For those who've cut their first three chapters

[Mud Dauber]

I've often heard it said that in revision most writers find they can cut out their first three chapters (or first two... whatever:rolleyes:...) to get right to the action, and their story will be better for it. Question, though: For those who have done it, did you then have to incorporate backstory into the subsequent chapters? Or did you find that you were able to cut, then carry on and take your story from there, never looking back? I'm just curious b/c I'm reevaluating my beginning, and I think--just as the experts advise--I can easily cut to my third chapter as an opener, but then I feel like I'll have some 'splainin to do. What has worked for you? Have you ever cut and then regretted? Just curious.

[AnnieColleen]

I haven't yet, but I'm betting I'll have to. Ask me in a few months!

(For my story, there's probably not much there I'll have to work in, though there are some scenes I may keep. There is some backstory/character development that isn't anywhere at present that I may have to work in. I'll see when I get to that point.)

[Legionsynch]

I think it depends on the type of story you're telling. I've found that sometimes, my initial chapters aren't even as strong as anything else, because I've gotten more 'into' the story later on, and rewritten them completely. I've also cut out a lot, and integrated it later - scenes that aren't necessarily time specific into later chapters where they might fit better, or even just elaborating on future scenes with things that have come before.

[Devil Ledbetter]

I don't know if I'll regret it yet, but I cut most of my first three chapters and will probably hack more before I finish this second draft. I don't find it's caused me to do any backstory dumping. Sometimes I find I've wasted half a scene conveying something that's better accomplished elsewhere with a tidy brushstroke or two.

My motto is, when in doubt, chuck it out.

[TsukiRyoko]

I've had two different experiences- once, I could cut the first two chapters out without looking back, and the second time I had to weasel them in at a later time. I guess it depends on the story, and your writing capabilities.

[scribbler1382]

Three chapters?! Aye Carumba! I frequently find I need to cut several 'graphs and as much as a scene from the start, but three chapters seems...painful.

With all the posts lately about backstory, I'm starting to think we need to rename it. From now on, I'm going to call it Prestory, as in what happened before the story (which is where most of it should stay). VERY little of this needs to be explicitly incorporated into the narrative, though as a writer you should definitely be aware of it. IMO, of course.
:Soapbox:

[maestrowork]

Three chapters? Amateurs. :)

I cut 7 chapters. Not that they weren't "in action" already, but they were the wrong starting point. I did lose some really good stuff, especially characterization of the two main characters and their relationship (maybe I will make them available in the future as "author's cut" once I become famous. HA!).

I don't regret writing those chapters AT ALL. Although my readers don't get to read them, they helped me "get to know" my own characters and develop a really nice relationship between them. I think my opening chapter in the final version speaks true to the character just because I spent so much time developing them in the cut "back story" and my readers can feel that. Sometimes I do wish my readers could have read what I wrote -- two of my betas who have read both versions told me they really missed the development in the beginning and appreciated the extra "insight," which was "nice." But "nice" doesn't a story make. It was the right decision to cut.

Yes, I had to put back a bit of back story just to make sense. My ending wouldn't have made sense at all if I hadn't put back something about my main characters and their relationship. But I found that just a little bit goes a long way; thus, it convinced me that the 7-chapter cut was necessary and a good thing. I was able to cut and paste a few nice passages back to the main story.

[scribbler1382]

Yikes. How many words/percent of the whole was that, Ray? I'm getting scared over here. :D

[Shadow_Ferret]

I have never cut any chapters from the beginning. I almost always START with the action. Heck if I didn't, I'd be bored!

OK, in my currently subbing novel I had to add a chapter at the beginning, but I didn't cut anything like you speak of.

[maestrowork]

Yikes. How many words/percent of the whole was that, Ray? I'm getting scared over here. :D

15,000 words out of a 95,000-word first draft. My final version is about 75,000 words.


I have never cut any chapters from the beginning. I almost always START with the action. Heck if I didn't, I'd be bored!

It's not about action or getting bored. I started the novel with action and a REAL story, too. It just was not the right starting point. It's like a movie with a 30-minute "set up" about characters and backgrounds, etc. It's still interesting, but the "story" doesn't really start until the 3rd reel. With fiction, I learned that you really should start your main story as early as possible.

In hindsight, I could probably have salvaged 3 chapters out of the cut ones, rearranged them, and still made the main story begin sooner, but I decided the easiest way was just to cut the whole thing. I sacrificed a bit of characterization in the beginning, but the final draft was much tighter and relevant.

[Joe270]

I cut out most of my first twelve chapters. Now it's condensed into four chapters.

Problem is, I cut out too much action and resorted to "telling". Now I'm rewriting to make it flow better. I'm still cutting. I think I've finally figured a way to make the character points and background needed in an interesting fashion.

Maybe I don't need so much backstory, but without it I don't think reader can understand what is happening. Once the action starts, it doesn't let up.

I dunno, might need to cut more.

[herdon]

This is the first I've heard of cutting the first three chapters. I'm not sure if I have ever even cut a single chapter, though I did completely rewrite a book so in a way I cut every chapter in that one ;) Usually I end up adding chapters rather than cutting them.

[Joe270]

I have a theory . . . that no one wants to hear.

Some of us write like Melvile (Me) and we want to lay extensive groundwork for the telling of a fabulous tale. No one today has the patience for that kind of writing.

Some of us write a keen, edge of your seat, seat of your pants go get it from the onset, without much substance.

Some of us find the middle ground and make a sale. Good on ya, mates.

[Oddsocks]

I wrote four chapters, then cut chapters 2-4, and started chapter 2 at what would otherwise have been chapter 5. I needed chapter one for the plot, but I realised I didn't really need the other parts. I had to modify the plan a little bit - I had to redo one character introduction at a different point in time, and there will be a bit of background that will need working in again. I think the amount of modification you'll need to do depends entirely on how much you explained and how much happened in your original first three chapters.

Question: Is it bad to have done this in the writing of the first draft?

[Joe270]

Odd, answer to your question is absolutely not. First drafts get it down on paper so you can rewrite. That's the best part to writing, the gravy that keeps us going, IMHO.

Write it down, then perfect it.

[Elodie-Caroline]

Chapters 2 and 3 of my work are probably two of the chapters that my readers would like the most, theres plenty of conflict and a good sprinkling of humour in them.


Elodie

[David I]

Out of five novels, I have cut one--1, uno, one--opening chapter--and I think that might have been a mistake; it probably ought to be added back in. Every other book (including the one [#4] finally being published) starts with the precise words I wrote on the day I began the novel. Agents and editors love my openings (and have sometimes expressed disappointment in where it went from there. (http://davidisaak.blogspot.com/2007/04/slash-and-burn-novel-writing.html) Sad but true.)

But I sit around trembling and gnawing on my knuckles for ages before I write that first chapter. I seldom start until I am certain I am in the right place--or more precisely, until I can't resist writing it down. Bestselling novelist John Lescroart claimed to spend about 9 months of the year chewing over the idea of the book, and then maybe 3 months writing the damn thing. I'm not that extreme, but I understand.

It's just how I happen to work. Philip Roth, on the other hand, claims to write hundreds of pages before he finds a sentence or paragraph that is the opening of a novel. I think Phil does a pretty good job.

I think we're all doing the same thing, but in different ways. Some of us thrash and agonize on paper, some of us thrash and agonize in our heads, some of us lay down a lot of preliminaries to find out true opening, and some of us squirm internally until we know we've got it right. (It's probably healthier, ulcerwise, to put it down on paper and then throw away what doesn't belong. Since I was born in California, it would probably also be healthier for me if I had more melanin in my skin cells. Tough. DNA is DNA.)

The unspeakably cool thing about writing is that it doesn't matter how you get there. Only the end product matters. There is no such thing as slow warm-up or premature ejaculation. All that happens offstage.

Some people write draft after draft. The late, lamented Kurt Vonnegut wrote each page over and over before moving on, but didn't redraft the book as a whole.

Whatever works, works. Don't sweat it. It's about the book, not the manuscript.

[Bartholomew]

Hmm...

Chapter 1's first line:

I opened my eyes and stared up into the nostrils of a camel.

Chapter 4's first line:

"Say what?"

...

Yeah, not so much.

[Prawn]

With my first novel, I realized the interesting part of the story didn't start until about fifty pages in. I rewrote a new chapter one, which is great, but chapters two and three need serious work to fit in. If they don't fit in, they're out. I started with action from page one. The novel could probably be understood with only about ten pages out of the first fifty, which is where I might end up.

I have run the rest of my MS past 8 Betas, and the comments they had after the first fifty pages were minor. The rest of the book is solid, but those first fifty are keeping me from submitting. Especially when a successful query is likely to mean a request for those critical first fifty pages.

[Julie Worth]

I excepted the first four chapters of a book, rewriting it as a short story that I submitted to the New Yorker. It was so much improved that I used it as the opening of the book. End result: I deleted the first two chapters, incorporating about a third of the material in later chapters.

[jonereb]

Mud Dauber, I'm on the 2nd draft of my YA Paranormal right now. After posting chapter 1 on Share Your Work, I was advised to cut parts of the chapter, too much back story. I'm taking that advice to heart. At least one paragraph in this "back story" is vital, so I've tucked it neatly into chapter two. I've also changed my male main character to make the reader sympathetic to him. I've hardened the female main character, essentially making her more of a bitch. My characters were too plain, non-descript. So essentially, I'm trying to get to the action quicker and fine tuning my characters. But to answer your questions, most of the back story I've omitted so far will be left on the cutting room floor. Non-essential.

[swvaughn]

Every time I read a thread like this, I realize what a chaotic and lawless endeavor writing is. Rules? There are no rules. Nothing should ever work in this business, but it does. Writing truly is magic.

Anyway -- cutting chapters at the beginning. I've done it to nearly every novel so far except the most recent one. But, with that one I had a false start. I've found that I have a hard time pinning down the right character, story, or point in time that is the start, so I often have to write a bunch of stuff before I find "the beginning."

I've not yet regretted what I've cut -- though I have fought tooth and nail not to do it. But it always turns out better.

[Judg]

I will be cutting several chapters from the beginning. Some of them were foolish attempts to show, not tell (not necessarily good for backstory). Some have become irrelevant as the story developed in a different direction. Some might be salvageable in the unlikely event I write a prequel. I haven't counted, but I think about 5 or 6 will have to go, and a new opening chapter will probably have to be written. Oh well, you live and learn. Hopefully next time I'll spend a little less time mucking around. On the other hand, the practice certainly didn't hurt me, and getting to know the characters and the world didn't either. There's just no need for the readers to go through the whole process in that form.

[veinglory]

For King of Dragons I deleted the whole first chapter to the tune of about 4000 words. I reintroduced one crucual element of backstory with two sentences in the last chapter.

[ClaudiaGray]

I think the more you write, the less "throat-clearing" you do; I know I used to be guilty of overlong beginnings, but at this point I feel like I generally start where I need to.

That said, I completely rewrote the first two chapters of my book recently -- I mean, top-to-bottom redraft. They were a lot better and tighter, but I still needed that time and those events to get the story rolling.

Like most "rules" regarding writing, this is something you may well find helpful but should not consider absolutely necessary.

[Mud Dauber]

Wonderful input from everyone. Thanks!:) I've been reading Noah Lukeman's The First Five Pages and it really got me to thinking about the impact of, well duh! my first five pages (and then some)!;) Interesting to hear everyone else's experience.

[Amiton]

I've often heard it said that in revision most writers find they can cut out their first three chapters (or first two... whatever:rolleyes:...) to get right to the action, and their story will be better for it. Question, though: For those who have done it, did you then have to incorporate backstory into the subsequent chapters? Or did you find that you were able to cut, then carry on and take your story from there, never looking back? I'm just curious b/c I'm reevaluating my beginning, and I think--just as the experts advise--I can easily cut to my third chapter as an opener, but then I feel like I'll have some 'splainin to do. What has worked for you? Have you ever cut and then regretted? Just curious.

The short answer for me is no. The long answer is the reason the short answer can actually be no.

When I finished the novel, I was really excited and I thought the story was pretty tight in terms of flow. The edits that I had planned were typographical and grammatical for the most part. Then I set it aside and read it again a while later. I saw several elements that needed work, and I worked them. I also saw an issue that had to do with dream sequences, and having read all of the bad press about them around here I panicked and cut them out entirely. That clipped the bejeezus out of my opening. And my betas said it helped tremendously. Then another beta gave me some feedback that resulted in deeper cuts to the beginning in order to better fix flow problems that came up later (did I say I thought I had that covered?). At the end of it all, essentially my first three chapters were gone, and the next four had to be significantly retooled to make sense, but none of it fed into a need to backfill the storyline. It needed to be cut out in order to make the story better.

And the fact that I'm so long winded made this possible to begin with. *sigh*

Amiton.

[Higgins]

Three chapters? Amateurs. :)

I cut 7 chapters. Not that they weren't "in action" already, but they were the wrong starting point. I did lose some really good stuff, especially characterization of the two main characters and their relationship (maybe I will make them available in the future as "author's cut" once I become famous. HA!).


Piffle. I'm writing a series and I cut the first 3 novels.

[Nakhlasmoke]

I cut my first chapter, and managed to incorporate all the relevant backstory into 2 lines in the penultimate chapter. The story had a much stronger start for it.

It can be done. *grin*

[pdr]

writers cut their first couple of chapters. It's not so much the NOT starting at an inciting incident, more that they've had to write through those chapters to find their 'voice' for that particular novel and their place in the MC's life.

[Dave.C.Robinson]

Writing is like sculpture, you pare away to find the core.

There are things that I cut that had to be written for the story to make sense.

[Spiny Norman]

I like the term "throat-clearing."

I massively rewrote my first chapter, and then cut about 40% of the second, and then about 30% of the third. From there on out is where the story takes over.

Most writers, when faced with uncertainty, will react by overdoing it. I sure did. Paragraphs and paragraphs of talking until I felt I found my voice (or the voice of the character - the real problem was that he's pretty long-winded and chatty).

I agree with, "If you don't feel that you like every single word of what you're reading, then lose it." I had tons of clever exchanges and funny moments, all of which were pretty much useless and I had to cut. If you don't do that, then the story loses serious steam.

[swvaughn]

Piffle. I'm writing a series and I cut the first 3 novels.

Now that's hardcore, dude. :D

[Stew21]

In my first novel I cut the first 2 chapters. Never looked back. The info wasn't needed. A lot of it was present in other ways throughout the story. zip...gone.
I have tried to learn from this and in my second I started off at a quicker pace. In the end I may need to cut some of it but it's a better start than the first novel.