How much action is too much?
Writing action in a story isn’t always easy.
At least not for me. Because I’m currently struggling with this very thing. The first couple of chapters have to be right or I can’t move on. I go back and forth trying to get that balance just right.
Writing the balance between action and story in those first few chapters is crucial to hooking a reader. Too much action and I risk exhaustion, too little and I may bore the reader to death.
So where does a story really begin?
I recently read a great article about starting at the true beginning of a story.
“When you are looking for your story’s true beginning, look for the first event that changed your character’s path.” M.L. Keller
Ms. Keller reminds us that we need to connect dots with a change to move our story forward.
Great advice for this writer.
So, seems I need to find the catalyst that changed things for my protagonist and start there. Link events with other changes to propel the story forward. Hmmm. This may be doable.
After I read her article a couple more times or maybe six, maybe I’ll get it. LOL
Click on the link to Ms. Keller’s post below and see what you think.
Opening Action: how to make it work By
Are her tips helpful to find the true beginning of your story?
Do you think it’s important to write action in the beginning?
Are you guilty of writing too much backstory too soon?
Got any tips for writing a terrific first chapter?
Please share your thoughts!
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Jean's Writing 
Thanks some really useful tips. I will have to re-read this article when I finish my current re-write and start again at the beginning.
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Thanks Eric, good luck with your re-write.
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Thanks, this is my fifth or possibly sixth one, I’ve lost count.
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Reblogged this on Anna Dobritt — Author.
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from Jean’s Writing blog on writing the best opening scene
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Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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Good post. That opening has to be good to grip our readers. But too much action can kill the story before it begins.
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Right. And the opening has to be good enough to grip the writer to keep writing. 🙂
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Never thought of it in that way. Great reply. Have a good one.
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You too. 🙂
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Openings are always tough. Have I given the reader enough background about the character? Have I given too much? Does the action come on too strong? Not strong enough?
It’s probably the part of the book I rewrite the most. And probably the part that ages me the most. 😄
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Me too. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewritten my current WIP. I’d be embarrassed.
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Jean, I certainly think your advice is sound, pinpointing the first event that changed the protagonist’s life as a way to begin. However, one of my memoir’s beta readers suggested I start with a climactic event near the end of my story (reveal just a part of the chapter) and then use the conclusion of this opening story as a “bookend” near the end of the book as a way to improve the narrative arc.
Overall, I don’t think there is one right way to have a story unfold. Writers must adapt to the “shape” of the story, if that makes sense.
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Book-ending is one of my favorite writing tools. But I do struggle with getting the beginning just right.
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The first sentence, I find, is always the hardest part because even if you know what you’re going to say, you always have to make sure that it is coherent with the rest of the words in the chapter. The best way to do it, is to have it in mind before you start the story because even if you don’t know what is going t follow on from it, it can give you some idea of what direction you want at least the first chapter to go in.
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True. But even if I know what I want to say, I often don’t know how I want to say it. LOL
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