The variety of authors so far has illuminated a paradox. Jane Roper "starts in the middle" whereas others have offered prologue sorts of first pages. Yet I found it took a long time to get to the heart of the first scene in Society of Shame. Though the endpoint of the scene was clear from the outset, the inciting incident unfolded slowly.
Interesting! Likely when you "start in the middle" or right at the II, it's best to have it unfold slowly in order to set the pacing for the rest of the book. Also, Jane deftly works in little sparks of backstory as the first scene is moving forward. I think it works as a great example of what publishers are usually look for in smart commercial books.
The variety of authors so far has illuminated a paradox. Jane Roper "starts in the middle" whereas others have offered prologue sorts of first pages. Yet I found it took a long time to get to the heart of the first scene in Society of Shame. Though the endpoint of the scene was clear from the outset, the inciting incident unfolded slowly.
Interesting! Likely when you "start in the middle" or right at the II, it's best to have it unfold slowly in order to set the pacing for the rest of the book. Also, Jane deftly works in little sparks of backstory as the first scene is moving forward. I think it works as a great example of what publishers are usually look for in smart commercial books.