Here at the start of the new year, it seemed fitting to look at Story Beginnings. Where should your story start? What is the exact moment that captures the essence of your beginning?
If you’re like me, finding that moment is an immense struggle. With each revision of my manuscript, I’d start the story at a different place, just to see what it did. Nothing really felt right. Some spots seemed to work better than others, and eventually I’d narrow it down to a good place, but I was never completely comfortable with my process, not to mention the time and effort it all took.
“How do you know where to start?” I’d ask my writer friends in exasperation.
“Start in the action,” they’d say. Or, “Begin when your main character is poised at the brink of change.”
I tried those things. Again and again.
Overall, that’s good advice, but I needed more. It wasn’t until I started deeply studying motive that I realized what that ‘more’ was.
Why Motive?
Everything your character does is driven by their layered motives. The reason we have a story to tell in the first place is because something shifts, forcing your main character to act on those deeply held beliefs and needs.
Starting your story in the action is interesting, yes. Starting when they are poised on the brink of change is often emotionally charged, yes. But the best place to start your story is at the point of motivational action. Providing connections to your protagonist’s motivation is the best way to hook a reader.
Once I stumbled upon the concept of starting in the motivational action, my understanding of where to begin my protagonist’s story slid into place much better.
I made this short video explaining the concept of starting in the motivational action. You’ll learn:
- What’s good, and what’s not so good about story beginning theories out there
- How to pull all the good elements from them, and mix them with motive
- How to understand when you’ve got it right
Click here to watch the video Starting in the Motivational Action.
Analyzing your manuscript
So often we feel the need to dive right into the plot and characterization, but we forget about motive. In reality, the best way to connect quickly with your readers is to start your story at the point of motivational action.
If you already have a competed manuscript, there’s a good way to analyze what you’ve got and determine if your beginning is strong.
- First, identify your Earth Shaking Event. This is the scene less than a quarter way through the manuscript where your main character’s world is suddenly shifted and they are forced to start down a new path. Their choice to start this path is driven by motive.
- Look at what happens before this point. There should be plenty of time for the reader to be well grounded in your protagonist’s normal world before the shift, so they’ll connect when the shift happens.
- Your very first chapter, the story beginning, should be a scene of action with strong characterization and setting. What is also needs is a hint of motive. A clear hint. In the Earth Shaking Event your character makes a choice based deeply in their Think Need (the need they think they have. For more on layers of motive see this video and this blog post). Your very first chapter must also include a hint of that Think Need. What happens here will be a motivational precursor to the big shift to come.
Here’s a downloadable PDF Story Beginning Worksheet that will walk you through how to analyze your draft’s beginning to make sure you have a good balance of all the elements needed to hook. It will help you identify any gaps or gaping holes so you can tighten and streamline and find the perfect point of beginning for your protagonist’s story.
Story beginnings are vital to get noticed in terms of an offer for publication. But they’re even more vital to keep the book in the hands of your readers, and not back on the shelf. Starting your story in the motivational action will build a strong connection that carries through the whole book.