Where to begin

[Amanita]

I know that beginnings have often been the subject of discussion here. Yet, I think my question hasn't really been adressed, if it has, I'm sorry.
Do you prefer beginnings that introduce the main character in his or her usual life, or stories that start in the middle of the action?

The first kind is often viewed as boring and cliche, but seriously, I like it better. Especially, if there are hints that something is going to change soon. I love stories with hints of the "unnormal" intruding into everyday life.
If a story starts with a battle or any other action scene, it doesn't really affect me because I don't care for the character yet and don't know what he's fighting for and if it's something I can identify with or not.

In my own story I'm following the path I like best as well. My main characters and her hometown are introduced first, than trouble is starting and she realises what's going on. Unlike many other main characters, her life before she leaves isn't unhappy either. She has a loving mother, friends and is part of her community.
Would this kind of thing bore you, or does it depend on the way it's done?
I admit, that I'm probably not going to change the beginning one way or the other, but I'm curious about your tastes.

 

[JCFarnham]

I usually go with a mixture of both, "the middle of a usual action that introduces the main chracter" before important plot happens. Or at least, that's what I want people to think

Waking up beginnings, or dull day job beginnings, or similar, bug me no end, but you can show the norm and still make it intriguing.

So while the contrast is a good thing to play with, but it's still important to get to the action as soon as possible. No point boring your readers for the sake of highlighting the weird.

 

[ThinkerX]

How about having her be a bit nervous because this is a 'day of decision' type holiday which will determine what she will be doing for a long time to come. So she's thinking about friends, about this or that part of the town, and at the same time taking note of the weird or sinister things starting to happen.

 

[TWErvin2]

I'm not a big fan of starting with 'a day in the life' but if done well it can certainly work.

 

[Kaellpae]

I like the prelude scene to hint or show that things are going wrong, and then when it gets to the MC have it a day in the life, but with the action happening pretty quick.

 

[bbeams32]

I'm also a fan of the combination of the two. I don't necessarily feel that the first approach is boring, I just like the flow of introducing characters/setting in a more active context.

 

[Ireth]

Many of my most recent works, especially my novels, have started with a short scene introducing the characters and their normal lives, and then moved quickly into the inciting incident where everything changes. That gives the reader a little time to get to know the protagonists and start to empathize with them, and doesn't let the reader wait too long before the action starts.

 

[Ifinx]

I know that beginnings have often been the subject of discussion here. Yet, I think my question hasn't really been adressed, if it has, I'm sorry.
Do you prefer beginnings that introduce the main character in his or her usual life, or stories that start in the middle of the action?

The first kind is often viewed as boring and cliche, but seriously, I like it better. Especially, if there are hints that something is going to change soon. I love stories with hints of the "unnormal" intruding into everyday life.
If a story starts with a battle or any other action scene, it doesn't really affect me because I don't care for the character yet and don't know what he's fighting for and if it's something I can identify with or not.

In my own story I'm following the path I like best as well. My main characters and her hometown are introduced first, than trouble is starting and she realises what's going on. Unlike many other main characters, her life before she leaves isn't unhappy either. She has a loving mother, friends and is part of her community.
Would this kind of thing bore you, or does it depend on the way it's done?
I admit, that I'm probably not going to change the beginning one way or the other, but I'm curious about your tastes.

Amanita,

I know how you feel about the beginning, and I must say I like a beginning that introduces the main character or at least one of the main characters. I even like beginnings with prologues that start with the antagonist causing a problem or some huge event that ties with the main plot. In mine it begins with a preface/prologue with one of the main characters. Not the main protagonist and its set so that he can go back and tell the story of the MC. This allows me to throw in a conflict within the first few pages while the reader gets a chance to meet a few characters. Anyway I hope that helps.

 

[Penpilot]

I would say don't worry too much about it if this is your first draft. Just pick a starting point and finish the story. Find the beginning after you've done that because you'll have a fuller picture of the story as a whole and it''ll be an easier task finding perfect beginning.

Now if this isn't the first draft, there's nothing wrong doing an intro showing the main character's life before the story starts. The trick is to only include just enough to get the reader going and to get on with the story. You can drop stuff in later. A rule of thumb is to start things as close to the inciting incident as possible.

Also when they say start with an action scene that doesn't always mean battles or gunfights. An action scene is just when a character has a goal in the scene and there's something in his way. For example, a character racing against time, trying to cram for an exam could be an action scene. Or a guy wanting to make a sandwich and having to bargain with his sister for the last two slices of bread in the house could be one too. The excitement comes from the characters struggles to achieve those goals.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

I think it all really depends. I absolutley hate it when I am just thrown into the world of the story and I have no idea what's going on though. One novel I read the author wanted to make the reader feel fully immersed in the culture he invented but characters were throwing out dozens and dozens and dozens of undefined words within the first page! it literaly felt like the first thirty pages of the book were erased and I had to start in the middle and pick things up.

I don't really mind if it just starts out with the first way you mentioned. People say it's cliche yet it typically provides you with a good bit of info about the character and his surrounding enviroment.

 

[Chilari]

As far as I'm concerned, the start of a novel is a delicate balance. If any direction of focus is given too much emphasis, you lose that balance and the result is not going to work for a lot of readers. You need character development, a measure of explanation about the world, and drama/action.

Generally, I start by introducing the main characters through the inception of a secondary plot line, one which will have an effect on the plot but which isn't the core of it. Sometimes the events of the first scene directly cause the main plot, while other times the secondary plot affects the later character development. I feel this gives me the opportunity to develop the characters in a mid-tension, mid-paced manner before introducing the main plot, without rushing into anything but also without moving too slowly or, worst of all, info-dumping.

 

[Phin Scardaw]

Very often books or films begin with an action-sequence prologue to hook the readers/audience, then when the first chapter or main sequence begins, it starts from a more stable point before the main plot gets started. This is a very effective technique to both generate interest and to begin from a place where characters can be introduced. If a prologue exists that introduces mysterious or dangerous or intriguing elements, then the dull and mundane opening scene where the main characters are introduced takes on a new dimension, because the readers know that these characters will soon have to face dilemmas related to what was gleaned in the prologue.

Personally, I like to begin stories when the main characters are engaged in dramatic moments that kick off the plot. My characters are often proactive, not the sort who get thrown into adventures, but who go out seeking it - so it's easy to trace that back to the moment when they made the decision to do so. I find that's a great place to start because it can be anywhere. It can begin in someone's home, in a quiet town, but because the story begins with the decision to make a change, it is already compelling.

 

[Amanita]

Very often books or films begin with an action-sequence prologue to hook the readers/audience, then when the first chapter or main sequence begins, it starts from a more stable point before the main plot gets started.

That's the route I've taken now for my first draft. At the moment, it seems to work relatively well, when I start to edit, I'll reconsider if this really is the best for the story.
Thanks for all your answers so far, the different ideas might help others too.

 

[Philip Overby]

I can't really say what works best for my own stories, but I'm a sort of "show my characters through action" type of writer. Meaning I want them doing something at the beginning generally. Stories where characters are "waking up" or a "day in the life" as some others have mentioned, tend to set the tone and imply to me that the story is going to take a while to get going.

My personal preference when reading stories, especially fantasy, is to both simultaneously have the main character(s) introduced and also to get a sense of the world. If this is done in an interesting way, I don't really care so much how it's done. I can usually go with fantasy stories that just start throwing stuff at me as long as it's entertaining.

 

[Mindfire]

IMO, the key is to establish the status quo for a character, and then break that status quo. If your main character is a bandit, introduce them during a robbery. If your character is a wizard, introduce them doing some kind of magical research or ceremony. If your character is a noble warrior, introduce him chasing down the bandits! The reason the "wake up, shower, breakfast, dull day job" bit is so boring is not because it shows us the characters "mundane" life, but because it does so without giving us any interesting or informative information about the character. How much can you tell about a man by the way he brushes his teeth? Not much. Establish the character's "normal" life in a way that tells us about who they are. For a bandit, robbing people is an everyday occurrence. For a wizard, magic is part of his daily life. For a noble warrior type, he's probably caught so many thieves that he's bored of it now. But those things are still exciting to us, the reader, because we haven't experienced them. The catch is that after you introduce your character and show off how awesome they are, you introduce something that breaks the status quo and upsets their routine, something that incites conflict. Maybe the robbery goes bad, the magic backfires, or the robbers have gotten wise to the knight and set a trap for him. That's what kicks off the story.