed in later volumes.


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## danr62 (Dec 17, 2013)

I once thought of starting a story something like this:



> It begins as these things usually do in the stories. I lived on a farm on the outskirts of a small villiage. My uncle raised me since my parents died at a young age. My aunt passed away a few years back from the wasting sickness, so it was just me and Uncle Bob.
> 
> That's when the monsters attacked.



So there's a bit of a satirical spin on it.

The point is that there is nothing wrong with using a trope in your story. Some people love the tropes. Other people hate them. You can't please everybody.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Dec 17, 2013)

skip.knox said:


> To start off right, start right off.
> 
> I assume you want the boy to be ordinary, with no hint of future greatness. Farm boy works, but you could pick most any life. At eighteen he would have been working in his father's shop, or could even be the son of a minor knight, frustrated because there seem to be no opportunities for greatness.
> 
> ...



Introductory chapters are fine for setting the stage and getting to know characters. However, in my opinion, you still need more happening than just that, or even whatever information Dad is about to reveal.    

Showing the mundane & ordinary parts of life are okay IF you're contrasting against something else that's unusual, or at least hinting that your character is about to jump down the rabbit hole.    

Since Robert Jordan was mentioned, I'll use that as an example. His introductory chapter does indeed do a nice job of setting the scene, showing us characters, and painting the picture of ordinary life. However, almost immediately the reader also sees the MC being pursued by something strange and sinister....a Myrddraal. It happens much sooner than most readers even realize (paragraph #9 to be precise).  



> As Rand watched his side of the road, the feeling grew in him that he was being watched.


The next few chapters are a description of Rand seeing a shadow spawn for the first time.

My point being, don't dilly-dally on the mundane and ordinary aspects of your character's life. Those are the boring bits. Let us jump into the meat of the story without too much setup. If, however, you need to show the stuffy ordinary aspects of their life, contrast it against the unusual or the remarkable. The reader needs to know not all is well and that events are already careening towards chaos and drama, though the characters themselves may be partially unaware.


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## A. E. Lowan (Dec 17, 2013)

Here's a helpful little article that T. Allen actually originally posted a while back...

The Worst Ways to Begin Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents


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## Mythopoet (Dec 18, 2013)

Not every idea is a cliche. A cliche is a trope that has become overused to the point of being meaningless. Emphasis on the meaningless part. If the idea/trope still conveys meaning to the readers it is not a cliche no matter how often it is used.



Rullenzar said:


> My MC starts off in a small village/town farmer type, quiet life. His 18th birthday upon him and the promised answers his father made him wait till now for, will soon be revealed. Jump starting the story.



I don't think the small town farm boy is the really cliche part. I think most people can identify with that aspect. We all feel like we're just a small person in a big world sometimes. Which is why that trope conveys meaning. 

It's the "ordinary person's secret extraordinary identity is revealed at a pivotal moment" that has become a cliche. Now, a lot of the time the two are combined. Which is why most readers, as soon as you introduce a farm boy, will say to themselves "oh, but he's secretly the descendent of some significant historical person and there's probably a super special heirloom like a sword that will be passed on to him just before he sets off on his adventure". And most of the time, sadly, they will be right.

Personally, I'd rather read a story about a farm boy who is actually just a farm boy but becomes a hero not because of his secret heritage or a special heirloom but because of his true merits.


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## TWErvin2 (Dec 18, 2013)

Nothing wrong with starting on the farm...but if possible avoid a 'day in the life' setup to contrast later how the MC's life changed. Something can be happening on the farm, a crisis of some sort, which can reveal the character while revealing some about the setting.


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## Trick (Dec 21, 2013)

Can I just say that:



skip.knox said:


> Something horribly, stuffily ordinary.



Is my favorite quote of the day...


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## Helen (Dec 21, 2013)

Mythopoet said:


> If the idea/trope still conveys meaning...it is not a cliche no matter how often it is used.



Exactly. 

You see them again and again because they're used for a reason.


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## skip.knox (Dec 21, 2013)

Calling things a trope is becoming a trope. I say we swear off the word and spend the winter in the tropics.

Gods, did I really say that?


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## Chessie (Dec 21, 2013)

Rullenzar, I like AnneL's idea of showing us the farm. Why not have his skills as a farmer be put to good use? Maybe he rocks in wilderness survival because he's knowledgeable about the outdoors.


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## Rullenzar (Dec 21, 2013)

I didn't want to give too much away in my first post so I gave a pretty lackluster generalization. My MC essentially grows up with a brother and a sister. He's also got a boyhood friend and a mysterious barkeep who's treated the lot as his own sons, teaching them how to fight as they grew. My MC and his lot have always been fascinated by all the strange folk and adventurers coming through their village and would ask for stories from whom ever would give them the time of day. Their imaginations are what basically led them to being taught by the old barkeep. Nobody knows where he came from but hes been in the village longer then my MC has been alive and he's quite skillfull in combat. Growing up my MC notices differences between him and his siblings and so before long questions arise. Around the time of his birthday he also gets strange  pains in the top left of his shoulderblade. Like something moving, excruciating pains. But, only close to and around his birthday each year. After asking his father for years for answers and his father refusing to say anything his father finally agrees to answer anything at his coming 18th birthday (age may be subject to change). 

I'm leaning more towards a father with blacksmithing background but not entirely sure yet. I was going to incorporate the teachings they've had throughout the years as their starter kit for fighting. Meaning they aren't proffesional fighters or the best at anything by a long shot but they know some basics at least. I'd go further but it would give away too much about what I'll be using to create the drama of the events that unfold on the birthday and so the beginning of my Mc's journey.

I did some more work and found that having a small community instead of just a stand alone farm will probably work best. I'm still unsure what proffesion/field I want his father in so any suggestions for that would be much appreciated. So far I've been thinking on blacksmith/trader.


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## Bansidhe (Jan 1, 2014)

T.Allen.Smith said:


> Introductory chapters are fine for setting the stage and getting to know characters. However, in my opinion, you still need more happening than just that, or even whatever information Dad is about to reveal.
> 
> Showing the mundane & ordinary parts of life are okay IF you're contrasting against something else that's unusual, or at least hinting that your character is about to jump down the rabbit hole.



I'm with Allen on this. I'm keen on using a first chapter for not only establishing setup/characters, but to serve a dual purpose in foreshadowing trouble on the horizon (aka the Inciting Incident), or to plant clues if a mystery's involved. I like to establish any and all conflicts asap, even if the reader won't realize they're conflicts quite yet until more information is provided. The idea is to set up the precursors, or the subtext, of conflict.


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## AnneL (Jan 1, 2014)

I started a separate thread on this, but this is a great post by Ann Leckie about not reinventing the wheel in your subject matter: Blog | Ann Leckie


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## Snowpoint (Jan 1, 2014)

Where ever he begins, make him an Expert in that field. If he starts as a Farmer, make him an excellent farmer, then he is called away to an adventure where his expertize aren't as helpful directly.

You got a man on a farm, then on his 18th birthday he sees a Black Stallion race across the fields leaving death and decay in its wake. Then, the father share the family secret. He is a magic cowboy that must catch Death Horses.

Or, maybe his outdoors-y nature allows him to lead a troop of city-slickers on a quest to fight a dragon.


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## AnomanderRake (Feb 5, 2014)

The farmboy start is definitely cliche. However, as a coming-of-age story, it always need not be the farmboy. 
For example, In the novel 'Dragonborne Chair' by TadWilliams, he starts off the protogonist, Simon as the kitchen skullion in the castle.
An ordinary life of a person in a different profession than farming as a start, would be refreshing.


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## STBURNS (Feb 5, 2014)

I think most of us could agree that a character can draw us in. I can forgive any writer about treading familiar ground if the character is written well. I will give any story a chance as long as they don't short change me with easy mastery of a craft (warrior, mage, etc). 
As far as the farm thing, you have so many angles to work from. Unlike Luke, who was blessed with the force by birth, your character's farming roots can be his strength. Farmers are dedicated and strong. So failures are taken as lessons. Farmers in real life are facinating people. Carrying those strong values into training make a MC dangerous down the road.


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## kayd_mon (Feb 5, 2014)

I am late to the party on this one! I didn't read the whole thread, but I echo everyone who syas that in genre writing, cliche is always there. Engage and entertain, and you're good. Shoot for originality always, but it's ok if some things are tried and true.


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## Caged Maiden (Feb 5, 2014)

So, I used a farm boy in a novel.  I opened with a girl and boy in a barn, telling stories, and followed them throughout the next days, showing them as kids enjoying their lives, young people who had to work hard for their livelihood, and young lovers who sneak around when no one's looking.  I show the contrast of their upbringing, the girl educated and a budding mage, the boy nothing but a farm hand and a great archer.

So, cut to the third chapter, the boy goes missing, taken from his house by a dozen armored knights on war horses.  That starts off my farm hand's story and how he becomes the captain of the king's archers.  (he was taken by the king because secretly, the girl he's sleeping with is the princess but even she doesn't know it.  The king steals the boy to ask whether he really loves the girl and when he says he does, the king wants to make him a knight.  There's way more to it, and i know that sounds cheesy, but it's really good... very dramatic when it's happening.)

I agree, if you want to start with an uneducated nobody, they have to have some skills to draw one, something that makes them special in a way.  Also, consider their moral code.  A farmer won't shy at the sight of blood because he's seen it all his life, and he may also lack in etiquette and education, but he probably has a good grasp of animals, self-sufficience, woodland edibles, making shelters, hunting (if hunting was allowed in the area.  Or he could be a poacher).  Either way, think about his life and make him believable.  When my young farm hand goes to the city, he can't read, doesn't know anything about etiquette, and basically gets thrown before the king of the neighboring land and interrogated.  It's pretty tense.

I think one thing that makes it a convinvcing and lovable character is when we truly see things through a farm boy's eyes.  Like not the proper words for things he doesn't recognize, etc.


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