The Call to Adventure
The first few pages of an author’s novel are crucial. Once the novel is published, readers will judge whether they’re interested in reading the story based on the first few pages, even the first paragraph. If authors don’t get this right, their novel is unlikely to sell to readers. And even if it does sell, readers who lose interest at the start are unlikely to finish it or to buy the author’s next book. Both of those outcomes are bad news for authors.
Before that, if an author is interested in seeking a literary agent and pursuing traditional publication, the first few pages must grab an agent’s attention. Authors have a very limited opportunity for this—perhaps even less than one minute of the agent’s time.
And before that, getting the opening right helps set the author up for success: the rest of the story will work better if the author has set it up effectively. They’ll struggle less with revision.
And that’s where we come in. We can help an author who is struggling to set up a story get it right and we can help an author with a weak story opener make it stronger and more engaging to readers.
Story Structure 101
Understanding how to help an author create a strong opener requires some understanding of how story structure works. All novels (and, really, all stories) have:
- a conflict
- rising action
- a resolution
We might call these the beginning, middle, and end if we want to keep it simple.
Key Elements of Story Structure
Each element contains certain key ingredients:
- “a conflict” = the setup, which includes an introduction of the story problem and/or main challenge, and the catalyst (motivation) that forces the/a main character, usually the protagonist, to act. Typically the protagonist conceives a story goal during the setup: to find the lost civilization, to steal the money, to get revenge.
- “rising action” = a series of plot events (sometimes called crises) that build tension. These plot events constitute challenges to the protagonist reaching their story goal.
- “the resolution” = the end; the climax where story events reach their highest crescendo. This can include, but doesn’t have to, the black moment where all is lost and the protagonist despairs. It’s where the character is ultimately tested and makes a pivotal decision about who they’re going to be.
Sometimes an author will structure a story so that these elements are shown out of order. For example, an author might begin with the resolution (Maurice dead on the floor), and then lead the reader through the conflict and action that have driven the story to that resolution:
- resolution
- conflict
- rising action
Or, an author might begin in the middle of the rising action (often called in medias res): The reader is dumped into a scene that is already unfolding. Then the conflict that has led to this action is shown. So, our previous elements are rearranged:
- rising action
- conflict
- resolution
Similarly, an author might start with rising action, circle back to the introduction of the conflict, continue with the rising action, then reach the resolution. That would look like:
- rising action
- conflict
- rising action
- resolution
Structure and Story Openers
Understanding what type of structure the author is using helps ensure that you edit the opener effectively. If the story begins with the resolution, you would be less concerned with the author establishing the protagonist’s story goal and more concerned with ensuring the opener piques the reader’s interest in order to keep them turning pages to find out why Maurice is dead on the floor.
Though as I’ve said a story can be told out of order, for the most part, stories are told in chronological order: Event A happens and as a result Event B happens and we see the events unfold in basically the order they happen.
An author who chooses a different structure should have a good reason for that choice, such as the story being more compelling if told out of order. This is important because one of the most common issues we’ll see in developing fiction is a manuscript that starts in the wrong place.
Starting the Story in the Right Place
Consider, for example, a story about why Natalie ran away from home. If that’s the story question—why did Natalie run away from home?—then it might make sense to start with her sneaking out of the house. Then, the events that led to this resolution could be presented.
Similarly, a thriller writer might begin with the falsely accused protagonist on the run from the FBI and then work back to what caused him to go on the run and then forward to the resolution of finding the person who set him up.
In these cases, the questions raised by the opening of the story (Why did Natalie run away? Why is the protagonist on the run?) are enough to keep readers turning the pages to find out. But if the author were to start earlier (such as with Natalie doing badly on a test, and listening to her parents having an argument), readers might not be so interested, as they have no idea why these plot events are relevant to the story.
Story structure can be flexible, and understanding this can help you make appropriate recommendations when an author’s story opener isn’t working.
