For my second blog entry I want to discuss the problematic first scene/chapter in a novel. In my debut novel, 'Vexed to Nightmare', I have re-written/edited the first scene at least a dozen times. I have finally reached a point at which I am moderately satisfied with it, but it has been a long road.
For most of us writers, the first scene is probably the first we write. We have our story outline in mind, we have our characters' thoughts jostling alongside our own in our minds, and the first scene just pours out, as natural as can be, the spring from which the river soon flows. It isn't until we have written the end that we return to that first scene to see if it still works. And usually it doesn't.
First there is the probability that somewhere along the way the themes, ideas and tone of the novel shifted slightly from what we initially planned, meaning the first scene no longer quite fits.
Second there is the greater probability that we inadvertently filled the first scene with rather more information than the reader actually needs.
Both of these problems mean that the first scene needs at least a strong edit, at most a total rewrite. I have heard that some writers cut out the first two scenes completely, starting the story instead from the third scene and filtering in any essential info from those cut scenes into the later novel body. Such is the pointless clutter of the first scene in some cases.
However even if you are able to do this and still have a story beginning that makes sense and doesn't confuse/overwhelm the reader, you still then need to consider the third scene, now the first, as a FIRST scene.
What do I mean by this? Well a first scene, be it a whole chapter, a prologue, or a passage within a chapter, must of course do many things. The quantity of things the first scene is supposed to do is precisely the reason writing it is so daunting. We all know that if the first scene isn't right, we risk losing our readers or the agent who holds the future of our published career in his or her hands.
A first scene should grab and hold the reader's attention, which is far easier said than done. It should also introduce the main character/s, establish the direction of the plot and convey any major themes/concepts. It should set the tone of the book and the writing style as well as give an idea of the kind of settings of the book (e.g. a city or a small village). In other words, the first scene is almost a summary of the entire book minus the plot twists, which must absorb and rivet the reader whilst TELLING as little as possible.
When put that way, is it any wonder writing that first scene is so difficult? Despite all this, however, I find I enjoy writing the first scene as much as I enjoy writing the final climactic scenes. As impossible as perfection is to achieve, there is a pure kind of joy to presenting my beloved characters for the 'first' time again. For those few paragraphs or pages I can almost imagine myself as the reader discovering the story for the first time, and with that comes the old excitement again.
As thrilling as it is to write the big finales, the true magic of being a writer is in the imagining of our own worlds, in the act of creating stories and characters from the primordial ooze of our minds. When we first put those ideas to paper (or word file), we breathe life into our creation. And that is wonderful.
However I do not think that a reader experiences the first scene in the same way. A reader will usually read the first scene of a new book so quickly and offhandedly that all those salient details you the writer so devotedly and masterfully wove into the pages are at best unconsciously absorbed, at worse entirely overlooked. A reader, in my opinion, when reading a new book by a new author, will be more likely to notice things they don't like rather than things they do like.
So we come to the old dilemma. Do we write for ourselves or do we write for the imagined reader? The sad fact is that if you ever want people to buy your books, self published or traditionally published or otherwise distributed, you will have to consider the reader.
As much as you may love your seven paragraph long exposition of the social history of your wizard race, you must consider why you love it. You love it because it is your fictional history, and because it is part of the complex world you have been imagining for many months and years. A new reader does not have that established love of your story yet, so lengthy back-stories and explanations will likely be boring in the first scenes.
The aim of the book is, of course, to make your reader fall as much in love with your story as you are. Your first scene is only that first meeting of two strangers who go on the fall in love. There should be attraction, appeal, the promise of excitement, and hopefully nothing too off-putting.
So when writing your first scene make sure it is attractive to your reader. You already know your work is their type. They have it in their hands for a reason. The last thing you want to do is disappoint their expectations. To avoid that, you must anticipate their expectations, and exceed or subvert them.
If your book is an urban fantasy about vampires, as mine is, the reader will likely already know this when reading the first page. So carefully consider how you present your core ideas, characters, themes in that first scene. Whatever is unique or different about your world/characters/concepts MUST be demonstrated or at least hinted at in the first scene.
Having said all this I'm sure there are many successful novels that don't follow the rules of the first scene, but not following the rules is a risk a new author should take with extreme caution.
Once you're sure you have crammed in all that needs to be in that first scene, then comes the fine editing. Whilst all spelling and punctuation must of course be accurate, don't be tempted to alter grammar and language choices to such an extent that style is compromised.
I have read many first scenes that have obviously been so over edited that it reads as self-conscious. This is why it is a good idea to at least write the first scene first then make your revisions later, rather than to skip it entirely until the novel is finished. The first scene doesn't have to be too neat and concise or encompass everything the book has to offer. It just has to make leave the reader wanting more.
And there's an understatement if ever I wrote one.
For my next blog entry I will include an extract from the first scene of my upcoming novel, 'Vexed to Nightmare'.
I also intend to examine the first scene issue further with a series of posts analysing the first scenes of well known novels.
As always, you can follow me @H_Y_Malyk on Twitter
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