1 Great Place to Start the Book

There is a famous song from “The Sound of Music” in which the first line says, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”

That might be true, but as a ghostwriter I can tell you how wrong it is to start a book there.

I once had a client who suffered a great trauma that set her story in motion: the death of her mother. In the story’s context, it was traumatic, and it’s likely that if her mother had not died then, she would not have married a psychopath who stole money, setting in motion a series of unfortunate events that led to her severe PTSD, fighting the state of Arizona, and getting the law changed.

She wanted to start the book there, which made sense to her because, as a non-writer, stories begin at the beginning. As Susan DeFreitas wrote, “After all, we could all start with The Thing That Sets the Plot into Motion, right? That is always actually possible, in the most basic sense: we could start with the car crash, the aliens landing on the front lawn, the mysterious letter arriving in the mail, or what have you. But published novels that actually do so are rare.”

This is known as “Gearing Up for the Story,” in the words of Jennie Nash in The Book Designer blog. “They spend pages and pages gearing up for the story—warming up to it, laying the groundwork for it, telling us all the things we need to know in order to understand it, and by the time they start actually telling their tale, they have lost us.”

So where do you start? There is a Latin term: in medias res. In the middle.

“Ay,” Hamlet said, “there’s the rub.” Where in the middle?

It’s a fair question. In my example, there were several possibilities: when she found out her husband had a mistress, when she got the $1.4 million judgment overturned, when she got the law changed, when the state first served her with papers.

For each option, there are reasons to consider and ultimately not start there.

MISTRESS OPTION

Why consider it: According to writing coach C.S. Lakin, there are seven elements that need to appear on the first page. One is an inciting incident or moment of conflict, and this certainly applies. Also, Lakin recommends a sympathetic introduction of the protagonist. I’d say finding out her husband is a cheater and liar is very sympathetic.

Reedsy Studio suggests beginning with a compelling image, and this would fit. The protagonist finds a phone number, calls it, and learns that her husband isn’t in Texas but is in nearby Mesa with the woman on the line.

Why pass: First, it’s a cliche. Second, as Becca Puglisi wrote on Writers Helping Writers, the audience needs to see the protagonist in a normal, humdrum setting. Discovering adultery is not normal and definitely not humdrum. Without knowing where the story takes place, we have no context to understand the significance of the adultery.

Third, in this woman’s story, discovering her husband cheated is not the main inciting incident.

JUDGMENT OVERTURNED OPTION

Why consider it: This fits Lakin’s suggestion that the reader get a sympathetic introduction to the protagonist. A victory surely will make the reader happy and want to read how this woman reached this point. Lakin also suggests that the opening hint at the protagonist’s goals, intentions, or needs. This victory certainly does’t hint: It states it.

Why pass: It’s not the end of the story, nor is it her greatest victory. The reader might wonder why start here if there are more important events. Plus, it’s kind of boring and not relatable. Most readers never find themselves having to owe and then suddenly not owe $1.4 million.

Nash said the reader needs to know what we stand to gain from reading the book. Getting a judgment overturned does not answer that question.

LAW CHANGED OPTION

Why consider it: Lakin’s seventh and final suggested element is introducing the plot goal. This is one of them: Change the law so nobody can ever suffer the way this woman did. It’s also a compelling image that provides a nice unexpected twist (most people would be satisfied just getting out from under a $1.4 million judgment; she went one step further). Plus, it’s her greatest victory and the one in which publishers’ mouths dropped when I pitched it. They became curious and asked the question, How did she get there?

Why pass: Had we started here, we would have been starting at the end, which is a cliche. Not only that, but the ending didn’t provide enough context of the protagonist’s normal life. The inciting image had long passed. And getting the law changed was not the main problem in her life.

GETTING SERVED OPTION

Why I chose it: The story opens on a normal day. The protagonist answers the door and sees a man serving her with papers alleging she owed $1.4 million that her now-divorced husband stole from investors. She is confused and consults an attorney friend from out of state.

We are introduced to the protagonist: a simple, trusting woman who has been cheated on and stricken with PTSD as a result but is healing. This is her normal world now, yet being served creates tension that has room to grow. This is the inciting incident. 

There is a nod to the setting: suburban Arizona; and a hint at the goals, intentions, and needs she’s going to have. Finally, in the story’s chronology, it’s in medias res. It’s also where Tanya Hall, Greenleaf Book Group’s publisher, suggested we start.

By no means is getting served the only place I could have started the book, and readers might find other options preferable. The point is there can be several places to begin a book. Just make sure you pick one that will benefit the readers.

Feel free to read and check out my other posts related to ghostwriting. Go to leebarnathan.com/blog.