Recently when trying to organise the folders on my computer (a never ending task…) I found my first draft of the book that went on to become How to Destroy Your Husband.
Under the title ‘No Smoke Without Fire’, the first iteration started with a very sassy Cassie. She had a history of carrying out small acts of revenge to those who had wronged her. So, as the book goes, when she finds out her fiancé is cheating on her, I had visions of Cassie (figuratively) setting Jamie’s world alight.
The way I initially tackled this theme of fiery revenge was through cigarettes. Below is a screenshot of the draft’s opening which, if you’ve read How to Destroy Your Husband, you can see is VERY different to the published version.
So, why did I change it?
I’ll preface the rest of this piece by saying that the start of a book brings with it a lot of pressure. When you’re pitching to get published, you’re told that if agents or publishers aren’t hooked by the first page, they don’t read on. Sometimes that advice says they have to be hooked by the first sentence. As a reader myself, I know that if a story feels slow to start, I’m not too enthused to read on.
So when approaching a novel, I now ask myself ‘where is the most interesting place to start?’
In my opinion, this draft of HTDYH didn’t start at an interesting point. It started by characterising Cassie, showing her familial history, hinting at experiences that shaped her, and suggesting she had a sharp wit. But the more I sat with her character, those traits and experiences morphed. Some softened, some grew and some disappeared altogether. So much so that this intro doesn’t ring true to the character she became.
In the published version, the book starts at the end. Literally - the chapter is titled ‘The End’. It begins on Cassie’s wedding day, with Jamie’s hand wrapped around her throat and Cassie asking herself, ‘How did we end up here?’
Different to the first draft indeed!
While starting with characterisation might work best for some types of fiction, for me when writing thrillers I want to throw the reader in at the deep end. Hit them with an incident, a question, a moment of fear. Essentially, grab them enough so they read on.
So, for anyone wondering where to start their book, these are the questions I now ask myself when writing:
Where would the most interesting place to start this be? It doesn’t always have to be the beginning. It can be the end, a flashback, in the middle of a conversation, at the height of the drama. Playing with expectations of where a story should start is a great way to keep people interested and have fun when writing.
What would a reader expect from a book in this genre? The first chapter of a romance book is usually different to a thriller, for example. Read widely within your genre to spot trends and themes on where the books begin.
Am I starting at a point of action or observation? Generally, a book starts with a narrative hook and action is a great way to craft that. It could be an incident like a character being followed, a breakup, the discovery of a body or the arrival of aliens on earth. Whatever the start, action grabs attention. Of course, some books do the opposite and start through a more observational lens, but arguably for genres like crime fiction you need to start the book with a bang. Decide your starting point framing, keeping it in line with your genre, and go!
Who has the most interesting perspective to start the book from? Who is telling the story is another great way to explore interesting starting points. For example, my novel Lucky Number 11 is primarily told through the viewpoint of my protagonist, but the book starts with a chapter from the killer’s perspective. This set the tone of the book and made the reader know more than the characters about the danger they were in.
As the writer, is this an enjoyable place for me to begin? Writing is hard. You have to motivate yourself on the days you don’t feel like writing and work through all the times things don’t feel like what you’re putting down is working. So, if you start from a point in the story you love, hopefully that will push your enthusiasm for the project on. Even in the times when it seems like everything you’ve written is rubbish!
As always with any advice-based post, these are simply the ideas that work for me as the author of it. While they might not work for you, I hope they shine a different light on ways to approach telling your story.
If you’ve any advice you’d like to add, I would love to hear it! Comment below with your ideas.
Love,
Jess x
Wow, yes your two openings were very different! Haha. Both sound fabulous though. I must say I’m struggling with the start of my ya novel. In the editing phase and just can’t quite get the start right. It’s been doing my head in!
The beginning to HTDYH was sensational and groundbreaking. I have never seen that done before. That opening image turns assumptions and expectations on their head. A real show stopper. Also, I love a story frame where things come full circle.