Hear, hear! A writer recently sent me her first chapter (under the usual condition on Flogging the Quill that I can use it in a post if I wish) and asked if the beginning was entertaining enough to get an agent or editor to request more material. The writing was pretty good, there was a trace of humor in the protagonist's narrative that I liked. . .but I suspect that my answer will be "No." The reason is something you point out: the narrative is burdened by exposition. Backstory. Lots of other character's names. Complexity. I grew weay of trying to sort many things out at a time when I should be being sucked in by STORY. A writer once called it "throat clearing."
In my view, a novel needs to start with something happening, a simple narrative of someone dealing with something or someone that threatens their well-being in some way.
Ray Rhamey
www.floggingthequill.com
www.vampirekittycat.com
I touted your opening as inspiration to someone nervous about starting a novel out with a sex scene yesterday, on Miss Snark's backblog... should probably have warned him/her not to be intimidated by how very high you'd set the authorial bar, however.
"Teacher"? Ms. Wineteer has a question. Just how crappy is a crappy first draft?
Are you asking about MINE? Right now I have characters whose names have changed four times throughout the course of the book, and someone who has changed race, gender, and nationality. Quite a trick!
and don't forget the book starting as a picture book as a frog.... xx
;-P My characters rarely give me such fits, it's that damned plot thing that I find troublesome....
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