A good beginning is important because if I am not interested in what I'm reading, I wouldn't continue. Of course, it's all about personal preference because what one reader dislike, another will like. And I'm not saying I wouldn't read a book with these beginnings but I don't like them all that much. Here are a few book beginnings that I dislike.
01 - When a character wakes up and shows us how their morning or day routine with a bit of backstory — Unless they get eaten by a dinosaur about a quarter-way through or something, I would find this beginning a bit boring. So yes, a main character's life can be interesting but if that's all there is, I guess I got too short attention span to enjoy such a beginning.
02 - A dream sequence — Any dream, no matter how exciting, is still a dream and so it wouldn't really be the story even if it show the fears/aspirations of the main character. Also, I find this way of starting a book as some type of fake out by making the reader think one thing and then boom, it's all a dream. Who likes that?
03 - World building right from the start — Much like #1 but with more focus on the setting and how that world works. As much as I like to know about a world, I wouldn't want to read a whole bunch of info dump right from the start.
04 - Start with an exciting event from a character's point of view whom we will not hear from again — To be clear, we do hear from this character again but not in the same way. This character is more of an ignitor, someone involved in a single event which impacted the story or is the story. For example: We get to witness a character's murder but that character is never heard of again aside from that he had been murdered and his murder is the start of the story or is the story.
I was often disappointed to have read such a good start but the rest of the book was often dull. And sometimes this beginning makes the reader get attached to the character but the character is not in the story which is disappointing. So maybe not all books with this beginning have a dull story but I haven't read one that wasn't.
05 - Start with a future scene — This one I had read so many times that I'm beginning to find this annoying. A future scene and then start the story some hours/days/weeks/months/years before that scene. I see this as an editing kind of beginning because this is used a lot in television shows which works fine because it usually takes half an hour or an hour to get back to that scene but in book form, it either takes 200 or more pages or it takes the entire book which if you calculate reading time, it could be 7 or more hours. Who has the patience for that? And besides that, this future scene can be confusing sometimes because it has no end or beginning. But I'm not saying I wouldn't read a book with this beginning, I just wish readers didn't have to read so much to get back to this future scene.
How about you? What book beginnings do you dislike? Or are you a reader who can enjoy all book beginnings?
I'm okay with any subject-matter for an opening scene, provided that the book has a great opening line that immediately grabs my attention and interest. Yesterday I binge-watched season 2 of "Good Omens" and a certain book was a recurring note in it -- "The Crow Road" (1992) by Iain Banks, with the terrific opening line "It was the day my grandmother exploded." Now I want to read that book!
ReplyDeleteDebra: That Crow Road beginning really grabs one's attention, a great opening.
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So long as it captures my interest, I am fine with a range of beginnings. Interest has to be captured (and maintained) though.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child: Yes, interest has to be captured and maintained. I have read a lot of great beginnings that spiraled downward and loose my interest.
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I don't like #1 for openings for sure. Taking me throughout a character's day has always struck me as a bit cheesy.
ReplyDeletePaperbackprincess: I think some of those beginnings are a bit cheesy but some people like them.
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I agree with #1 and #3, I prefer slowly learning about the world rather than having all the information about the world thrown at me from the start.
ReplyDelete-Quinley
Quinley: I think sometimes there's an overload of information right from the start. Plus, the reader can't always remember what they read so information bit by bit is better.
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"Unless they get eaten by a dinosaur about a quarter-way through or something, I would find this beginning a bit boring."
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I wouldn't say I actively dislike any of them (except N°1 maybe), but you're right about the "future scene"...it definitely works better on TV/movies.
Roberta R.: Of course when the main character gets eaten by a dinosaur, someone would come and save them before they die or else no story.
DeleteAbout future scenes - works really well in tv and movies but I don't like them all that much in either books or tv or movies - it always seem more like a preview than anything else.
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