The First Quarter Of The Book
Mixed Signals
“The first quarter of your book is set-up!” says writing advice A.
“You have to jump immediately into the action. Page 1 is already full gallop!” says writing advice B.
Who Is Right?
They’re both right! (whee, isn’t that fun?)
Explanation A
The first quarter of the book IS set-up.
It’s set-up for the world, set-up for the characters, set-up for the story.
Explanation B
It is not, however, stuff that happens before the story begins.
I realize that’s a little confusing, given the term “set-up” is generally used to mean “getting ready for” … but it’s still a good term.
You cannot cannot cannot spend that first 1/4 waiting or preparing for stuff to happen. You could, back in the day. You absolutely did, as a matter of fact. These days, though? That’s book death. You have to show me your world, character, and conflict on the FIRST PAGE. Hook me with the first line.
That’s a tall order, but it’s doable while still leaving the first quarter of the book as “set-up”.
Example
Let’s assume you’re writing a murder mystery book.
You don’t drop the reader in the MIDDLE of a murder investigation, right? But neither do you show us the sleuth making breakfast for 100 pages before someone dies.
The character has to make a decision in that first quarter of the book — the kind of decision that changes everything for them, and that once they’ve made it? There’s no way they can go back to Normalsville ever again.
They can’t make that decision on page 1, because the reader doesn’t know enough to care that they’re making it.
So, what do you do?
If you’re writing a murder mystery, you off someone quickfastandinahurry. First page, maybe. First chapter, almost certainly. You’re writing a murder mystery here. No need to be coy about the fact that someone dies. The reader already knows that. (Side note? I hate it when I read a book where the main character is supposed to be dropped into a magical world…and I’m more than a quarter into the story and NO MAGIC IN SIGHT. Is the writer thinking I’ll be pleasantly surprised when it happens? Because I bought the book FOR the magic. Stop with the dillydallying! *flails*)
The fact that someone died isn’t the story. The MYSTERY of the death is the story. So your sleuth is poking around, looking for more information … and by that 1/4 mark, the reader knows them, knows the other characters, cares about the MC and BLAMMO, now you show the MC making the decision that changes everything.
You’ve laid down the foundation for the plot (you haven’t waited till this point to give clues or add conflict, which should be in every chapter), but at the 1/4 mark, there is NO way this sleuth isn’t going to do everything in their power to find the killer. Maybe the killer kidnaps their kid or threatens their own life, or does something the MC considers unforgivable. That part’s up to the writer.
Set-Up
The first quarter of the book is set-up for that decision … not for the events of the story.
You’re setting up all the little bits and pieces in the reader’s mind that they need in order for that decision to matter.
Does that make sense?
14 Comments
Yes. Yes it does.
there are so many older books (even just 30 years old) with such a SLOW PACE. They are ‘classics,’ so I feel like I should read them to be more…. cultured as a sci-fi/fantasy fan. But the pacing is SOOOO SLOW. Even a book that I read in highschool and loved, I reread recently and it was hard to get through it because of the pacing. I love the fast pacing that is the current style! But it makes me wonder if future generations are just going to miss out on the older books. (Because let’s be honest, Lord of the Rings is an amazing trilogy, and the inspiration for many of today’s fantasy lit…. but that sucker is a hard read by today’s standards.)
Some of my favorite authors are … hard to read now. When I was younger, I was totally fine just meandering through random events with a character, only stumbling across anything resembling a plot about a quarter/halfway through.
That doesn’t work as well for me.
I can’t remember if I recommended Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind to you yet … it’s sort of a melding of old and new styles, but with a heavy hand towards the past. The plotting isn’t tight (pending the third book, which might tie up a lot of things) but the characterization and events are fun, and the writing style is very fresh.
Anne didn’t like it, Perry loved it, and I very much enjoyed it. ^_^
I’ve read the first two books! I like the style. At my initial reading, I wasn’t aware that it was going to be a trilogy. I thought the ending to the first book was CRAP. until I realized that there was going to be more. They do not do well as stand-alones. i’d even prefer a big more ‘closure’ for each book. But the magic and characters are enchanting enough that I’ll def. be reading the third one when it comes out.
As a bonus, he swears up and down book 3 is the last one. I’m not sure I buy that — so many loose ends!
I have a theory about how it’s going to end…
When I first brought it up with my friend, he looked at me completely horrified and punched me in the arm.
All he would say was, “SHUT up.” if I ever tried to bring it up again >.>
I have a worry about how it’s going to end. All the Denna stuff is my least favorite, and it seems obvious that it’s going to be a tragic train wreck. I worry.
Is everyone aware that you can purchase talent pipes?
http://www.badalijewelry.com/kingkiller.htm
This company makes lots of licensed fantasy jewelry (LotR, Elantris, mistborn, Wheel of Time). Based on the quality of my Aes Sedai ring, they do good work!
Oooh, nice!
I really enjoyed the Rothfuss books and look forward to the third (I hope it’s the last only because I hate waiting!) I read the criticism and have to agree with much of it. But all things considered, I really enjoyed reading it, so that makes it a good book to me!
RE: Tolkien; my son is reading The Hobbit, which is much easier to read, and wants to read Lord of the Rings, but I’m not sure he’ll stick to it. I remember dreading the slooooooow beginning a couple years ago when I re-read it.
I felt the same way, Bill! I can’t disagree with most of the criticisms, but I enjoyed it. =] Sometimes, that’s all that really mattters. ^_^
I couldn’t even get into the Hobbit, so kudos to your son. (Who? Me? Impatient? Never.)
Oh gosh, I DEVOURED the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Just ate it up. Couldn’t get enough. I think it was actually some of the earliest fantasy I read. Remembering those wonderful times, I picked it up a couple years ago to reread and didn’t make it past Tom Bombadil! The pace is just glacial.
I remember that a friend of mine had complained about the pacing and said that she would skip huge passages of description. I replied that I had no idea what she was talking about. But oh boy, that reread…
*rueful laugh* Ah, it’s horrid to have your childhood illusions shattered, isn’t it? I always remind myself that I LOVED the book, even if it’s not as good to adult-me as it was to kid-me. It still deserves love.
Oh, of course. I’m still planning on giving it another shot (albeit with a healthy dose of skimming), but probably not during the year when I have so many other things to distract me :)
Interestingly, to cleanse my palate (so embarrassing, I had to look that up in a dictionary to spell it right. It kept coming out looking wrong XD) after Orphans, I’ve been going through an old series that I loved when I was a kid.
I am most 100% definitely seeing the differences in pacing between fantasy back then and fantasy now.